• Summer horseback adventures for $5,000 USD or less (including flights)

• A perfect gift for the fashionable horse girl in your life

• Two TV icons are back for Season 2

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9 spectacular spots to ride this summer

As a thirty-something lapsed horse girl, one of the main ways I’ve spent time in the saddle in the past few years is by riding on vacation.

When I was lucky enough to visit Ranchland’s Zapata Ranch at the end of 2024, I attended alone and hadn’t ridden consistently for more than a decade. I really didn’t know what to expect.

Of course, it was pure magic. I found the experience to be profoundly empowering and it was one of my key inspirations for starting Chestnut Mare.

I felt so lucky to rediscover my love of riding in such a safe, supportive environment and I’d love to make it easier for anyone to have the same experience.

These types of trips are unfortunately not accessible to everyone and can be seriously expensive. Here, I’ve gathered a list of riding vacations all over the world that will cost $5,000 or less to fly from the West Coast of the US.

Before we jump into it, a note of clarification:

• These are not affiliate links and I’m not in partnership with any of the companies

• Unless noted, I haven’t been on any of these trips and this list is based purely on research

• Prices are in USD, vary by both season and location and don’t include tip

• All ability levels are generally welcome, but always double check with the provider

Have so much fun and tell me all about it when you get back!

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British Columbia, Canada

Copper Cayuse Outfitter

A premier BC backcountry outfitter offering eco-conscious expeditions through the rugged wilderness near Pemberton. As a Vancouver girl, this stunning location is high on my wish list for a summer horseback adventure and they have some fantastic early-season discounts currently live.

• Riding package: ~$925 – $1,910 USD all-inclusive for multi-day expeditions (2–4 days)

• Flights (West Coast → Vancouver): ~$150 – $370 USD (requires a 2.5-hour drive from Vancouver or 30 mins from Whistler)

All-in estimate: ~$1,100 – $2,300 USD

Tuscany, Italy

Il Cornaccino

An eco-sustainable organic farm in Tuscany specialising in horse trekking and natural horsemanship across the Natural Reserve of Mount Penna.

• Riding package: ~$1,000 – $1,200 USD all-inclusive for an 8-day holiday

• Flights (West Coast → Rome): ~$900 – $1,400 USD (requires a 2.5-hour transfer from Fiumicino or Ciampino airports)

All-in estimate: ~$1,900 – $2,100 USD

Wyoming, USA

Ranchlands

I spent a week at Ranchland’s Zapata Ranch location (now sadly closed) at the end of 2024 and had a magnificent time. In Paintrock Canyon, guests have an immersive 80,000-acre glamping adventure in the Bighorn Mountains, staying in private safari-style tents.

• Riding Package: $4,150 USD for a 5-night/6-day all-inclusive stay

• Flights (West Coast → Sheridan, Casper, or Cody): ~$450 - $850 USD

All-in estimate: $4,600 - $5,000 USD

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Montana, USA

Bear Creek Guest Ranch

For over 40 years, this family-owned operation has provided intimate, small-group horseback adventures through Montana’s most stunning landscapes, including the rugged mountain trails and wide-open plains of Glacier Country and the Blackfeet Reservation.

• Riding package: ~$3,795 USD all-inclusive for 5 days

• Flights (West Coast → Billings or Bozeman): ~$400 - $800 USD

All-in estimate: ~$4,200 - $4,600 USD

Marsella, Colombia

Rancho Saman

A world-class expedition through the heart of Colombia’s Coffee Triangle, riding across high Andean ridges, cloud forests, and colonial towns.

• Riding Package: $3,420 USD for the 9-day “Eje Cafetero Explorer Trail” (all-inclusive). Shorter 3-day and 8-day options are also available.

• Flights (West Coast → Pereira): ~$500 - $900 USD

All-in estimate: ~$3,920 - $4,320 USD

Colorado, USA

Majestic Dude Ranch

Located near Mesa Verde National Park, this all-inclusive adventure ranch offers non-stop activities from horseback riding and mountain biking to whitewater rafting. You can ride as much or as little as you want, and all ability levels are welcome.

• Riding Package: $3,725 USD for a 6-night/7-day all-inclusive stay (Saturday to Friday) for the 2026 summer season

• Flights (West Coast → Durango or Cortez): ~$400 - $850 USD

All-in estimate: ~$4,125 - $4,575 USD

Marquard, South Africa

Sparta Horseback Safari

A luxury, predator-free experience based at the historic Rietfontein Manor House, where guests ride among giraffe and zebra, herd cattle, and can even try their hand at polo.

