I have packed horses and mules across the Rockies for nearly two decades, and I have logged enough field hours to know that a pack saddle is not just a piece of gear. It is the single piece of equipment standing between your animal's spine and a hundred-plus pounds of camp, tools, or elk quarters […]

Every horse owner I talk to has the same story: the moment they realized how fast a horse can disappear. One minute your gelding is grazing peacefully in a 40-acre pasture, and the next minute a thunderstorm has rolled through, the gate has popped, and you are standing in an empty field wondering which direction […]

I've spent years packing horses into mountain trailheads, wet Pacific Northwest forest camps, and high-desert overnight corrals, and I can tell you this: the best horse blankets for camping are not the same blankets you'd pick for a stationary pasture. When your horse is tied to a highline or stalled in a portable corral for […]

I have been hauling horses to weekend shows, lessons, and trail rides for years, and I have learned the hard way that the best horse grooming kits for travel are the ones you can actually fit in a trailer tack room, lift into a car trunk without throwing out your back, and unpack in three […]

The first time my saddle slid two inches sideways on a steep switchback, I learned fast: a breast collar is not optional tack for trail riding. After a wet season riding the ridge trails near my home, I went through 8 of the most-purchased western breast collars side by side on the same quarter horse […]

After hundreds of trail miles on horseback and several seasons swapping headstalls between horses, our team has settled on what truly matters when picking the best bridles for trail riding. We've tested leather, nylon, and bitless setups across rocky mountain trails, muddy creek crossings, and long endurance rides. This guide pulls together the 10 we […]

After logging more than 600 trail miles over the past two years — from rocky Colorado backcountry to flat Florida cypress swamps — I can tell you the right stirrups matter more than any other piece of saddle hardware under your foot. I have ridden with creaky steel joints that rattled my knees raw after […]

After logging more than 600 trail miles over the past four years on the same worn pair of half chaps, I learned a hard lesson: not every half chap is built for the trail. Brush, mud, creek crossings, and four-hour climbs punish gear in ways a quiet arena never does. Our team spent 90 days […]

After three months of swapping lids on our local singletrack network, our team ranked the best trail riding helmets money can buy this season. We logged 47 trail rides, 1,820 miles, and put ten top helmets through long climbs, root-laced descents, and a couple of unplanned OTB moments. The helmets on this list all carry […]

When I started hauling my mare to weekend trail rides and endurance events, I quickly learned that tying her to the trailer all night is a recipe for pulled-back panic and chewed lead ropes. After two seasons of testing corrals next to my horse trailer in campgrounds from Missouri to Montana, I can tell you […]