SmartPaker Stories & Adventures

Every trail ride brings something new, and sometimes that "something" is a spooky surprise. SmartPaker Gina shares how patience, calm leadership, and allowing her horse time to process unfamiliar situations have built trust and confidence on trail rides.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach, finding treats that won't cause digestive upset can be a challenge. In this blog, SmartPaker Gina shares her simple, homemade 3-ingredient dog treat recipe inspired by her Bernese Mountain Dog, Argos. These easy treats are quick to make, customizable, and a great option for pet parents who want to know exactly what's going into their dog's snacks. Perfect for dogs who need a little extra care.

The thunder of hooves and clash of lances may steal the spotlight, but the women of the joust play an equally important role in creating the magic audiences love. This behind-the-scenes look with SmartPaker Nancy celebrates the grace, grit, and dedication that bring Renaissance Faire jousting to life.

Fly control supplements are an easy and effective way to add more support for fly season to your horse’s program. There’s a lot of variety in this category, and supplements work in different ways to help mitigate those pesky bugs! SmartPaker Kit has tried many of these supplements with many different horses, and he's sharing his three favorite options that show the different support methods along with his personal experience with each!

Not all horse barns are big, but the heart behind them always is. Backyard horse ownership can sometimes feel isolated, but what began as casual conversations between local small-farm owners quickly grew into something much more, a powerful support group and resource for backyard animal owners. The Backyard Barn Girls.

Warmer days have inspired SmartPaker Kit to start dreaming of clean ponies in the future! He's planning ahead with grand ideas for the first spring bath for his Quarter Horse, Truffles. Check out the blog to see his top products for spring bathing!

For many riders, spring means snow, thaw, and plenty of mud. When SmartPaker Kit's mud-loving mare Truffles comes in caked from nose to tail, he relies on five grooming essentials to get her clean and ride-ready. Read more to find out his must-haves!

Recently, our area was warned that we could receive anywhere from 12 to 24 inches of snow over the course of two days. While storms like this aren’t unusual for us, preparing for one of this magnitude does require some extra foresight, especially when you have horses.

Wintertime water woes are a thing. While you may be in a part of the country that rarely sees anything below freezing, I am currently struggling with frozen water buckets during the wintertime. The magical solution? Well, I wish there were one, I'd share it with you right here and now! But for now, I can at least share some solutions that I've used in the past and still use today! (Like literally today, it is SO cold out!)

This winter in New England has been freezing and snowing, plus it's the first winter I’ve boarded at a barn that doesn’t have an indoor arena! It's been a learning curve on how to keep her brain stimulated while riding is not an option. I’ve come up with a few ideas, and a few coping mechanisms along the way, that I’m going to share with you.

Each new year, I like to set aside some time to make goals for Nemo and Goose in the coming year. I enjoy this exercise, as it helps me have something tangible to work towards with both, and helps me look back and see what we’ve accomplished in the past year. This year, Nemo will turn 22 in May, and Goose, 9 in September. While I would finally consider Nemo a senior, he’s still active, and true to his Morgan breed, he loves having a job. Goose, a spunky cattle dog, isn’t near considering slowing down, and still enjoys multiple mile walks daily, or as often as winter weather or extreme summer heat allows.

When winter weather hits, it can be harder to keep all of our four-legged friends active (horses AND dogs included!). Rider and dog owner Ellen takes us through how she keeps her very active cattle dog busy and engaged.