• Riding Package: $3,500 USD for a 10-day fully-hosted safari (approx. $350/night all-inclusive)

• Flights (West Coast → Johannesburg): ~$900 - $1,300

All-in estimate: ~$4,400 - $4,800

Green Lake, British Columbia

The Flying U-Ranch

Nestled on the shores of Green Lake, Canada's oldest guest ranch offers an authentic Western experience where over 100 horses roam free and guests can explore 60,000 acres of untamed trails at their own pace.

• Riding Package: $1,530 – $2,310 USD for a 7-night stay (based on 2026 rates of $299 – $452 CAD)

• Flights (West Coasts → Kamloops or Williams Lake): ~$450 – $850 USD

All-in estimate: ~$1,980 – $3,160 USD

Wyoming, USA

Eaton’s Ranch

One of, if not the oldest dude ranch in the United States, providing a traditional Western experience with 7,000 acres of open riding country in the Bighorn Mountains.

• Riding package: ~$2,485 – $3,080 USD all-inclusive for a full week (based on nightly Adult Rates of $355–$440)

• Flights (West Coast → Sheridan, Billings, Casper or Gilette): ~$350 – $650 USD (Sheridan is 20 minutes away with free transfers)

All-in estimate: ~$2,835 – $3,730 USD

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Pointless poll

Silly questions of absolutely no consequence.

You Dress Like A Horse Girl

A fashion interlude.

A new book, Ralph Lauren: Catwalk, came out this week, tracing the designer’s 60-year career — the longest run of any creative director in fashion history.

For anyone who loves the equestrian aesthetic, the archive is a fantastic reference for how Lauren blended Western and English riding styles into his signature look. It features over 1,300 runway images from his first womenswear collection in 1972 all the way through to Fall 2025.

The Week Ahead

TV is about to get really good.

Thank you for being a part of the Chestnut Mare community. Feedback, thoughts, ideas, confessions and anything on your mind is forever welcome.

Jen

• Why Longines is trusted with the sport’s smallest margins

• Marc Jacobs designed a heel that looks just like a horse leg

• Only one 2026 Kentucky Derby horse wasn’t related to Secretariat

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From pocket watches to the Kentucky Derby

Founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832, Longines’ identity has been deeply intertwined with the equestrian world for almost two centuries.

It’s a relationship that predates almost all other sports partnerships.

Before modern watches was the pursuit of extreme accuracy.

Following their first equestrian-motif watch in 1869, Longines built the tools that made modern competitive riding possible. Their first innovation was in horse racing.

Timing a race was historically a clunky, imprecise process, until the 20H was introduced in 1878.

It was a revolutionary - allowing a user to start, stop, and reset a dedicated timer hand just by pressing the winding knob. With the ability to easily measure time to the nearest second, the 20H quickly became the world’s first stopwatch for the masses.

The Calibre 19.73 followed in 1890 and improved precision even more, measuring intervals of 1/100th of a second and accurately recording split times.

Video credit: @sloanandcomedia (video used with written permission)

In 1912, they innovated again - this time in the world of show jumping. They debuted a revolutionary "broken wire" system that automatically triggered the timer as the horse crossed the line, removing human error from the results and replacing manual stopwatches.

As the sport of equestrianism in popularity - boosted by the 1952 Olympics, which finally allowed women to compete in equestrianism - the pressure for pinpoint precision continued to skyrocket.

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Major technical innovations drove their dominance.

Longines stepped up again in 1954 with the “Chronocinégines,” a high-speed photo-finish system that snapped 100 photos per second to settle those nail-biting finishes.

Just two years later, they’d created a permanent recording process that could instantly print out a physical film strip of the finish line. This gave judges a physical, time-stamped “photo finish” to prove exactly who won even the closest races.

When the ‘80s rolled around, Longines significantly expanded its role in global sports, most notably becoming the Official Timekeeper for Formula 1 between 1982 and 1992 and for gymnastics starting in 1985.

Their innovations and breadth of influence laid the groundwork for the massive strategic alliances we see today, where they serve as the Official Partner for the equestrian world’s ultimate governing bodies, like the FEI and IFHA.

In modern equestrian sports, their technology remains the gold standard for almost every major championship, with Longines as the official timekeeper and watch of the Kentucky Derby, Royal Ascot, the Breeders’ Cup and more.

