StirrupStreet was born in a muddy tack room, not a boardroom. We're a team of lifelong riders, trainers, and barn owners who got tired of scrolling through generic "Top 10 Horse Boots" articles written by people who have clearly never mucked a stall, fitted a saddle, or waited on a farrier on a Sunday afternoon. StirrupStreet exists to give equestrians honest, experience-based guidance on the gear, tack, and equipment that actually matters to the horse and rider in front of you.
How We Got Started
StirrupStreet began in 2019 as a shared notes document between three friends boarding horses at the same facility outside Lexington, Kentucky. Our founder, a former eventing competitor turned barn manager, kept fielding the same questions from boarders: "Which girth actually stops rubbing?" "Is this fly spray worth the price?" "What helmet fits a long oval head without gapping?" Rather than answering the same questions over coffee every week, she started writing them down, testing products side by side, and sharing the results with the barn. Other trainers asked to see the notes. Tack shop owners asked for copies. By 2020, that shared document had become a website, and StirrupStreet was officially founded with a simple mission: review equestrian products the way a trusted barn mate would, with candor, context, and zero sponsorship fluff.
Today, our small editorial team spans disciplines and regions — hunter/jumper, dressage, western pleasure, trail riding, and barrel racing — because a product that excels in one discipline can fall flat in another, and we think reviews should reflect that nuance.
Who's Behind the Reviews
Our contributors are current or former competitive riders, USDF- and USEF-affiliated trainers, barn managers, and a licensed equine veterinarian who consults on fit, safety, and health-related claims. Every writer on our team owns, boards, or works hands-on with horses — we don't hire generalist content writers who've never held a lead rope. Author bylines and credentials are listed at the bottom of every review so you always know whose experience you're reading.
How We Review and Pick Products
We built our review process to mirror how experienced riders actually evaluate gear: through use, not just specs on a box. Our process includes:
- Hands-on testing. We purchase products at retail price whenever possible, or request review samples that we test under the same scrutiny as items we've bought ourselves. We ride, groom, and train with the product for a minimum of 30 days before publishing a verdict.
- Multi-rider, multi-horse trials. Fit and performance vary wildly by horse conformation and rider body type, so we test across different breeds, body types, and skill levels rather than relying on a single tester's experience.
- Safety and construction checks. For tack and protective gear, we inspect stitching, hardware, materials, and where applicable, consult our veterinary advisor on fit-related health implications like pressure points or restricted movement.
- Value and durability scoring. We track how products hold up after weeks of turnout, washing, and weather exposure, not just how they perform out of the box.
- Community feedback. We cross-reference our findings with input from our newsletter community of over 12,000 riders and barn owners who share their own long-term experiences with products we've reviewed.
What Makes StirrupStreet Trustworthy
We know the equestrian industry is small and relationships run deep, which is exactly why we hold our editorial line firmly. Here's what you can count on from us:
- Editorial independence. Brands cannot pay for a favorable review, a higher ranking, or removal of criticism. Full stop.
- Transparent affiliate disclosures. StirrupStreet may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site. This never influences which products we recommend or how we rank them — our testing notes are finalized before any affiliate links are added.
- Real credentials, named authors. No anonymous "editorial team" bylines. Every review is signed by a real person with real riding experience, listed alongside their discipline and background.
- Regular re-testing. Tack and gear change over model years, and so do our opinions. We revisit and update our top reviews at least once annually to reflect manufacturing changes, new competitors, and long-term durability reports.
- We publish the misses too. If a product underperforms, rubs, breaks down early, or simply isn't worth the price, we say so, even if it's a well-known brand.
Whether you're outfitting your first horse, upgrading your competition kit, or just trying to find a fly mask that actually stays put through a Kentucky summer, StirrupStreet is here to help you buy once, buy right, and spend more time in the saddle and less time returning packages. Thanks for riding with us.