A Board That Works From the Outer Banks to the Mentwatai Islands

“The essence of the Horse is to give you a shortboard feel but (with) the paddle power of a bigger board,” said Tai “Buddha” Graham, on the first public explanation I’d seen of JS’s equestrian-themed stepup.   

Over the last year, the JS Big Horse has not so subtly become a popular option for solid, predictable and powerful walls of water. The kind of waves that demand on-rail attention. Which, predictably, is where Brett Barely went from a canter to a full-on gallop. But more on that in a second. 

To rein in the Big Horse, JS made a three-tier system for surfers to select based on the size (or girth) of the wave they’re seeking: Tier 1 (3-6 feet), Tier 2 (6-8 feet) and Tier 3 (8-foot-plus). The higher the tier, the longer and thicker the board. But the beauty lies in the hidden foam: the rails stay thin throughout the progression. “If I want a 6’8,” I’m getting a 6’5”, but I’m getting ‘turbo thick.’” Tai explained. 

In his latest “Under the Glass” episode with REAL Watersports, Brett explained how he took two different sizes of the Big Horse to two very different parts of the world. For him, the 5’10” (Tier 1) that he rode exclusively around the Outer Banks only started feeling good at overhead waves. So don’t force it in anything less. 

Brett said he didn’t love the Tier 1 as a must-have barrel board. Great for turns, but not so great for locking in on his backhand. He did say that after more than a decade atop stockier boards, the longer outline took some adjustment in the tube. 

But a trip to Indonesia can open minds. There, Brett opted for a slim 6’0” that worked at solid Greenbush and delighted at roping Macaronis. It was at the latter wave where the Big Horse truly awoke, allowing fully-engaged carves and snaps on a wave face Brett said he normally doesn’t get.

“I was actually pretty blown away,” he said. “That’s where I liked the board, out of either of these, the most, a wave like Macaronis. When JS and the people they worked with built these boards... Australians go to Indo all the time, and I’d say it fit that type of surfing way better. It was wild to see the range.”

As Tai aptly put it, “The Horse is for the tube-hunter, the underground charger and the middle-aged dude who wants paddle power. That’s it. Don’t buy it if you want to shred two-foot waves.”