Even Amelia Earhart and Albert Einstein relied on them.

Longines’ reputation for precision made it the choice for history’s greatest pioneers. Amelia Earhart relied on Longines chronographs for her 1928 Atlantic crossing and her 1932 solo flight, and Albert Einstein owned a gold Longines wristwatch.

Einstein’s watch sold at auction in 2008 for $596,000 USD, making it the most expensive piece the brand has ever sold.

Longines holds the oldest registered logo in history.

Interestingly, the brand holds the title for the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The winged hourglass was first used in 1867 and officially registered in 1889.

While other brands have older roots, Longines is uniquely credited with never having altered its original trademarked logo in over 130 years.

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Pointless poll

Silly questions of absolutely no consequence.

You Dress Like A Horse Girl

A fashion interlude.

In the Louis Vuitton Spring/ Summer 2011 collection, Marc Jacobs designed a shoe that looks exactly like a horse’s leg.

The design was precise and apparently anatomically correct, including the hock joint, metatarsus, sesamoid joints and ending with an actual hoof.

Would you wear these?

The Weekly Haul

Fascinating posts you might’ve missed.

Thank you for being a part of the Chestnut Mare community. Feedback, thoughts, ideas, confessions and anything on your mind is forever welcome.

Jen

In this issue:

• How Ariat reinvented riding boots

• Barbour’s fresh new design

• The earliest surviving recordings of the Spanish Riding School

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From two boot styles to the world’s largest equestrian brand

The founders’ professional roots were in consulting, not fashion.

Ariat started in 1993 with two Stanford Business School graduates, Beth Cross and Pam Parker.

Cross, who served as Ariat’s CEO for more than 30 years, grew up on a horse farm in Pennsylvania and once said: “From the time I was a little girl, I just loved horses.”

While working at Bain & Company, Cross and Parker began consulting on a project for Reebok. They were tasked identifying sports where footwear hadn’t yet been updated with performance technology, and they quickly spotted a gap in the equestrian market.

They noticed that riding boots were unchanged for decades, and missing the features you’d expect in athletic footwear.

Their view was simple: riders were athletes, and their equipment should reflect that.

Reebok turned them down first.

They pulled together research from their Bain project and formally proposed a line of riding boots to Reebok, designed with athletic shoe technology such as cushioning, stability, and shock absorption.

Reebok ultimately declined, but in an interesting twist, Angel Martinez — the then Executive VP of Reebok — personally saw potential in their vision. He eventually became one of Ariat’s first investors and a key mentor to Beth Cross.

Despite the setback, Beth and Pam remained convinced. They initially went part-time at Bain while writing the business plan, before taking Ariat full-time in 1992.

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It was built like a tech start-up, not a boot company.

When Beth Cross and Pam Parker left Bain & Company, they treated the riding boot like a piece of hardware that needed a total system upgrade.

Speaking to Western Horseman, Cross said: “Riding is a very technical sport. There are very specific performance requirements for your footwear, both on and off the horse.”

Recognising the strain riding places on the ball of the foot, Ariat introduced a Y-shaped carbon fibre shank in the forefoot to improve stability and help relieve pressure during long periods in the saddle.

They also added a layered cushioning system to increase durability, and moved away from traditional leather outsoles (which wear down as fibres flex and absorb pollutants). Instead, rubber outsoles were introduced that were better suited to the mud, moisture, and demanding conditions of farm and ranch work.

When Ariat officially shipped its first products in 1993, they focused on perfecting just two styles built around athletic technology.

The original boot designs came as a surprise.

According to Cross, it was originally a “tough sell” and reactions were mixed.

While the technology inside the boot performed as they hoped, for many traditional riders, their first prototypes were more akin to cycling or running shoes than the familiar boot silhouette.

The boots came with an extremely durable carbon rubber outsole, and in an interview with Forbes, Cross said: “[It was a tough sell] because of that rubber bottom. The only boots at the time with rubber bottoms were really cheap kids’ boots.”

But with a few design iterations and positive feedback from early testers, Ariat were ready to introduce their first two styles to the market.

They opted to “hide” the technology inside a traditional silhouette.

Ariat’s first products were a Western boot and a paddock boot, and from there the company steadily expanded its product range and reach.

Cross said: “The technology was inside, but the outside was the look of a traditional boot. That was the unlock for us. Then we got boots on peoples’ feet.”

