Introducing the Good Rides Pack

I am very proud to introduce the first Dapplebay original product...the Good Rides Pack. 

When I got Pie in 2010, he was four years old, just off the track...and so nervous and unsettled in his skin. According to his papers, he had seven different owners by the time he was four years old! I fell in love with him immediately despite my trainer at the time instructing me to NOT BUY HIM...I just couldn't help it! He had placed that cute nose right on my shoulder and well...you can see from this photo that I was totally smitten. 

I brought him home, and then we moved to Georgia (across the country!) just a few months later. Poor Pie was totally traumatized, and to top it off - he sustained a suspensory injury which put him on stall rest indefinitely. He was loosing his marbles, and I started loosing my patience with him. 

My hubby Mark trains military working dogs. He had been implementing positive reinforcement training (clicker training) with fantastic results, and he suggested that I try it with Pie. At the time, there was almost no one advocating this type of training for horses. I scoured the internet and learned what I could from Alexandra Kurland's books and online resources. 

Positive reinforcement training was what built the bridge for Pie & I and formed the foundation of our partnership. We used it initially to get through the stall rest, and then it was so much fun that I kept using it as he went back to work. Clicker training built Pie's confidence immensely, and I had never had more fun training a horse. For a tense, spooky, and very sensitive horse like Pie it was exactly what we needed. To this day, he has a training foundation that I can always rely on. 

A great example was the recent photoshoot we did for Cavali Club. Pie is a very naturally spooky horse, and I was afraid that he wouldn't have ANY of the shenanigans we had planned, from the extravagant display to the neck ribbon. He's been a semi-retired pasture pet for the past several years and he takes that job VERY seriously. However, because he has this training, we have a language, and he knows that he will be rewarded for being brave and trusting me.

 I think this photo really shows Pie trying so hard to overcome the spooky part of his nature!

Treats are essential in positive reinforcment training, and one day I just realized that maybe this was something I could make! What if I had a cute, wearable pouch instead of this clunky, ugly, clip on contraption?

I set out to design something that was cute, functional, and versatile. After months of prototyping and testing, we have a winner...the Good Rides Pack! This pack is perfect for holding your reward treats, and it's also sized to be a phone & accessories holder for riding or working around the barn.

The Good Rides Pack is a compact belt bag in a traditional oxford fabric that's tough enough for daily use & abuse, water resistant, and washable. This versatile little belt bag is perfect for stowing horse treats or your phone while riding, training, or working around the barn!

I wanted the design to be understated and go-with-everything, so I settled on a classic palette and a subtle design element of the DB Badge leatherette logo patch. The badge represents our four core values: Horsemanship, Sportsmanship, Friendship, and Creativity. And, I named it the Good Rides Pack because I believe that we should only be having good rides. And if you're not...I highly recommend learning about clicker training and implementing it into your program. I promise that it will transform your relationship with your horse, just like it did for Pie & I!

Shop the Good Rides Pack here!