Why I’m a Tack Consultant Who Sells Product (Not the Other Way Around)
Experience, Honesty, and a Horse-First Approach Define My Process
Three Decades of Experience: Why Consulting Comes First
After three decades in this business - as a trainer, rider, and someone who's spent more time evaluating equipment than I care to admit - I've learned that selling you the right piece of tack often means talking you out of buying anything at all. That's a terrible retail strategy, but it's exactly how good consulting works.
What Retail-First Looks Like
Walk into most tack shops and you'll see walls of product organized by category and price point. The incentive structure is obvious: move inventory. Get you excited about what's new. Suggest upgrades. Bundle accessories. Create a shopping experience that ends with a sale.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this - it's how retail works. But it optimizes for the wrong outcome when you're trying to solve a fit problem or a performance issue with your horse.
The real problem shows up when suppliers get stuck with 10,000 of a specific breastplate, for example. Suddenly there's "new training" about why you need this design, complete with anatomical drawings that are... let's say generous with the accuracy. The product dictates the education instead of the horse's needs driving the solution. Wag the dog.
That happens all the time in this industry, and it's why retail-first always ends up prioritizing what needs to move instead of what actually works.
What Consulting-First Looks Like
I start by asking questions that have nothing to do with my inventory:
What discipline are you riding?
What's your horse's build and movement pattern?
What problem are you actually trying to solve, or are you just replacing something worn out?
What have you already tried?
What's your realistic budget, not the number you think you're supposed to say?
Sometimes the answer is "you need a custom boot fitting because your leg proportions don't match off-the-rack sizing." Sometimes it's "your saddle pad is fine, but your horse needs bodywork." Sometimes it's "that bit everyone's using right now isn't going to work for a horse with your guy's mouth conformation."
Sometimes it's "your saddle doesn't fit and you need a qualified fitter" - I'm not a saddle fitter, I can't flock or press your saddle. But I can tell you if it fits, what pads might help in the interim, who to send it to for quality work, and translate to and from saddler-speak so the communication is clear between you and the person deconstructing your $5000 investment of leather, metal, and wool.
The conversation might end with me connecting you to a custom maker I've worked with for 20 years. It might end with me telling you to keep using what you have. It might end with me selling you something - but only after we've established that it solves your problem.
Why I Charge a Consulting Fee
The short answer is that it releases the pressure for me to sell you something. You're paying for my expertise and my network, not my need to move inventory. That separation is what makes honest advice possible.
Cross-Discipline Literacy: Why It Matters
I've been in tack daily across multiple disciplines for over 30 years. Hunters, dressage, eventing, even some polo and rodeo exposure. Ponies, thoroughbreds, drafts, cow horses, everything in between.
That cross-context literacy means I'm not locked into "this is how we've always done it in my discipline" thinking. Some of the best solutions come from borrowing across disciplines - a dressage rider might benefit from understanding how polo players think about bit pressure, or a hunter barn might solve a boot fit problem with something I learned from eventers.
More importantly, it means I can spot the difference between a genuine innovation and repackaged marketing bullshit. I've seen enough product cycles to know when "new" actually means "better" versus when it means "the old version lasted too long so we needed something new to sell."
Brand Loyalty: Why I’m Not Brand-Loyal
I don't carry everything from one brand. I don't have exclusive partnerships that incentivize me to push specific products. I stock what I've seen work, across price points, and I'll source anything I don't carry if it's the right solution for your situation.
Some brands make incredible products for certain price points or purposes, and garbage at others. Some have amazing customer service that makes them worth the premium even when my margins are paper thin. Many have beautiful marketing, hedge on legacy, and mediocre performance in their current offerings.
My job is to know the difference and tell you the truth about it - even when that truth is "the $60 girth you already own is better than the $200 upgrade I could sell you."
Fit Over Trend: Every Time
Good horsemanship is expensive enough without double-buying to chase trends.
I've watched the equestrian industry slide toward fast-fashion thinking - companies making inferior products with great marketing because selling you a saddle pad that lasts 20 years doesn't create repeat customers. So they make something that photographs well, gets you excited, wears out in two seasons, and you're back buying again.
Fuck that.
I sell things that last because they're built right and fit correctly. Sometimes that means you spend more up front. Sometimes it means we take extra time to get the fit dialed in. Always it means I'm thinking about whether this purchase actually serves your horse's performance and comfort, not whether it's trending on Instagram.
How My Process Works
Red Ribbon Tack operates as a mobile consultation business serving the Southeast - primarily Georgia, Alabama, and the Florida show circuit. I come to your barn, evaluate your horse, watch you ride if needed, and we figure out what you need.
Sometimes that's evaluating whether your current setup is working or needs adjustment. Sometimes it's custom boot fitting where we get your exact measurements and connect with makers who do this right. Sometimes it's bridle selection based on your horse's actual head shape and movement, not what looks pretty in photos. Sometimes, it’s saying “this is a training/pain issue. Here are some resources that I trust.
Sometimes it's me saying "you don't need anything new, but here's what to watch for as this pad wears" or "this works fine for now, but when you're ready to replace it, here are better options."
Whether it's helping you build your brand for horse shows, explaining that the right equipment won't take you up two levels but can make you more comfortable at your current level, or connecting you with artisans who make those specialty items you've dreamed of, I probably know a guy.
The Bottom Line
If you want someone who evaluates your tack like a system, not a shopping cart, that's what I do.
I'm not here to move inventory. I'm here to solve problems with really good gear and decades of pattern recognition about what actually works. The consulting fee means I can give you honest advice without the pressure to sell. Sometimes that means selling you something. Sometimes that means talking you out of a purchase. Always it means starting with your horse's needs instead of my product list.
We're a community. Let's act like it, for the better of the horse.
Contact Me
Want to talk about your tack setup? info@RedRibbonTack.com - barn visits available across West Georgia, East Alabama, and Ocala Florida.