Wherever in the United States you’re riding this winter, chances are you’ll run into some chilly weather, even if it’s just in early mornings or late evenings. You’ll want options for staying cozy, and we’re willing to bet you’d like to look nice when you pull on or peel off your layers!

Here at Dover Saddlery^®, our team of riders develop casual and formal ladies’ riding apparel throughout the year, season after season, from shirts, vests and jackets to breeches, socks and gloves. This month, we’ve voted in three key pieces as the new stars of our own winter riding wardrobes. Each item meets specific needs for cold days at the stable, for lessons or clinics, and for versatility in our equestrian lifestyle. We start with a base layer, add a mid-layer and finally, outerwear. We hope you enjoy them. And if you’re looking for a great gift idea for a favorite rider, each is guaranteed to please!

Dover Saddlery HeatBlast™ Long Sleeve Shirt

As a base layer, we made sure this one ticks off every wish on a rider’s list. Next to skin, HeatBlast fabric feels so soft you could sleep in it. It’s made with thermoregulating yarns, which means it helps you stay warm in cold weather and comfortable when temperatures rise.

Adding to that, the HeatBlast Shirt provides the breathability to help prevent overheating and the extreme stretch to let you move freely. Especially important as a base layer, it wicks perspiration from your skin to prevent dampness that causes chills.

The cut of this riding top is timeless, flattering and sporty, including princess seaming, a slightly dropped back hem, the always-popular zip placket and classic mock collar. It’s offered in three gorgeous colors and in ladies’ sizes XS through XL.

Dover Saddlery Athens Sweater

Next up for adding core warmth? Our hybrid pullover offers a twist on two classics: a cable-knit sweater and a hooded jacket. We made the body to insulate your core with a lightweight layer of fill. The water- and wind-repellent outer means those water-bucket splashes and gusty breezes won’t ruin your day. And if a shower or cold blast pops up, the integrated hood repels water and wind, too.

Beautiful cable-knit sleeves and side panels feel cozy while adding breathability and stretch. With thumbhole cuffs, even your wrists stay warm! The Athens Sweater comes in two attractive colors and in ladies’ sizes XXS through XL.

Dover Saddlery Franconia Parka

This fully waterproofed jacket tops our winter-favorites list because we put every feature we want as riders into its design. For starters, we want to stay dry and warm—but still look feminine wherever we go. Franconia’s tapered, drawcord waist and discreet, side-entry pockets maintain a flattering shape.

The hood, which is lined and trimmed with removable faux fur, has adjustments to let you make it smaller or larger and ensure your full visibility. The durable outer with taped seams keeps all elements out.

Faux fur also lines the top of this riding parka to boost warmth. The longer hemline gives you coverage while you’re standing around the ring or barn, yet it converts for ease of riding with side-seam zippers and a magnetic riding slit. Because the magnets separate and click back together quickly, using the rear riding slit couldn’t be easier.

Other features to love about the Franconia Parka? The full adjustability of a two-way front zipper, a quilted lower lining that glides over your saddle, and a storm flap and inner cuffs that seal out drafts. It’s offered in two irresistible colors and in ladies’ sizes XS through XL.

As our fellow riders, we hope you’ll find that every feature we love about our products also benefits your riding. Relish in their comfort, quality and practicality in the saddle—and everywhere our equestrian lifestyles take us.

Check out the full collection of schooling attire and outerwear for women, children and men here!

Already have your own favorites? Share them on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery.

Before you close the barn doors on summer, take some time this September to look around your horse’s stable to identify health hazards and safety issues. You can improve your horse’s environment in simple ways, whether you own and operate your own barn or board your horse. We’ve compiled some easy steps for increasing barn health and safety.

Reduce Clutter in the Barn

An orderly barn is a healthy barn for horses as it is the easiest to keep clean and as dust-free as possible. As added benefits, orderliness saves time during chores and is aesthetically pleasing to riders and guests. Unused or obsolete equipment and extraneous items lurking in a tack or utility room, loft, cellar or even the corners of a barn attract dust, cobwebs and unwanted pests, such as rodents or insects.

• Sort through equipment to weed out items you no longer use. Rid yourself of old tack, horse blankets, supplement buckets and farm equipment you will never use again.
• Donate unwanted items in good condition to non-profit organizations, such as a therapeutic riding center or an animal rescue. These groups will put the items to good use or sell them to raise funds for their programs. Or sell items yourself—the hardest aspect of decluttering for many people is letting go!
• Keep only tools that are in good working order and that are used regularly. Replace worn-out brooms and repair broken manure forks, which can be refurbished with a new handle or a replacement head.

Clear Spaces for Horses

Take a fresh look around your barn to identify and remove potential hazards.

• Clear your barn aisle so that if a horse acts up on cross ties or while being led, it won’t collide with or become entangled in items that could cut or bruise.
• Check stall walls for exposed nails, splintered boards or sharp, worn-out feed buckets that can cut. If the plastic caps on a water bucket handle have fallen away, wrap the loops in duct tape to eliminate your horse’s tail getting caught or face being scratched.
• Make sure all blankets, sheets, halters, leads and other equipment stored on racks or hooks are out of reach of horses that could become tangled in an item.

Deep Clean

Grab a scrub brush, rags, broom and employ some elbow grease for a healthier environment.   

• Knock down all cobwebs; they can catch a spark and ignite fire.
• Thoroughly sweep storage areas to rid the floors of dust, debris and rodent droppings for a healthier breathing environment.
• Wash your horse’s “kitchen”, the walls where he or she eats; scrub water and feed buckets with a mix of white vinegar and water to cut grime.

