January 24, 2012 • "The Gals", Inspirational, Memorial - Horse Friends • Author: Julie • Comments: (0)
This blog page is created in loving memory of our equine friends who have crossed the rainbow bridge. We asked everyone on our Long Riders Gear facebook page to share photos of your horses who have passed, so we could create a permanent place for their memory to be shared with others (see the end of this page for details to send your own horse memorials). The following photos are the result, ending with two from Long Riders Gear “Gals”.
>>>Larue (Buck’s Lucky Lady). 2001-2011. Our beautiful racking mare and trail horse deluxe. Taught her Dad how to ride and took care of him even on the roughest trails. She would take him anywhere. We love her dearly and miss her so very much. Thank you for providing this memorial feature. It means a lot to us. ~Lindsey Payette
<<<Lancer aka Buddy 2001-2011. I owe this little pony! He was a great for my son. He had several little fans. I miss you so much!!! Lancer came from a great family where he was also very much loved and spent a lot of time with a young boy as he grew up until he was too big for him. We were lucky to have him in our lives for a short while. ~Lori Schatz Miller
<<<Squire aka Sir Fistication 1984-2011. He was one in a million. Arabian/POA. Squire taught and touched so many lives. Squire ‘Sir Fistication’ (Squire’s facebook page) He meant the world to my son Justin and I. I learned so much from him. I will forever miss and love him. ~Lori Schatz Miller
>>>My little Cowboy Jones. Got him when I was six and he was five and had him all the way up until he passed at 19 years. Couldn’t have asked for a better (or faster) pony 
) At the end, when I went away for school, he served as a service horse for HandiRiders where he was well-loved and did his job well. Miss and love this guy! ~Alexandra, Long Riders Gal – Customer Service
<<<Senrabruk, Arabian, 1982-2011. One solid, energetic, go-anywhere trail horse. This boy could trot! My dad drove us to Washington from Wasilla, Alaska and back to purchase him in 1986, when I was 16. “Bruk” moved from state to state with me for 23 years… Alaska to Oregon to Arkansas to California. He was my Arabian dream! So sad for him to pass away last year, but love is worth every bit of sorrow that comes with it! I’m confident I will see him again. ~Julie, Long Riders Gal – Marketing/Web Admin
Please feel free to send your own images and brief message (under 100 words), including name of horse and years lived (i.e., 1989-2011), and we will keep adding memorial pages to honor your horse friends too. You can post them to the Long Riders Gear facebook wall, or email us at julie@longridersgear.com.
January 11, 2012 • Gaited Horses, LRG Customers, LRG Youth, Testimonials • Author: Julie • Comments: (2)
Here are a couple of pictures of my daughter, Heather, and her horse, Sapphire, wearing the gorgeous blue trail bridle I bought from Long Riders Gear. Heather is 11 years old and has been trail riding for about a year. In addition to riding local trails, so far, she has competed in a hunter pace (our team won 2nd place) and ridden in a poker ride, and she hopes to get involved in competitive trail riding and showing. Sapphire is a Missouri Fox Trotter-cross, and is the same age as Heather. Heather has only owned Sapphire a few months but they’ve already formed quite a bond.
A friend of mine introduced us to the RJ Manufacturing flat woven trail reins and directed us to Long Riders Gear, and we’re hooked! Heather just had to have a complete trail halter bridle set in blue to match her blue roan. I’d say she did a good job with her color choice!
Nancy, Heather & Sapphire ~ Northeast Georgia
See all our products by RJ Manufacturing, including sidepulls, halter bridles, round yacht rope reins, sponge straps, grooming halters, tailing lead lines, rope halters, yacht rope leads and reins, and tack hardware.
December 8, 2011 • LRG Customers • Author: Julie • Comments: (0)
At about the 1st of every month, we send our Specials email (you can sign up here). The December Specials issue featured a special mention and link to our American-made horse products. We consistently offer between two to three hundred “Made in the U.S.A.” items, from horse, barn and trailer products to riding apparel and gifts. Shortly after sending the December Specials to subscribers, we received a reply from a customer offering some insight to buying ‘Made in America’. Not only were we pleased to get such an encouraging response, but we felt she included some useful points that we’d like to share with our customers, readers and facebook fans (with her permission granted).
“Just a huge THANK YOU for featuring “Made in America” items. Perhaps you are aware that Diane Sawyer on ABC evening news has for the past months, been featuring and encouraging viewers to purchase “Made in America(MIA)” in order to create American jobs. This holiday season, she and her news team shared the statistic that if every shopping American spent $64.00 of the $700.00 they are projected to spend on an American made good… that alone would create over 200,000 new jobs. Diane is featuring the powerful effect this type of buying is having on the economy. Imagine what might happen if the “Horse Community” got involved in the ABC’s “MIA movement”. …Most horse people EASILY spend $64.00 for horse related holiday items. It is SO important that “the grassroots” get involved with doing something for the American economy.” –”Ben” (my rescue Thoroughbred’s name)
We’d like to share a link to ABC/Diane Sawyer’s Made In America promotion and encourage you to buy American even as you shop with us!