That long-term growth accelerated during the pandemic, when more people embraced the outdoors and equestrian activities.

Today, Ariat International is reportedly the largest equestrian footwear and apparel brand in the world.

Innovation - and comfort - have always been pillars of Ariat.

When Ariat launched, Cross and Parker based the company in California, near Silicon Valley.

This kept them in the orbit of innovation rather than the traditional boot-making hubs in Texas or Tennessee, and more than 30 years later, the company continues to push new ground in performance-focused footwear and apparel.

Per Western Horseman, Ariat now holds more than 150 patents for outsole technology alone, a reflection of how seriously the company approaches functional innovation.

Ariat’s apparel is no different. When Ariat entered the market, they intentionally created products that were stretchy and allowed for mobility, rather than traditional English riding clothes typically made of cotton and wool.

Ariat was also the first company to introduce stretch denim to men’s Western denim.

They built Ariat together, then took different paths.

In the early years, Beth Cross and Pam Parker worked closely to turn the idea into a functioning business, formally launching Ariat in 1993.

Within a decade, they had established Ariat as a leading name across multiple categories, from work and cowboy boots to tall English styles.

After helping build that foundation, Pam Parker stepped away in 2001 and returned to consulting, later working with other early-stage brands while Beth Cross continued as CEO.

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A diverse team has powered the brand evolution.

In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Cross said: “Because half of our sales team are women, there’s almost always a baby at our company sales meetings.”

The “wiggle room” system in children’s boots, a removable insole that allows for growth, came from family and professionalism co-existing in the culture of Ariat, as did the focus on washable, durable materials suited to life moving between the barn, home, and everything in between.

After more than 30 years leading Ariat as CEO, Beth stepped into the role of Executive Chair in April 2026 and remains closely involved in its long-term direction.

The name is a piece of history.

The name Ariat is a direct reference to Secretariat, taking the second half of his name. When building Ariat, Cross believed it would require extraordinary hard work and commitment — not unlike what it took for Secretariat to win the Triple Crown — so she placed the horse at the heart of the brand’s identity.

Now, their Texas office sits on Bold Ruler Road, named after Secretariat’s sire.

Additional sourcing for this piece came from a print article in Western Horseman magazine which the Ariat team generously shared with me.

Pointless poll

Silly questions of absolutely no consequence.

Two weeks ago, 75% of you said you pronounced the famous horse’s name ‘Secretar-AT’. Is that the same way you pronounce Ariat?

New poll for the week:

You Dress Like A Horse Girl

A fashion interlude.

Purists on Reddit said, “These will annoy traditionalists but are absolutely fantastic in person. No one likes a traditionalist.”

And I have to agree. Barbour have released a shade of pastel coats for spring in a departure from their usual olive green and muddy browns, and they are stunning.

Some context: Barbour became a cultural icon in the 1980s when the Bedale jacket was engineered specifically for the equestrian market, adding functional features like shorter lengths and rear vents.

While the brand previously explored vibrant colours through collaborations like Alexa Chung, this is their first primary, in-house push into soft, non-traditional shades.

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The Weekly Haul

Fascinating posts you might’ve missed.

Thank you for being a part of the Chestnut Mare community. Feedback, thoughts, ideas, confessions and anything on your mind is forever welcome.

Jen

• How Lydia Millen found her way back to riding

• Why horse girls have such good hair

• The iconic throwback in Ralph Lauren’s latest collection

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The little-known evolution of Lydia Millen

Her career began with self-taught code at 13.

Long before Instagram transformed the digital landscape, Lydia Millen was teaching herself to code to build bespoke websites that served as her personal online diaries.

This early technical curiosity proved invaluable when she officially launched her blog in 2011.

While studying Retail Marketing at university, she personally designed and managed the entire technical back-end of the site, starting her journey by simply taking photos of outfits laid out on her bed.

In the decade since those DIY beginnings, she has transitioned from flat-lays to professional shoots and eventually (though initially with some reluctance) into the world of YouTube.

Today, she leads a major lifestyle brand focused on her life in the English countryside with her cat, Lumi, dogs, Porter and Berkeley, and her horse, Atlas, engaging a combined audience of over 3 million followers.

She took time to find "the fire" for her career.

Lydia has been candid about the fact that she didn’t find her true professional drive until she was 26. She describes this sudden surge of motivation as "The Fire", or more specifically a passion that was absent during her early 20s.

