“I used to put my saddle on my head to lift it on to my horse’s back!” exclaimed 9-year-old Abby Wighton co-owner of Riding Free Tack Company. Yes, necessity is the mother of invention. Lifting a heavy western saddle, even a kids saddle, was such an effort for young Abby when she wanted to go riding. She couldn’t just go off riding free by herself, she had to have her mom help her tack up. However, mom wasn’t always available. “I had a problem and I needed to solve it,” Abby declared.
How Riding Free Tack Company Got Started
Abby, then 8, began solving her tacking up problem by asking, “What would I change?” then she began to make a list of saddle changes. Top on the list was to make the saddle lightweight, and make easy-to-adjust stirrups – like a belt. She then added things like: pockets for snacks and other things, fun colors and designs with baseballs, hearts, unicorns, sparkles and rainbows. This was so much fun, the ideas expanded into a full tack line with matching breast collars, headstalls and orthopedic saddle pads. Riding Free Tack Company – tack design which allows kids to express themselves and tack up by themselves – was born.
Abby’s mom, Amber, has merchandising with product development experience. She used that experience to research and make industry contacts. Abby and Amber began a working relationship with suppliers to develop a few Riding Free Tack prototypes, before they landed on “the one”.
Getting Riding Free Tack Company Off Galloping
A Day in the Life of Riding Free Tack Company Owner, Abby
Abby may be a business owner, but she is still very much a kid who loves to ride. She especially enjoys riding free and not having to wait for help tacking up. “My horse Bandit is super sweet. He loves being around people and he chases my cat,” describes Abby. She enjoys taking Bandit, a brown and white paint horse with a dark patch around one eye, out on trail rides and doing some cutting on him.
“My brother has a roan he named Cowboy. We go on trail rides together,” explained Abby. This 9-year-old entrepreneur is developing her business skills while still being a kid. “I also enjoy drawing, playing with my brother and watching Chia seeds grow,” says Abby then continued, “I like basketball too!”
Abby’s Vision for Riding Free Tack Company
“I want other kids to be able to ride free like me,”
“I want other kids to be able to ride free like me,” that’s why Abby developed this line of tack specifically for kids. “If you can tack up by yourself you can ride free. You don’t need someone there helping you.”
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Hay Photography