While we’re in the patriotic spirit, here’s a great Wallpaper photo for you… A round bale of hay with a flag of the United State of America on display near Hillsborough, North Carolina. Photo by Ildar Sagdejev via Wikimedia Commons. Just follow the link and right click to save.
Happy Holiday Trails!
“The Gals” at Long Riders Gear
November 15, 2011 • Arabians, International Customers, LRG Youth • Author: Julie • Comments: (1)
We’re so lucky to have customers who love to regularly send us photos of their rides, their new gear, their horses… and Kristina from Sweden is a favorite. This batch has some endearing photos of Kristina’s daughter, Malin, joining her atop her Arabian, Belisha. Kristina has shared many other fabulous horse pix with us. Enjoy!
Many thanks to *all* of our customers for taking the time to contribute to our blog, this online “album” of horsey delights!
“The Gals” at Long Riders Gear
November 15, 2011 • ACTHA, Gaited Horses, LRG Customers, Testimonials • Author: Julie • Comments: (0)
My mare “Trick’s” and I have the flashiest tack around… easy to find us in a crowd! I love the synthetic Zilco gear.
I joined ACTHA in 2009 and have been having a blast ever since. Trick’s O’The Times is my Rocky Mountain mare. She is looking pretty good for 27 yrs young! We have ridden in six ACTHA rides but this time we actually placed 5th! We also recently have begun pole bending and barrel racing fun speed events held locally. Only tried those twice but they are a lot of fun. We seem to be a walking ad for the gear at Long Riders! I just pass along the info and tell them how much I enjoy not cleaning my tack for hours. Everyone loves the color and when I tell them that you have so many to choose from they are amazed. Expect to be busy for Christmas this year!
I cannot say enough good things about you gals, really. Thank you for helpng us to put our best hoof forward! You can spread the word that I love the gals at Long Riders Gear!
See you on the trails!
Sincerely,
Debbie Finnegan
September 14, 2011 • LRG Customers, Mounted Patrol/Parks/Rescue, Trail Gear Tips • Author: Julie • Comments: (0)
From customer, Clifford (“Fordy”) Carver of Wyomissing, PA.
Thought this might amuse you all. The yellow Lab is “Beaton” a 6 yr old male. The sheep are Katadins (after the mountain in Maine, they “shed” their hair & don’t need to be shorn) & Scotish Black Faced.
Jubilee is a 16.3 Thoroughbred-Percheron cross mare. We fox hunt & respond with Middle Creek Search & Rescue when we aren’t trail riding or trail clearing.
The orange handles are fiskars very light-weight pruning shears. The larger set are “telescoping” (26-40 inches long) handled anvil pruning loppers. They are clipped onto D-rings at the right rear of my Keiffer Czar saddle. On the left side rear I have a 14″ pruning saw in its scabbard and a pair of bypass hand clippers in the scabbard’s outer pocket. Now,only very rarely do I ever need to come back with my chain saw! (See the Cashel Saw & Pruner Scabbards.)
August 25, 2011 • Appaloosas, Competitive Trail • Author: Julie • Comments: (4)
From MaryAshley McGibbon, of Texas & NATRC’s Region 4. North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) Region 4 covers trail riders in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma & Texas. Visit NATRC Region 4 on the web, and “like” the Region 4 Facebook page.
Despite years of varied and constant riding experience, being a relatively successful equine professional, and riding a trusted mount I had owned for well over a decade, there was a definite point during my first long-distance competitive trail ride where I worried I might not know anything about horses, after all. Especially my own.
My 17-year-old Appaloosa gelding, Bandit, and I were winding through pine trees on our first NATRC ride at the Horsemaster’s Benefit in Big Sandy, east Texas. I was tired from fighting my small-though-belligerent horse for the past ten miles. At home, he was a slightly mischievous but loveable “pet” on whose bare back I could lead a leisurely trail ride without blinking an eye. When we trailered to nearby parks or friends’ properties, he sometimes got a bit frisky, but always contained and behaved himself within a few minutes. Yet for some reason, after investing thousands of dollars in this new sport and preparing for months for our first competition, an utter void of communication had opened up between us.
