II was born in Massachusetts, but by the time I was two my family had moved to Maine. We still go visit annually and I love my time there on the lakes.
My family isn’t horsey at all; according to my dad, they are a misguided, expensive hobby. Nevertheless, when we moved to Rock Hill, SC, I started riding at Mitten Tree Knol and that same dad bought my first pony: Fancy Music. She was a booger, and we were a perfect match.

When we moved to Rocky Mount, NC, I found myself showing, training, and putting rides on whatever horses came my way — mostly Arabians and Quarter Horses, with the odd Standardbred or mystery mount tossed in. My job was to make sure they were steady enough for their "weekend warrior" owners. It's also where I learned to jump and discovered I had a knack for getting difficult horses going well.

I moved to Georgia in 1997 and stumbled across the Midland Horse Trials — and that was it, I was all in for eventing. This was the 90s version of the sport: true long format, no golf-course footing, and the expectation that if you fell off on cross-country, you got back on and kept going. It led me into foxhunting, which derailed my college career because I couldn't stay away from the hounds. Worth every missed class.

I served as professional staff for Midland Fox Hounds under Mary Lu Hardaway Lampton, who taught me what it means to run a truly professional operation — excellence in the details, how equipment is maintained, how standards never slip. Working for Midland also introduced me to polo, and I fell in love with those incredible horses. I've bought several polo ponies from Eddy Martinez over the years, turning them into foxhunters and eventers.

Along the way, I rode with legends — Anne Hardaway Taylor, Paige Hardaway Flournoy, Billie Stewart, Margaret Martin, Chris Ryan. I drove Belgians and Clydesdales in harness and twice made it to the NAPPA Championships in Virginia. Each discipline taught me something different about what actually works versus what just looks good in a catalog.

Through four decades in the saddle, I've seen every trend cycle through the industry. I've watched good ideas get twisted into marketing gimmicks and riders spend thousands chasing the latest "breakthrough" that their grandparents' tack already solved better. I've also seen the gear that quietly does its job, year after year, making horses and riders better without fanfare.

Today, I'm still a horsewoman in every fiber of my being — but also a mom, cheering on my son as he rides his pony with that same grit and joy that got me hooked decades ago.

Red Ribbon Tack grew naturally out of this life — not from a business plan, but from experience. I sell tack that fits my horsemanship philosophy; I don't change my philosophy to fit tack. Horses deserve better, riders deserve honesty, and our community is stronger when we honor both.