About Us

Having a tack shop would perhaps not be everyone’s ambition! Yet the establishment of the Tack and Habit Shoppe in 2016 was in fact the culmination of long-term plans. After establishing Stonehouse Stables, Inc. in 1996 (a full-service hunt seat equestrian facility), it became apparent that there was a need for a tack shop in our area. That was especially true after the shop we had depended on in nearby Newport News drifted away from featuring the English riding products we relied upon.

Luckily, one of our own boarders jumped in to fill that gap, opening The Sporting Horse right in our little town of Toano. She had a classy shop, and we often frequented her business along with our customers. When that shop was sold, it continued to serve the area for a time until that business failed, and their doors closed. We even considered buying The Sporting Horse before it was sold and again when they moved away from Toano, but investigating the property and reviewing the realities associated with that opportunity kept us at bay.

It was clear that a market did exist for our area, but breaking into the business presented many challenges.  Fortunately, we had as our business investor and premiere planner, a man with great vision and the will to pursue what seemed so daunting to the rest of us (us meaning this was and is a family-owned business).  And so planning began!

After clearing it with the county, we decided to build a free-standing shop and office spaces just outside our barnyard gate. Plans were drawn and contracts made, and we poured the foundation for Phase I of the building in October of 2015. In the spring of 2016, the building went up and was finished in time for a soft opening in June of 2016. Almost immediately, we realized that the shop part of the building was not large enough. But of course, our planner had anticipated that! So, in 2017 the addition was accomplished, and the permanent footprint of the Tack and Habit Shoppe was completed.

That clarifies the building part of the shop but not so fast! The buying, stocking, acquiring vendors, building a clientele, managing inventory, hiring employees, etc. was by far the larger challenge. The learning curve has been large, and that has been managed by Tara Mathews Best who also runs Stonehouse Stables. Attending trade shows in far away places, learning new software, staffing the shop, and about anything else you can think of has been her doing. At one point, I recall a vendor insisting that a visit to our shop was necessary to confirm it was a “brick and mortar” establishment. That vendor, along with any other vendor who has now visited us in person, went away impressed with the shop’s décor, service, and functionality.    

The Tack and Habit Shoppe now boasts over 50 vendors including Charles Owen, The Tailored Sportsman, Ariat, RJ Classics, Horseware, Back and Track and more along with a growing customer base, an excellent reputation and, as our most recent expansion, an online division through Shopify.

One of the advantages to our tack shop is our location right on an active horse farm. While that is most convenient for our own boarders, it also means that customers from other barns find a knowledgeable and friendly staff and managers/trainers that are more than willing to share their expertise in finding the right fit for your needs. Knowing our local market and especially local trainers, helps us to find and stock the products and equestrian clothing that you want. The shop’s motto, From Helmet to Hoof, is right on!