Bandit was convinced I had dragged him in the woods to die a slow, humid death on the soft trails of Big Sandy. I was convinced that my childhood mount had been replaced with a troll. We were cantering practically in place, churning up sand and pouring sweat. I was impressed and disheartened to learn just how loudly my horse could whinny while maintaining such a speed. Not only were we falling apart at the seams, but any rider in a 5 mile radius could probably hear his fussing and hollering. We weren’t a team, so much as two wild-eyed animals glued together with some fancy synthetic tack. Children half my age on horses only a third of Bandit’s age had long ago passed us, trotting along so pleasantly and in tune, I thought I might be sick with envy. We must have looked like a borderline train wreck.
Call it a low spot if you will, but I consider it a testament to how enlightening and energizing the sport of competitive trail riding can be for a rider. The lessons I learned on that first ride, and subsequent competitions and training rides, have made me an infinitely better horse owner and riding instructor.
I came across the North American Trail Ride Conference while participating in a clinic with the Certified Horsemanship Association. Two of the ladies, including one of the clinicians, had been competitors and when they explained the format to me— lots of saddle miles, not a breakneck speed, obstacles that were lightly contrived but still challenging, interesting locations— I was convinced it was the sport for me. After finishing my instructor certification that fall, I went home and did some reading, and made a list of the gear and fitness training I would need. Every month I’d make sure I did enough miles in the saddle, and I’d purchase another piece of my endurance “kit”— a biothane breast collar one month, matching saddle and water bags the next, then an endurance saddle and stirrups and on down the line ‘til I thought I would at least look the part of a competitor. Lots of NATRC riders indulged my questions via phone or e-mail, and I am forever thankful for their advice.
I may have painted a grim photo of that first ride at the Horsemasters’ Benefit, and for at least a couple of miles, it is an accurate one. But things got better, and since the end of that day I have become very committed to this sport. My job is time-consuming— I am employed full time as the director of the Equestrian Education program for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. I manage a herd of twenty-five horses aged two through thirty-two, and I run riding lessons and retreat rides throughout the year, and summer camp riding programs during the hot months. That schedule prevents me from attending every CTR that I want to, but I have made three or four a year a priority and hope to increase that number in the years to come.
That little spotted horse, Bandit, ended up helping me win a fourth-place horsemanship ribbon on that very first ride, and went on to win his own ribbons the next ride we went to. He’s still a firecracker in competitions, even in his late teens, but the lessons we learned together in Big Sandy have carried us to more success at home and on the trail. A few dressage lessons have helped, too! We are much better at connecting our minds and finding a common purpose on trail. Judged obstacles remain a point of contention for us, but I see improvements every time we go out. As long as I’m fit and he’s sound, we will continue to ride NATRC. It is my favorite thing to do on the back of a horse.. and, like so many of us, I have tried more than a handful of disciplines and events.
And as for those lessons I learned on our first NATRC ride?
In short—
1. When approaching a judged obstacle, no matter the difficulty, you can convince yourself all you want that you’re “not nervous at all.” Your horse knows differently, and may very well react to that knowledge.
2. There’s plenty of reasons to worry about time. Don’t miss the scenery because you’re staring at your GPS and counting minutes. You’re there to enjoy a new or treasured place, and it’s a gift!
3. Rarely is it the horse’s fault. We’ve all heard that, but never is it more important to remember than in the heat of competition. My gelding may “have a screw loose,” but it is my job to find that missing piece and improve every time we go out.
4. “Stuff” is important, but it isn’t everything. I am so thankful I set aside money to invest in great tack that looks good and will last, and I advise people to look to good endurance retailers before buying any junk. That said, there are still people in old, flimsy, cheap tack who beat me every time.
5. Think before you mount. Use a log, use a tailgate, use topography. There’s never a good reason to put more stress on your horse’s back.
6. More often than not, in NATRC, even the winningest competitors are willing to offer you good advice and a kind word. Don’t be afraid to ask questions— not only will you get an answer, you very likely will get a great friend in the process who is as horse-hearted as you are. Those mentorships and friendships may be the greatest gift of competitive trail riding.
July 12, 2011 • Barefoot Trail Horses, Endurance, International Customers, LRG Customers • Author: Julie • Comments: (1)
Atte is a 23 years old Finnhorse gelding who came to me when he was 17 years old. After riding a year without any specific aims, I heard about endurance riding and got really interested in it. We started for the first time in the autumn 2006 when Atte was 18 years old and kept on competing on 30-50 km distances until 2010. Our aim is to start one more time in this autumn. These pictures have been taken on a three-year time scale:
Atte just won The Best Veteranian Horse title on a match show (an unofficial horse show for all animals with hooves). He is a “do anything” kind of horse. He loves to get harnessed and draw carriage but works well as saddled, too. Sometimes I just take a halter and we go for a long walk leading each other by turns.
