Red Ribbon Tack

07/21/2026

"But my saddle fits."

This has been a topic on regular rotation in my business for the last 3 years.
Yes. your saddle can fit, it can hit all the markers of correct fit, ,be perfect by horse welfare standards. AND YET! It can still fail to be the saddle that the horse goes best in, or that best improves the horses way of going.

This is the reason we carry so many brands when we also designed and make 2 of our own. Not every horse likes every saddle that fits. Not every rider finds every saddle comfortable even if it fits the horse. We have invested a lot of money in having trade accounts with a variety of saddle makers and manufacturers, as many different options as we can pack into the Sprinter, and as much internal knowledge as we can gather about each saddle so we can make successive approximations towards the BEST saddle for you and your horse.

So, a recent case, we have a client who has a very quick to react, slow to forgive gelding, who has had some trauma (medical and self induced) and he is a wide sized flat tree dude. When he is even slightly uncomfortable, he will hold his breath, and then explode by running away and acting panicked. (I hate that this is what he feels he has to do to be heard but I digress. We have put him in no less then 9 properly fitted saddles over the time we have worked with him. He has rejected all but one. But oh, that one! In that one saddle, he breathes, he softens, he is rideable, he is responsive, he is calm. I cant' always tell you why a horse picks the saddle they pick, but they do make it easy for us sometimes if we are asking the right questions and listening to the answers. 9 saddles that fit. only 1 that is the best fit. Do they fit, yes. Did they work? No.

But again, this is why we have so many brands and different trees, and different sources of saddles to offer you. None of our Warmblood shaped trees are the same, and horses have a preference. What is standard on one brand, might not have all the components that a horse and rider need. But another brand might have just the right combination of tree, panel, flap and seat design to make everyone thrilled to work in the saddle.

If you feel that your horse is not in the best saddle for them, or you want to explore if something might make them more happy, please give us a call and we will come and assess the situation, with all our saddles in tow, and we will help you find the best fit possible.

07/14/2026

Two pairs of Kingsley Aspens looking for a home. Both < $500 Shipped

The Aspen is the little black dress of tall boots. Clean enough for the dressage ring, tough enough for cross country, appropriate everywhere from the hunter ring to the trail. Kingsley quality.

39 Corta / XS shaft
43cm height · 33.5cm calf
$490 shipped

41 Wide / Med Corta / XXL shaft
46cm height · 41.7cm calf
$490 shipped

DM me, comments get lost.

07/14/2026

Two pairs of Kingsley Aspens looking for a home.
These Aspens is the little black dress of tall boots. Clean enough for the dressage ring, tough enough for cross country, appropriate everywhere from the hunter ring to the trail. Each tried on once. Ships this week.

39 Corta / XS shaft
43cm height · 33.5cm calf
$490 shipped

41 Wide / Med Corta / XXL shaft
46cm height · 41.7cm calf
$490 shipped

DM me to order. Comments get lost.

07/09/2026

Reposting, because I still have them. Likely because I've done not the best job marketing them.

07/02/2026

06/13/2026

Thank you guys for having me!! I loved meeting everyone and watching your rides. 🥰

06/04/2026

We love Jack's!

05/31/2026

Hi. I'm Kaitlin.

It's been a minute since I properly introduced myself, and with summer here and a lot happening between now and August, it felt like the right time.

Red Ribbon Tack turns five in August. July brings something new I've been building toward for a while. And starting this month, getting access to what I do becomes less of a speakeasy situation.

I've been around horses for thirty years. I've ridden everything from backyard ponies to upper level event horses, hunted, shown, managed barns, and spent more time than I'd like to admit figuring out why a horse that should be going well isn't.

That's what Red Ribbon Tack is. Not a tack shop that happens to do consultations. A whole-picture practice that happens to carry really good tack.

I look at everything together. Saddle, bridle, bitting, strap goods, pad fit — in the context of your horse's farrier work, nutrition, turnout, and your own position. Because no amount of correctly placed tack compensates for an asymmetric horse.

I'm not a saddler. I'm not a vet. I'm not your trainer. I'm the person who knows enough about all of it to know which one you need and why. And sometimes the answer is none of them. Just a different girth.

Red Ribbon Tack has always offered consultations. Starting in June, KEEP makes that access easier and ongoing. Less of a "I have to find the right moment to ask" situation and more of a standing resource for your horse and your program.

More on that this week.

Glad you're here. The Baker plaid is beautiful and the horses always come first.