Helmets and Safety
Troxel Spirit Helmet Review: Long-Term Use on a Home-Kept Trail Horse
Two years, five rides a week, one low oak branch. What held up, what didn't, and who should measure their head before ordering.
A trail rider and barn mom on why fit, vents and a visor mattered more than the label.
Two years, five rides a week, one low oak branch. What held up, what didn't, and who should measure their head before ordering.
A trail rider's comparison of the Troxel Spirit Duratec and a sport-style riding helmet, with the fit, coverage, and visor tradeoffs that actually matter outside the arena.
A trail rider who spent a decade bareheaded on why the helmet by her tack room door earns its hook, ten reasons at a time.
A trail rider and barn mom on why fit, vents and a visor mattered more than the label.
A practical, barn-side guide to measuring, fitting, and choosing a trail riding helmet, using the Troxel Spirit as the example.
A season of trail rides, trailer loading and ninety-five degree afternoons in an everyday helmet, including the parts the product photos leave out.
Eleven months of daily barn use on a thin-skinned mare: what held up, what I reach for first, and the two pieces I would replace.
I spent a muddy February Saturday comparing a seven-piece kit and a tote against the pile of bald brushes I already owned. The kit won, but not for the reason the photos suggest.
Ten small gains that add up to a groomed horse on the days you have the least daylight to spare.
Four years of digging through a bucket in the dark for a hoof pick, and the small, boring thing that finally ended it.
Sweat, dust and parking lot gravel come home with every trail ride. Here is the order I use, and why the sweat scraper does more than the brushes.
What the seven pieces actually cover, what the tote is really worth, and the two kinds of rider who should buy something else.
Three fly seasons, one thin-skinned Quarter Horse mare, and a lot of dark mornings fastening a touch closure by feel. Here is what held up, what ran hot, and what I would buy again.
Six weeks, two masks, one thin-skinned mare. Here is the honest split on coverage, airflow, rubbing and which one earns a spot in the trailer.
Ten things a fly mask actually does for a thin-skinned horse, from the eye clearance that stopped the fence rubbing to the reason 6.7 ounces matters more than it sounds.
Four summers of rub marks, lost masks and one mare who hates anything near her ears. Here is what finally stayed on.
A barn-chores routine for keeping flies off a thin-skinned mare's face, from the first warm week in April to the last hot day in October.
Two fly seasons, one thin-skinned mare, and the parts of this mask the listing photos leave out.
Eleven months, more than 40 wash cycles, and one thin-skinned trail mare. Here is what held up and what did not.
One is light, washable, and cut for an all purpose saddle. The other weighs more and spreads the load across a long day. Here is the honest split, from a barn that keeps both on the rack.
A bald patch the size of my palm taught me what that layer under the saddle actually does.
Two dry spots, one wrong fix, and the plain pad that made me stop thinking about saddle pads at all.
Five steps, one hand under the panel, and a trail check that tells you more than any tack room guess.
Two winters, four rides a week, and one thin-skinned mare. Here is what the flannel underside gives you, and what it takes away.
Eight months, one mare, roughly twenty pickings a week. The brush end turned out to matter more than the hook.
One is a two in one tool that lives in my jacket pocket. The other has been in my tack trunk for years. Here is the honest split, from someone who does her own chores in the dark.
A daily barn chore gets faster when the pick and brush are one tool.
A plain steel pick, a wet paddock, and the small barn tool that cut my hoof-cleaning routine in half.
The routine that survived mud season, softball tournaments and a 5:40 a.m. feed bucket: five steps, one tool, four minutes a day.
A daily-use review from a barn that gets muddy, not a show barn. Here is what the BOTH WINNERS pick does well, where it stops, and who should buy a different tool.
Two years, five rides a week, one low oak branch. What held up, what didn't, and who should measure their head before ordering.
A season of trail rides, trailer loading and ninety-five degree afternoons in an everyday helmet, including the parts the product photos leave out.
Eleven months of daily barn use on a thin-skinned mare: what held up, what I reach for first, and the two pieces I would replace.
What the seven pieces actually cover, what the tote is really worth, and the two kinds of rider who should buy something else.
Three fly seasons, one thin-skinned Quarter Horse mare, and a lot of dark mornings fastening a touch closure by feel. Here is what held up, what ran hot, and what I would buy again.
Two fly seasons, one thin-skinned mare, and the parts of this mask the listing photos leave out.
Eleven months, more than 40 wash cycles, and one thin-skinned trail mare. Here is what held up and what did not.
Two winters, four rides a week, and one thin-skinned mare. Here is what the flannel underside gives you, and what it takes away.
Eight months, one mare, roughly twenty pickings a week. The brush end turned out to matter more than the hook.
A daily-use review from a barn that gets muddy, not a show barn. Here is what the BOTH WINNERS pick does well, where it stops, and who should buy a different tool.