Conquering Doubt in the (Western) Dressage Ring Inevitably, no matter how much I enjoy the preparations, when the day of the show dawns, my doubts, jitters, and fear of failing are strong…
Why I Ride: Cutting Horses Trying to choose a specific style of riding within the western discipline is like trying to choose your favorite color of M & M by taste.…
When Life Gives You Lemons…Sometimes You Need Horses Sometimes life gives us lemons and we can make lemonade, and sometimes we just can’t make sense of those lemons. Everyone goes through roug…
Adopting a Senior Horse “How old is she?” “Can you even do anything with her?” “Is she going to even be around that long?” These are just some of the questions tha…
Bye-Bye “Mom” Bod Three years and 2 amazing sons later and with no future plans for any additional children, it’s time to reclaim my body! This also means…
Saying Goodbye to my Heart Horse I never believed in heart horses until I met Haven. The moment I met her; it felt like our hearts connected, and I finally understood what…
Winter Poop Patrol I’m one of those nutty boarders who actually LIKES cleaning manure. Not stalls so much, more paddocks and pasture, which probably suits man…
Peek in my Tack Trunk: Adriana F. I don’t own a true tack trunk although growing up I always admired the ones in the tack room at the barn. Now, I have a few tack tubs. I…
SMARTer Riding Goals for 2021 You may have heard that goals are supposed to be SMART: Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound Well in riding we may not have…
SmartPak Holiday Traditions From the SmartPak family to yours, we hope you’ve had a great holiday season! Our team gathered their favorite memories and photos from thi…
Winters Without an Indoor I have lived in Massachusetts my entire life and I wouldn’t change a thing about that! Well maybe one thing, if I could change the weather…
SmartPak Recipe: Peppermint Pony Pop-Tarts It is that time of the holiday season again when everything pumpkin spice is tossed to the side and peppermint makes its way front and cent…
We Asked, You Answered: Spring Conditioning SmartPak asked 'what's the best way to bring a horse back into riding after winter'. Here's what our community had to say!
We Asked, You Answered: Winter Must-Haves SmartPak asked what your must-haves are at the barn in the winter, here's what you had to say!
Pony-Approved Charcuterie One of my favorite trends is fancy charcuterie boards. However, sunny days and summertime finds me spending lots of hours at the barn over…
SmartPak Equine Valentines Chestnuts are red, ribbons are blue, Happy Valentine’s Dayfrom SmartPak to you! From all of us here at SmartPak, we’re wishing you a Happy…
Sweat With SmartPak – Episode Three Welcome back to SmartPak’s Equestrian Exercise mini-series, where SmartPakers Caitlin and Tori demonstrate helpful tips and tricks on worko…
5 Tips for a horse’s first trail ride – Delilah’s big day out At my barn, where we teach lessons through the year as well as summer camp, it’s imperative that our horses be as “worldly” as possible.…