We were driving in the car to school one morning when Abby (then 8) told me (Amber|Mom|Narrator) she wanted to start a business. I thought maybe she'd say she wanted to set up the lemonade stand in our rural neighborhood. When she described the problem she was having with her heavy saddle and how she thought we could fix it, I knew she was onto something...
Abby, Blake, Beau & Amber
We live on a small farm in the small town of Arroyo Grande, Calififornia
30 lbs
All Leather
Wood Tree
Sturdy as heck!
15-18 lbs
Synthetic Leather
Fiberglass Tree
Sturdy as heck!
Explore Traditional
Explore Lightweight
"My four daughters would not be where they are today in their journey as horsewomen if it weren't for the Riding Free Tack lightweight saddles. Me moved from the suburbs to a cattle ranch six years ago and got our first horses a few years later. The girls were young, 3 to 8 years old.
They are strong, hard-working ranch kids but none of them could lift a saddle on to a horse themselves! My husband and I almost gave up on our dreams of our girls riding horses on the ranch - we just didn't have the time to be out there to tack up all the horses every time they wanted to ride.
We were introduced to Amber & Abby at Riding Free Tack and the girls got their first lightweight saddles for Christmas that year. They changed the whole game. All of the sudden the girls could head out to the horses themselves, tacking up, grabbing their helmets and riding in our round pen to their hearts content.
The saddles gave them so much confidence and the ability to ride their horses independently - and they gave my husband and I back to freedom to keep working on the ranch instead of tacking up horses all day! All four of my girls have Riding Free Tack saddles now - the lightweights and my older two have graduated into the roping and barrel racing saddles too as they start to compete in the rodeo arena too. I'm so grateful to Amber & Abby for believing in a much needed product and pushing to develop the perfect tack to help young kids pursue and attain their dreams of riding horses."
The Heffernan Family raises beef, pork and lamb and delivers straight to your door. Mary has also created a community and course for entrepreneurs. she recently released a cookbook and started a podcast with her sister, Ann.
Get to know Mary
"The saddles gave them so much confidence and the ability to ride their horses independently - and they gave my husband and I back to freedom to keep working on the ranch instead of tacking up horses all day!"
"The saddle arrived the evening and oh my goodness!!! The pictures don't do it justice! It's stunningly beautiful, great quality, and overall blew me away! The t-shirt and hand written note made it feel so personal and special. Thank you so much!"
"The Tack is the absolute best but what I love about RFT is the message behind the brand. Empowering kids to work hard and dream big is a mission I can’t get behind enough! Love Abby and Amber and everything they’ve created and stand for."
"I have to say that I am astounded by your concern for your customer's satisfaction in the days of impersonal online sales. You went above and beyond the scope of reparations, and that's unheard of today!
I have retired after a long and successful career in sales management where my main goal was to always leave our customers across the country with a sense of satisfaction they knew they could not find anywhere else. You have proven to be a person of the highest integrity by backing up what you promised.
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I would like to write a review of your company and your customer service as well as share with the many horse people we know in the area.
Please accept my utmost respect for your business practices as well as my apologies for any grief I caused through my frustration. You have given more than enough in reparations."