Anyone looking to lose a few pounds?

Easy. Start running two miles daily, cut all sweets from your diet, park your car miles away from the store entrance in the Walmart parking lot, never take an elevator again.

Doesn’t that sound enticing?

I can hear crickets chirping in the audience. I’ll take that as a no.

Here’s an alternative I’ll bet the area horse community can live with.

Head up to Raleigh the weekend of Nov. 9-11, when the new Dover Saddlery store will have its grand opening.

The wallet in your pocket could easily drop five pounds within minutes in this land of tack temptation and equine product heaven.

There are currently 15 Dover stores open around the country. The new Dover retail location, located at 7920 Skyland Parkway in the heart of Raleigh, is the first to open in North Carolina.

It will offer predominantly English tack and riding apparel, plus an extensive selection of horse care products and barn necessities.

Needless to say, equestrians across the state are excited and eager to take advantage of this fresh tack shop face.

But don’t get me wrong — this is not to say the Sandhills horse community should direct all of their equine shopping to the Dover store in the Triangle.

We should never cease to support our local retailers, including Cabin Branch Tack Shop, Moore Equine, Aberdeen Supply and others, which have served us faithfully and diligently for years.

Also, those looking for consignment options can hit up the Healing Hearts Equine Rescue tack and supply sales, which run once every couple of months at N.C. Self Storage in Vass and feature quality offerings at lower prices.

But we can all add Dover to the list of nearby equestrian retail options — when a local establishment doesn’t immediately have a particular brand available, for example, we will now have an easy and convenient alternative.

Holiday horsey shopping spree, anyone?

You don’t have to feel too guilty. This is the ideal time for a little retail therapy. Colder weather will be upon us before we know it (or will it? It hit 82 in Chapel Hill last Thursday. Talk about disorienting). Both horse and rider will need to clothe and accessorize themselves appropriately.

Perhaps it’s time to bid a tearful farewell to your horse’s tattered lightweight sheet that’s been subject to more than one home-sewing job.

The insulating capabilities of that trusty decades-old barn jacket are probably not what they used to be.

And you can’t go wrong with a new pearly white fluffy saddle pad for foxhunting season or a pair of fleece-lined, toasty, waterproof riding gloves to pull on for a hack on a frigid below-30-degree day.

Also, ’tis the season. You can avoid a lot of holiday time stress by giving equestrian friends a tack shop gift certificate — a practical present that is never in danger of being unappreciated.

Or make an afternoon out of it and stock up for the winter months. Take a group field trip around the Sandhills area equine stores, see what the hot horsey trends are, make a purchase or two as Christmas gifts for your friends or family and support the local businesses.

Then hit the road and check out Dover for specific items you might have difficulty finding elsewhere.

Dover’s opening weekend, beginning at 9 a.m. Nov. 9, will feature representatives from various national brands with information tables and product samples.

Patrons will also be able to learn about and take advantage of the quality customer service that Dover is renowned for.

“We look forward to serving the equestrian community in North Carolina,” said Stephen L. Day, president and CEO of Dover Saddlery, in a statement. “Our mail order customers have been asking us for a long time to open a store in the Raleigh-Durham area, and we are delighted that we are now able to fulfill this request.”

Dover’s new location is sure to be a smashing success with horse people statewide.

All who can should go enjoy the opening weekend festivities in Raleigh in two weeks’ time.

Don’t forget — shop local when possible, and shop smart. But when it joins the ranks of both the family-owned and national chain stores in North Carolina’s equestrian retail market, Dover will be a welcome addition.

Contact Sarah Brown at sbrown93@live.unc.edu.