Install Storage Solutions

Keep things tidy and out-of-the-way. A tack trunk makes an attractive solution for your horse’s multitude of gear but think “out of the box” to add convenient storage.

• Put a laundry bag or basket in your tack room for soiled items, which should make it easier for keeping those saddle pads, wraps and towels clean.
• If floor space is short, look to the walls for storage. There you can mount saddle and bridle racks, a whip holder and hooks for lunging supplies or other equipment. Wall-mounted wrap and bandage racks use space wisely while keeping items neatly bundled and ready for use.
• Add wooden shelving or blanket bars or racks on a wall for crease-free storage of saddle pads.  

We hope you find our basic steps to a safe, happy and healthy horse barn helpful. Share your thoughts, photos, ideas and personal experiences with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

For a sport so thoroughly steeped in its traditions, heritage and culture, a monogram (or another form of personalization) is the perfect embellishment for any equestrian. From a subtle touch with initials on a show shirt cuff to a boldly displayed logo on a tack trunk or your barn name on a gear bag, a beautifully produced personalization makes an elegant statement, exhibits ownership and enhances refinement. Monograms can range from a single initial, a traditional three-letter design, a custom logo or barn name, horse’s name or rider’s name.

“It’s special to be part of this sport, to be part of a barn family, to be among riders who take pride in showcasing their horse’s breed, name, or their own initials on a long-standing and beloved piece of riding apparel or equipment.  I especially love adding a monogram to a gift! The wide variety of thread colors and font styles really allow you to create a personalized finish to any product. The perfect present for a special show season or even schooling at home. I think a personalized accent represents a piece of a rider’s journey. It’s a true gift and something special to have or share.”

—Whitney Keeley, Dover Saddlery, Creative Director & Rider
 

Riders choose personalizations with a distinct sense of pride—pride of ownership identifying gear and tack, pride of place identifying barn, show stable or farm and, in some cases, pride of breed, identifying their horse’s type. Personalization serves a functional purpose: to identify the owner and, more importantly, to allow the owner to show their distinctive style.

Riders are especially lucky to have so many unique opportunities to add personalization! Embroidered monograms from elegant to whimsical can be created to display on horse and rider clothing. Customized logos are a spirited way to highlight your barn or stable and inspire team camaraderie. Stylish stable décor incorporating director’s chairs, tack trunks and stall drapes with coordinated logos/monograms makes an eye-catching and striking display in a home or at shows. Here are a few distinguishing ways to add your singular style to your equestrian kit with monograms.

• Embroider an initial or name on all their gear bags (boot bags, helmet bags, garment bags) as a smart detail and for ease of identification. Choose your embroidery color to match your logo, complement your horse’s color or assert your personal style.

Professional stable and trainers may have jackets, quarter-zips, shirts and other items embroidered to promote their organization and to ensure that their representing riders present a polished uniform look, both at home and on the road

“My trainer and all her students have jackets with her logo on the center back. We all love wearing her branding at a show or clinic to support her business. It’s also fun to wear them even at the home barn—it’s a cool feeling to be part of a team.”  
—Liz Russell, Dover Saddlery, Senior Writer & Rider

• Add your horse’s name to its dress sheets and coolers. It delivers a sophisticated impression around the show grounds or during transport and ensures that your horse’s items are completely unique. Breed logos are another way to make a bold statement

• Monogram saddle pads, polo wraps and stable bandages to further enhance your distinguished style and clearly identify your tack.

Another truly striking personalization addition is to include engraved nameplates on your horse’s tack, or stall. Our gleaming brass or German silver plates lend a polished note beautifully engraved in your choice of classic lettering. Or choose a smart leather bracelet to accessorize your look with your name, the name of your horse or barn. With so many personalization options to choose from and so many ways to mix and match those options, you can create your own look and elevate your presence at any event, show, competition or just at home in the barn. Discover how today!

To learn more about Personalization, click here.

Shop all personalizable products here.

Have you ordered a customized product for you or your horse? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!

Most of us—and our horses—have flies on our minds as the month of May arrives. For some horses and riders in warm areas, flies have never stopped being a nuisance all winter. For those of us in colder climates, flies will soon be buzzing alongside horses in turnout, under saddle, in the stable, or wherever we go.

Stable flies bite, inflicting a stabbing pinprick of pain followed by intense itching. House flies flit from one spot to another, spreading germs, causing irritation, and creating distraction. While we are annoyed by these pests, horses can become incredibly distressed and anxious as flies land on their legs.

Horses will stomp repeatedly to try to shake flies free of their legs, and extremely sensitive-skinned horses may begin to pace or run as their distress increases. As a result of these evasive actions, a horse can experience:

• Loose or lost shoes. (Repeated stomping or pacing may cause horseshoes to loosen or worse, a horse may accidentally rip off a shoe and damage a hoof.)

• Wear and tear on leg joints. (Repeated stomping adds impact stress to the joints of a horse’s legs.)

• Self-inflicted injuries to the lower legs. (While stomping or pacing, a horse’s own hoof or shoes can accidentally cut or bruise another leg.)

A set of fly boots, also called fly wraps, will help your horse avoid this distress. Fly boots create a breathable barrier around the lower legs right down to the coronary bands of the hooves. Made of durable mesh-like materials, many styles of fly boots have soft fleece trim or bindings that keep dirt as well as insects out. Contouring adds comfort, and features such as stays or elastic inserts help keep them in place. Hook-and-loop fasteners make these boots easy to put on and adjust, yet keep them secure during wearing. For fun, many fly wraps come in colors to match fly sheets and fly mask collections.

Browse our selection of fly boots and fly wraps here.

Does your horse have favorite fly gear? Share your photos with us on Instagram and Facebook by tagging @doversaddlery!