All horse folks have that horsey item they hoard too many of, and bags are my greatest weakness. I’ve been through so many saddle bags, and I’m always on the hunt for more. I’ve tried and learned I hate having a bag on me, such as a runner’s vest or thigh holster (they rub or cause too much noise). I also don’t love cantle bags as it’s hard to reach stuff and that’s where I carry my extra layers. Different activities require different set ups which means different bags. For example, arena riding or ETS events just require a treat bag, one that doesn’t need to be tied down super well as it’s not going to bounce much. Longer, slower trail rides require more space. Endurance rides, especially ones with longer than 15 mile loops or out checks, require a bag style I haven’t purchased yet, especially that give me the ability to neatly carry electrolyte tubes (none of my current bags allow for this). My current Synergist saddle came with lovely leather bottle holders, so those paired with a small pommel bag got me through this endurance season, though without space for electrolytes. I usually end up with a separate bag off the cantle for my space boot, something I’ve learned to never go without.

Throughout my riding years I’ve cycled through most brands of bags, from the older Stowaways, to a simple hand made treat bag, Tucker bags and unknown makers. Hands down the best bags, my current and future favorites, are the fully customizable Horse Bums. I currently have a modified Traveler (which she put custom patches of Flash and Cyrus on for me), a large pommel bag and a boot bag I cycle between, all made by her. She’s an amazing lady over in Virginia, churning out so many different styles of bags, from the super simple to the super complex. She’s also always futzing and designing new bags, and the quality, sturdiness and customer service absolutely can’t be beat. They can attach to any saddle bounce free, are super easy to clean, amazingly sturdy and always eye catching. I adore her bags and am saving up for two more sets from her, a larger set for horse packing called the Bushwhacker, plus an endurance specific set (though I’m struggling to choose between the Racer, the Bubba and the Roberta!) because as I’ve said, bags and especially Horse Bums bags are my weakness. I can’t recommend her bags highly enough!

Over the years I’ve been slowly evolving and futzing with what I carry. I try to straddle the line between the “only water for me thanks” and the “carry the kitchen sink in case X happens” folks. For trail rides, here’s the list of things I usually carry: (things with a * I carry for endurance):

• Water bottles (1 for every 15 miles of trail away from camp/vet checks)*
• First aid kit (I got this one from REI and modified it with different wraps and drugs)*
• Knife or multi-tool*
• Spare Scoot boot*
• Baggie with a random collection of spare ties, duct tape, strings, etc. (things break, it shouldn’t be a ride ender!)*
• Runner’s energy chews*
• Fruit leathers* (these and the runner’s chews are the only things I can absolutely force myself to eat during endurance rides)
• Wet wipes in a baggie*
• Electrolytes, Human*
• Electrolytes, Horse*
• Carrots*
• Dog treats
• Ride card*
• Leather gloves
• Hand lopper
• Folding saw
• Headlamp (if riding around sunset)
• Hand warmers (winter)
• Sponge* (somewhere on the saddle)
• Extra layer, including a rain jacket and my riding skirt, depending on time of year*
• Cloth doggie bowl from Ruffwear (hanging off cantle)
• Whatever extra snacks I think I’ll eat and usually end up not touching
• A baggie of horse feed, Triple Crown Complete or LMF for longer rides

Items that stay on me (I always ride in tights with thigh pockets at a minimum):

• Cell phone
• Truck keys
• Apple Watch with RoadID on the band
• Carrot (I came off Ray once and instead of going back to camp without me, he turned around and came back to me cause I had a carrot I snapped in half!)
• Apple AirTag (on my saddle, it only works when there is cell phone service but it’s cheap and better than nothing)