Before this turning point, her path was varied and unexpected: she worked as a barmaid in Ibiza, appeared as an extra in an N-Dubz music video, and cut her teeth in the industry through several fashion-retail roles, including time as a retail assistant at French Connection.

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Lydia's brand was originally focused on the city.

Interestingly, even as her blog began to gain traction, her life looked very different from the rural idyll she shares today. In those early years, she was a countryside resident by choice, but not yet by brand.

Despite never actually living in London, she frequently made the long commute into the city to shoot content, with her personal brand presenting much more London-centric than the peaceful countryside scenes we now know her for.

The shift to country life began with a midnight viewing.

When Lydia and Ali Gordon viewed their current Northamptonshire home in 2018, they did so entirely in the dark.

It wasn’t until they returned the next morning that they realised the scale of the grounds and the fact that the house sat in a tiny hamlet of just nine homes.

The property is a former gardener’s cottage and retains its rural quirks. It was not on mains sewage and for years relied on water from a local farm, with the farmer hand-writing their bills.

A single packet of seeds sparked a brand transformation.

During the move, Lydia’s content initially stayed focused on high-glamour city fashion. The real transformation happened followed, in the 2020 lockdowns.

Her passion for gardening started with a single packet of seeds sent by a brand; having previously only owned fake plants, she described being shocked by the joy of seeing real green shoots emerge.

This spark led her to pivot her entire digital identity toward seasonal living, a philosophy she eventually documented in her book, Evergreen.

She returned to her horse girl dreams as an adult.

Like many riders, Lydia spent her childhood with “horsey dreams” that were never fully realised at the time.

It took becoming an adult to find the courage to pursue equestrianism seriously. Her official return to the saddle began in 2021, riding a horse named Romeo belonging to her friend Claudia.

She has been candid about the vulnerability of being an adult learner, documenting herself conquering her fear by riding without stirrups to rebuild core strength and confidence.

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Now, Lydia’s building a partnership with a "Man of Many Lives."

In early 2025, Lydia transitioned from student to "horse mum" when she bought Atlas. A massive 17.3 hand Irish Sport Horse, Atlas has a storied past as a former Metropolitan Police horse and a hunt horse.

Because he is 19 and has stringhalt - a condition affecting his gait - he requires specialised care. Lydia performs manual stretches with him before every ride and provides monthly physiotherapy to keep him comfortable, viewing their bond as a partnership in slow living.

Video credit: @lydia Instagram (video used with written permission)

An equestrian influence now defines her work.

Atlas has become a test of bravery for Lydia, providing a way to decompress from the pressures of an always-online digital life.

This personal passion has seamlessly transitioned into her professional work; Atlas inspired the “Atlas Silk Scarf” for her Holland Cooper x Lydia Millen collection in 2025.

A new chapter is about to begin the Norfolk Coast.

The journey continues to evolve beyond the Northamptonshire countryside. In March 2026, Lydia revealed she had purchased a 200-year-old fisherman’s cottage on the Norfolk coast.

This marks her next major project in heritage property renovation, bringing her love for traditional British aesthetics to a new coastal setting.

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You Dress Like A Horse Girl

A fashion interlude.

Per Outlander Magazine, Ralph Lauren have relocated their logo to the sleeve for SS26.

The cuff was actually the first place the polo player ever appeared on a shirt in the 1970s.

By relocating the logo back to the sleeve for SS26, Ralph Lauren is effectively “nodding” to his own brand’s history and the very first version of his most famous icon. Credit to the talented Mari Guidicelli for styling.

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Pointless poll

Silly questions of absolutely no consequence.

Thank you for being a part of the Chestnut Mare community. Feedback, thoughts, ideas, confessions and anything on your mind is forever welcome.

Jen

• The surprisingly dark story of Lady Martha Sitwell

• Do you know how to pronounce Secretariat?

• The ultimate shoe for cool horse girls

• Budweiser Clydesdales’ most controversial moment

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The impossible rise of Lady Martha Sitwell

Before she was Lady Martha Sitwell, she was a homeless teenager.

Martha de Blank’s life did not begin in aristocratic drawing rooms. Expelled from multiple schools due to undiagnosed neurodiversity, she left home at just 13.

Vivienne Westwood changed her life.

For years she survived on the streets of London, sleeping in stations and theatre doorways. Then, in one of fashion’s strangest twists of fate, she was spotted by designer Vivienne Westwood.

