A podcast and newsletter for every horse show-tired + muck boot-wearing mama who’s trying to figure out what the hell she signed up for. You’ve got questions, Venmo receipts and way too many saddle pads. And now, you’ve got a community that gets it. Join the Broke Horse Moms newsletter for weekly behind-the-scenes extras, show season survival tips, gear recs, horse mom life hacks, and everything we wish someone told us when our kids decided to 'try' horseback riding. Join our virtual barn family!
🐎 BHM: What Dover’s closing signals about equestrian retail
|
Hi Reader, If you’ve been anywhere near horse social media this week, you’ve probably seen people talking about Dover Saddlery’s closures and liquidation sales. I've had teen girls begging for one last trip to our most local shop, moms asking when the 20% off will jump to 30% off, and myself...well, I've been remembering all the trips to Dover with Chloe and my mother-in-law. CORE memories, for sure. While we could all spend hours recounting the rites of passage our kids have celebrated at Dover, today's episode focuses less on the nostalgia and more about what it’s closing reveals about the equestrian industry as a whole. I sat down with Orchid Bertelsen of Back in the Saddle, who has been deep-diving into the Dover timeline, vendor issues, liquidation process, and the broader problems within equestrian retail and e-commerce. We talk about:
One of the biggest takeaways for me? Horse people are still spending money. The industry just hasn’t evolved fast enough to meet modern consumers where they are. As Orchid so eloquently put it: The bar is in hell for equestrian e-commerce. Girl ain't wrong. 😂 What Dover’s Collapse Reveals About Equestrian Retail w/Orchid Bertelsen 🎧 Listen on Apple SPEAKING OF TACK SHOPS... I mentioned two weeks ago that Big Dee's Tack and Vet Supply is officially the Presenting Sponsor of the Broke Horse Moms podcast. The main reason I reached out to them was because they somehow cracked the code on great customer service, fast shipping, and human support in the horse world...BEFORE I knew what was brewing at Dover. So, if you're stocking up on summer supplies, gear, or just stuffing your pony full of German Horse Muffins...be sure to use code BHM10 to get 10% off your ENTIRE order, including sale items (yes, I tested it!)! 👀 BTS: The Road to Pony Jumper Finals OUR GIRL IS QUALIFIED! 🎉 Last Saturday, Chloe and Phoebe headed to the Keswick Horse Show for their final qualifying class for Pony Finals and they crushed it. Great rounds, two first-place ribbons, and a very strong and happy looking pony after several weeks off during quarantine. ❤️ They skipped the Pony Jumper optimum time class in favor of the regular .80m jumpers because, according to Chloe: “If we’re driving two hours, I’m not doing optimum time.” 😂 Fair point, kid. Now we wait for the official invitation after the June application deadline which apparently is mostly a formality. But you know what’s NOT waiting on formalities? My creating a spreadsheet of our schedule at Finals, reserving our golf cart, and figuring out what the heck a 16-year old is supposed to wear for the 'jog. The Swag Barn is OPEN FOR BUSINESS! In addition to the ways you can support and partner with Broke Horse Moms as we document Chloe and Phoebe’s road to Pony Finals, (found here: https://brokehorsemoms.com/ponyfinals), we have also officially opened the BHM Swag Barn. 🎉 We launched with our flagship mantra, 'We thought it was a phase', on a variety of t-shirts first, because, dear reader, it was, in fact, NOT a phase. More designs and products are coming soon, but you can shop the first collection now and help support the podcast and Pony Finals journey at the same time. Shop the Broke Horse Moms Swag Barn Alright friend, that's it for this week. As always, thanks for being a part of this community. Inside leg, outside rein 🤷🏻♀️? P.S. Missed a newsletter? See previous posts here. |
BROKE HORSE MOMS
A podcast and newsletter for every horse show-tired + muck boot-wearing mama who’s trying to figure out what the hell she signed up for. You’ve got questions, Venmo receipts and way too many saddle pads. And now, you’ve got a community that gets it. Join the Broke Horse Moms newsletter for weekly behind-the-scenes extras, show season survival tips, gear recs, horse mom life hacks, and everything we wish someone told us when our kids decided to 'try' horseback riding. Join our virtual barn family!
Hi Reader, When The Plaid Horse shared my article about why the horse world feels so confusing for new families, one response kept coming up: Just ask questions. 🤦🏻♀️ Thanks, Suzy, for the tip. If we knew what questions to ask, we'd be asking them. Reading through hundreds of Facebook comments from horse moms, trainers, and lifelong equestrians made me realize something: we don't necessarily need more information, we need better starting points. That's exactly what this week's podcast episode...
Hi Reader, Am I the only who, when my kiddo started riding, assumed the only decisions to be made would be around things like schedules, budgets, and maybe when she got her first pair of tall boots. I had no idea that, before long, I’d be making decisions about trainers, horses, safety, horse shows, tack, and thousands of dollars in expenses in a sport I barely understood. Somewhere along the way, I had to figure out where my job as the parent ended and where my trainer’s job began. Who...
Hi Reader, A few weeks ago, I attended a webinar. Not for work.Not for a certification.Not to learn a new skill. I attended a webinar so I could LEARN HOW TO ATTEND Pony Finals. And while the webinar was super helpful, it highlighted something I’ve been thinking about for a long time: this equestrian life is incredibly difficult to understand if you didn’t grow up in it. We spend a lot of time talking about affordability and accessibility in equestrian sports, and those are important...