Tack and Equipment - English

Saddles can be expensive investments, particularly good-quality saddles. However, a brand new saddle is a luxury few riders really need to splurge on. At any given time, there are tons of high-quality used horse saddles for sale in excellent condition. Used saddles can be purchased for a much lower price than new saddles – plus, …

For many new riders, horse coolers are confusing. Standard practice in some barns and a rare commodity in others, it may be difficult to understand if your horse needs a cooler- let alone how they work and why some stables are so insistent on their use. In this article, you’ll learn: What horse coolers are …

Found, purchased, or inherited, you’re hoping to sell a horse saddle even though you have no idea what makes a saddle valuable. Never fear, in this guide to selling a horse saddle (for the totally clueless) you’ll learn: How to find out what your old horse saddle is worth, how to find the brand name, …

Saddles are notoriously difficult to store if you don’t have access to a good tack room with proper saddle mounts. Despite its difficulty to store them properly, it is essential that a saddle is stored correctly to prevent any damage. While you can usually get away with placing your saddle on the ground for a …

Baby pads for horses are squares of quilted cotton muslin fabric that are very thin, with either a thin layer of padding or no padding at all. Horseback riders use baby pads as a sweat-absorbing liner that helps keep expensive saddle pads cleaner. You may have heard horseback riders refer to baby pads and thought …

For horse owners, shuffling around old saddles and unused equipment is a fact of life. Even though horse saddles are one of the most expensive pieces of equestrian equipment, it’s not uncommon for riders to own a few. Riders often change saddles due to issues fitting their horse or after realizing that their saddle sores …

Horse halters are an essential piece of equipment for horse owners. A halter is a piece of equestrian equipment that fits over a horse’s head and allows a handler to control their horse when they are not in the saddle, is an essential piece of equipment that every farm must have. Halters come in many …

Keeping your phone handy while riding is a challenge for many riders. While equestrians have been effective problem-solvers for generations, the cell phone – especially the size of modern cell phones- presents a unique challenge. In this article, we’ll talk about a few of the popular ways that people carry their phone while horseback riding. …

One of the most common questions new riders ask about horseback riding is about the difference between English and Western riding. Most of the images of horses we have been shown in the Western Hemisphere in the past few centuries has reduced the many styles of riding down to these two: English riding (represented today …

Full cheek snaffle bits are popular in both English and Western riding. They are allowed and legal for most horse sports including the AQHA and USDF dressage competition (the latter being one of the most bit-restrictive horse show organizations). In 2009 I had the opportunity to visit a stable in Germany where the Olympian Isabelle …