Westwood immediately saw something striking in her presence and offered her work. Almost overnight, the former runaway was launched into campaigns for Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy.

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The former runaway became “the face of Ascot.”

After her sudden modeling breakthrough, Martha’s distinctive look and fearless attitude made her a fixture in British fashion and equestrian circles.

Her campaigns and appearances eventually led to her becoming the unofficial “face of Royal Ascot,” transforming her from a girl who once slept in London stations into one of the most recognizable figures in British racing society.

She became a British aristocrat.

Martha became Lady Sitwell through her 2007 marriage to Sir George Sitwell, 8th Baronet.

During their decade-long marriage she managed Weston Hall, the historic Sitwell family seat. The title placed her firmly within Britain’s aristocratic circles.

Before it all, she was a horse girl.

Before fashion and aristocracy ever found her, Martha was an obsessive young rider in Norfolk who “would have slept in her jodhpurs.”

At 13, while hunting a young horse named Gem, she suffered a catastrophic belly-up fall that led to severe injuries for Martha, and the tragic death of her horse.

The trauma left her terrified to ride again and would shape her relationship with horses for decades.

Riding side saddle helped her find her nerve again.

For years after the accident, Martha couldn’t bring herself to ride. When she finally returned to the saddle at 26, she chose an unusual solution: riding side-saddle.

While most riders see it as more difficult, she found it psychologically safer than riding astride.

The decision would become her signature, eventually making her one of the most recognizable side-saddle riders in Britain.

Her unapologetic attitude made her a horse-girl icon.

If you’ve ever seen photos of a woman flying over massive hedges in full hunting attire with mud-smeared mascara and a cigarette balanced between her lips, chances are you’ve seen Martha Sitwell.

The images - often captured mid-jump while she rides side-saddle - have turned her into something of a cult figure for riders who admire both her nerve and her unapologetic style.

She once rode 500 miles across Mongolia side saddle.

In 2013, Martha undertook one of the most unusual endurance rides in modern equestrian history: a 500-mile trek across Mongolia, completed entirely side-saddle.

The horses she rode were native Mongolian mounts that had never carried a rider that way before.

She did it to raise money for the mental health charity Mind, turning the challenge into both a physical and deeply personal mission.

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She now lives in a South London “grottage.”

After her divorce, Martha moved into a flat in South London that she affectionately calls her “grottage” - which stands for “grotty cottage”.

The eccentric home is shared with her dog Ernie and a gorgeous, unlikely companion: a pet magpie named Hecate.

She designs traditional riding clothes built to last.

In a sport increasingly dominated by stretchy technical fabrics, Martha Sitwell is a proud traditionalist.

She famously refuses to wear modern breeches, preferring heavy moleskin, corduroy and vintage “balloon-thigh” riding cuts instead.

Her brand Sitwell and Whippet reflects this: 1940s-inspired tailoring built to withstand mud, rain and long days in the saddle.

Pointless poll

Silly questions of absolutely no consequence.

You Dress Like A Horse Girl

A fashion interlude.

This week, we’re dreaming of the Boston Birkenstock x Etro Cowboy clog. Swoon. Coming fall 2026.

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The Weekly Haul

Fascinating posts you might’ve missed.

Thank you for being a part of the Chestnut Mare community. Feedback, thoughts, ideas, confessions and anything on your mind is forever welcome.

Jen

It’s shorthand for being obsessive, intense, and a little embarrassing. Definitely something you’re supposed to grow out of.

I did, in the obvious ways.

I moved to a city, got a big girl job and built a life that doesn’t involve yards or soft noses or any of the things that used to anchor my days.

But my fascination with horses never went away.

And the older I get, the more I realise the world of horse girls never really was that small or niche.

Horse girls are everywhere, and they’ve had a far wider cultural impact than we tend to acknowledge.

Not just in sport (the obvious place), but in fashion, film and books, in art and aesthetics, and in fascinating little-known facts and stories.

Chestnut Mare exists to celebrate this.

And the name is a nod to the kind of horse girl this is all about: fiery, determined, and probably called “difficult” once or twice.

Every week(ish), join me in a little escapism and celebrate the iconic, the unexpected, and the stories that have been hiding in plain sight.

I can’t wait to hear what you think and to keep learning from this community.

Welcome to Chestnut Mare. Whether you’ve ridden, loved or simply seen a horse, you belong here.