Your Expert Fitter

08/30/2025

The state of shipments from overseas and tariff talk. Here's the truth

08/28/2025

Safety first!!!

08/22/2025

Say it with me now, "horses are made of more than bones and joints"

07/28/2025

Saddle fit affects the whole body

07/28/2025

Ever wondered what goes into a full reflocking on a DP saddle?
Here's a conversion to Jacob's wool. Why convert? The siliconized flocking is great in *most applications for these saddles, but if a horse requires very specific flock placement, or a rider is putting excessive hours on a saddle, it is of benefit to swap to Jacob's wool.

07/17/2025

07/10/2025

Deadline for Rider applications is July 31st! We will be giving lectures at the festival too 😁

🐴✨ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 2025 𝗡𝗖𝗗𝗖𝗧𝗔 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 - 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁 12-14, 2025! ✨🐴

Mark your calendars for an unforgettable weekend of education, fun, and all things equine! The NCDCTA Equine Festival returns to the beautiful Carolina Horse Park on September 12-14, 2025!

Prepare for an incredible lineup of five world-class clinicians:
-𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁 - Pressure Proofing for our Eventers!
-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘆𝗲𝘀 - Master your Dressage skills!
-𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗻 - Discover the art of Long Lining!
-𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗹𝗲𝘆 - Explore the world of Western Dressage!
-𝗚𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗵𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗶 𝘄/ 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 - Unlocking Downregulation & Intrinsic Movement for Sport Horses!

But that's not all! The festival also features engaging lectures, a fantastic vendors row for all your equestrian needs, and other fun activities for the whole family!

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐃/𝐂𝐓/𝐖𝐃 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭 14𝐭𝐡
Ready to put your newly found knowledge to the test? Our Harvest Moon D/CT/WD competition will be held during the festival and is OPEN TO ANYONE, not just festival participants! This is a fantastic opportunity to ride and compete in a welcoming atmosphere.

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸:
The Carolina Horse Park is a premier 250-acre facility dedicated to the preservation of open space for equestrian sport and its community. It's a true gem in the heart of North Carolina, offering top-notch amenities and a beautiful setting for all equestrian disciplines.

🎟️𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: 𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 15𝘁𝗵🎟️
Come for one day, two days, or immerse yourself in all three! Junior tickets are available at half price – bring the whole family!

🐎 𝗥𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 15, 2025! 🐎
Don't miss your chance to ride with these incredible clinicians! Applications close on July 31, 2025.

For any questions, please contact Amy at [email protected] or Ali at [email protected].

You won't want to miss this incredible weekend designed to inspire and educate equestrians of all disciplines! Tag your barn buddies and start making your plans!


https://www.eventcreate.com/e/equinefestival2025

07/10/2025

Is your beefy shouldered beasty knocking your jump saddle around like a pinball?
You got problems? We build solutions 💪
The free shoulder panel, available on over a dozen of our jump models. Check it out on the NEW Oryx pro mono jump, a saddle designed for horses with wither.

07/09/2025

Horses need to be reasonably clean and dry *at the time of their appointment *

This heat is gross. Trust me, I get it. This does mean that you should expect your horse to be gross when you arrive at the barn, and plan to arrive well enough in advance to prepare them for their appointment. Hosing them off 30 minutes prior and putting them under a fan so they are clean and dry is GLORIOUS! Worst case, please curry, medium bristle and fine bristle brush them.

I cannot do my job adequately on a sweaty, salt and sand encrusted horse. Please stop presenting me with hot, filthy animals.

07/02/2025

I took my 3 year old filly in for an urgent dental today. The past few training sessions when I have presented her with the bridle to put on, she has turned her head to the side or even tried to leave the grooming bay. I heard her loud and clear that she did not want to wear her bridle, and decided to have a look in her mouth.

What I saw were two HUGE wolf teeth! (Blue circled) No wonder she didnt want to tack up. So all training was halted until she could be seen by our veterinary dentist and surgeon to have these widdle fangs removed and a thorough exam and dental performed.

Her dentist and I had a great discussion about young horses and the challenges they face. We are starting horses under saddle and asking them to create their first relationship with a bit and contact during the most tumultuous and traumatic time of their mouth's life! Baby caps are shedding, new teeth are erupting, roots are forming. Lumps and bumps can even be seen externally while this metamorphosis is taking place, and many of these molars are right where we put a noseband.
When using the camera scope today, we counted no fewer than 6 open raw portions of gums *that were completely normal for her age* where teeth were leaving or coming in. It looked painful and angry in there.

And then we wonder why young horse development is not linear? Why young horses have fussy mouths? We had thought she would have her first dental in September at 3.5, but clearly she needed to be seen sooner.

Can you imagine what her first experiences being ridden would have been like had I ignored her "no thank you" communication? Ignoring this would have impacted her psychologically and physically for life.

Our entire fitting method is rooted in horses having a voice and respecting them. This is also why our sales process includes test rides. Just because something may seem like a great option does not guarantee that its the right choice for a particular horse. They deserve a chance to try it out and let us know. Comfortable horses have clear minds that are calm and ready to communicate with their person. They move freely, breathe easily, and are more willing to learn new lessons. When we listen to our horses, they will tell us how to take great care of them and keep them comfortable.