Atte lives in an open stable with another Finnhorse gelding and enjoys his life. He is also an iron-free horse; he goes barefoot and I ride with bittless bridle. Usually I also leave the saddle at home and place only a pad on Atte´s back. He trots and gallops so smoothly that it’s easy to hold balance. And I love feeling every muscle working on Atte’s back.
We both love small roads and little paths in the forest so trail riding has been an easy choice for us. In Finland we have four really different seasons so our nature has something new to offer at least four times a year. Summer is great because of the light and warmth and snow in the winter time offers a lot of fun things to do with a horse, too. But when living barefoot, a horse has to wear hoof boots with icebugs in certain time of winter and spring to avoid slipping. Luckily we have Easyboot Gloves and Epics!
But from Atte’s point of view summer is the best season. The reason for that can be easily found in the picture below!
Happy moments with horses to everyone!
Regards from Finland, Tiina & Atte
Photos by Hannu Kaksonen, Minna and Tiina Vesterinen and Mirva Wiik.
June 30, 2011 • LRG Customers • Author: Julie • Comments: (0)
For ten weeks I have been training a new horse, Super Extreem, owned by my friend Gunilla Carlsson. He is 8 years old and very nice. We started Vedema Endurance Ride, 80km CEI in April. Everything went well. This Sunday, we started Göinge Ride, 120km CEI and we compleeted! I am so happy! I´m sending you a few pics from Sunday (Göinge Ride). I am wearing my Kerrits tights of course. My friend in the picture is Sara Lewerentz and her horse’s name is Topaz.
Cover photo on the Long Riders Gear homepage, July 2011.
This Sunday I went on a trip to take my new horse home. My very own horse. 
Her name is Belisha and she is 5 years old. I fell head over heels with her a few weeks ago when I met her and tested her.
CLICK on images for larger view….
New Love...
Kind regards Kristina Hagevi, Sweden.
Photos by Gunilla Carlsson
May 23, 2011 • Endurance, Gaited Horses, LRG Customers • Author: Julie • Comments: (1)
From Long Riders Gear customer, Becky Lange, and her horse, Mocha Jack (aka ‘M’) of Santa Maria, CA:
“M” was standing in a field in Ranchita outside of Lopez (CA Central Coast) when I met him in the summer of 2008. He was originally foaled in Montana in 2001 and moved to Arroyo Grande as a 3 year old. Unlike most Mountain horses he did not have that really laid back personality. No, the M-man wanted to move. I was looking for an endurance horse and Mindy Smith seemed to feel that M might be just what I was looking for. Neither M nor I had done any endurance so we were about to learn together. We spent the winter of 2008-09 conditioning and entered our first endurance ride in March, 2009 at Cuyama. M was a real handful and all he wanted to do was get ahead of all the horses in front of him. He ended up 15th out of 135 horses on the first day. Cuyama is a 3-day ride so we sat out day 2 and on Day 3 he was 20th. The rest is history. This is his third year of competition and he is faster and stronger than ever.
Last year he was an XP Gold Medal horse, 1st place lightweight horse in the Pacific South Region and 2nd place overall horse in the same region and 3d place pioneer horse in the nation. In addition he completed Tevis for the second time in 2010. This year (2011) he has completed 405 miles and was in the Top-5 in all his events. Further, he was awarded the Best Conditioned 3-day horse at Cuyama XP. Right now he is in the final prep for his third Tevis ride hoping to make it 3 for 3. And just as an aside – M is a Kentucky Mountain Horse (not an Arab).
Both Lynne Glazer and Steve Bradley have taken some great pictures of M over the past years. He is a joy to ride and he seems to truly enjoy himself out there on the trail. You never see a picture of him where his ears are not perked and he is looking happy as can be.
M has completed all of the events he has entered and all his endurance supplies come from Long Riders Gear. Thanks for the great service and products.
Becky & ‘M’
Facebook users, be sure to check out the Mocha Jack Facebook Fan Page created by Becky’s daughter, Ainslee Lara… “for the turbo-powered “M” & his rider, Becky Lange.”
>>>Larue (Buck’s Lucky Lady). 2001-2011. Our beautiful racking mare and trail horse deluxe. Taught her Dad how to ride and took care of him even on the roughest trails. She would take him anywhere. We love her dearly and miss her so very much. Thank you for providing this memorial feature. It means a lot to us. ~Lindsey Payette
<<<Lancer aka Buddy 2001-2011. I owe this little pony! He was a great for my son. He had several little fans. I miss you so much!!! Lancer came from a great family where he was also very much loved and spent a lot of time with a young boy as he grew up until he was too big for him. We were lucky to have him in our lives for a short while. ~Lori Schatz Miller
