Shop Equestrian: Made in the USA
With so many businesses struggling in the wake of COVID-19 restrictions, here are some USA-based businesses you can support.
By Nicole Williams
Let’s face it, we’ve all felt the financial strain of COVID-19, especially our Made in USA small businesses. From stores being forced to close and people staying home, many vendors may have to close their doors for good. That being said, no time is better than the present to support our US stores! You can feel good about each purchase knowing you are supporting local communities.
For our stateside readers, we have come up with a list of Made in USA places to shop for equestrian necessities; whether it’s new clothing to endure the upcoming summer, must-haves for the show ring or the best upgrades for the barn, these are high quality brands all made in the United States.
CLOTHING FOR YOU
Anique: If fashion is your middle name, then Anique is the place for you! Designed by female dressage rider and equestrian entrepreneur Kelly Artz, these shirts have the design to fit and flatter a variety of female body types. They are not just made for the equestrian, but make great summer sun protection for anyone exposed to the sun in their outdoor activities. Anique works with a special Cooling Smart Yarn technology that has been tested to lower body temperature almost 1º Celsius. Unlike most other sun shirts on the market, the UV protection won’t wash out and are made with durable, quality materials to live up to hard activity in hot weather.
Photo provided by Anique.
C4 Belts: Looking for a unique belt to show off in the show ring? C4 belts are perfect with a cut-to-size fit that tailors to your waist perfectly — and you can customize them. These belts come in a variety of different designs, whether you are looking to represent your college or show off your creative side! Additionally, C4 offers Apple Watch bands that you can match your belt with or match your four-legged best friend with a dog collar. All three products are 100% waterproof, washable and come with a lifetime warranty. With each purchase a percentage of the proceeds go to charity.
Kimes Ranch: Based in Scottsdale, AZ, Kimes Ranch focuses on durability, function and fit to create jeans that can be used for both riding and a night out on the town. The style of Kimes Ranch emphasizes the western look and embodies a classic feel. Kimes makes both men’s and women’s jeans wear and uses “ring sour denim” which has greater tensile/tear strength, resulting in a longer life span for your jeans.
HORSE TACK
Wilkers Custom Horse Products: Our saddle pads endure a lot of wear and tear from absorbing our horses’ sweat or being put in the washing machine. Many of us like to shop for some fun schooling pads or like to add customization like adding our names or barn logo. Wilkers makes these customizations possible and offers schooling and show saddle pads, as well as leg wraps and other horse accessories. You have the option to choose from hunter/jumper and dressage pads. Want to prevent your pad from walking off? Add a monogram or text which also gives you the chance to stand out in the ring! Wilkers also offer’s FREE shipping within the US!
Team Equine: I know many of us are tired of trying to find the perfect fitting saddle pad for our horse and dread the thought of spending more money to try to “make it fit,” so this leads us to Team Equine! Team Equine offers custom built saddle pads perfect for competition, training or when you want to hit the trails. Team Equine came to the realization that one size does not fit all and focused on the comfort and performance tailored to each horse’s needs. In addition to saddle pads, they also offer saddle pad liners, cinches and protective boots. Give them a call today to set up an online saddle pad fitting consultation. It’s so easy to get started — all you have to do is send a few photos of your horse and its history. Check them out before you buy another pad that doesn’t fit!
American Equus: American Equus creates unique, luxurious and extraordinary equine products! They are noted for their stirrups that are designed to help guide your leg around your horse’s barrel and take the pressure off your knees, feet and ankles. Their stirrups come in classic black or silver, but they also have fun colors such as pink, violet, red, blue and more! American Equus additionally offers a selection of spurs, apparel and horseshoes. American Equus is a great platform for all levels of riders and gives you the chance to add a little style to your riding!
Photo provided by American Equus.
Arias Whips: Arias Whips specializes in custom and standard whips for every equestrian. Originally making whips for jockeys, Arias later branched out to include eventing, dressage and jumpers. They give you the option to choose slim (which would be geared towards a child) or standard, and then you can specify the color, threads and what kind of popper you would like. Make your whip more personalized by adding your name, your county’s flag or customize them for your whole barn. Arias whips makes the perfect gift for any rider!
HORSEWEAR
Equifit: As equestrians, our main priority is keeping our horses safe and making sure our athlete has the correct protection. Equifit is always using new technology with the goal to improve not only performance, but also health for horses and humans. Their products consist of head wear, hoof care and leg protection to name a few. Equifit also offers their customers the option to personalize many of their products including bell boots, ear bonnets and protective boots. Some of the different technologies that their products consist of is T-foam, which helps with shock and vibrations which is great for our jumpers; GelTherapy, which helps with skin irritations and can be used for both horses and humans, and EverLeather, which is resistant to wear and tear, keeping the life in your product!
Saratoga Horseworks: If you already have updated your own wardrobe, maybe it’s your horse’s turn. Saratoga Horseworks offers fly protection, scrims and much more with unique designs and fabric choices for your “horse clothing.” If you are looking for a more one-of-a-kind dress sheet, we suggest looking into their Signature Collection, which features their top-tier premium fabrics. Saratoga Horseworks also provides products for your canine friends to help keep them cool during those hot show days! Two popular products are the K-9 Kooling Coat and the Kool Crate Cover, which is a must have for the summer. Saratoga Horseworks takes pride in their “Saratoga Bandage,” which offers great support to your horse’s leg! If you are looking for an alternative to polo wraps and boots, these may be perfect for you!
Sleezy Barb Horsewear: There are at least two benefits from owning a sleezy for your horse — the first being it can be used to help protect your horse’s mane during a long show weekend, and the second is it can protect your horse from blanket rubs. Sleezy Barb Horsewear offers the popular lycra hood, they also give you the option for a polar fleece or mesh sleezy. They even have a faceless one for those horses that don’t like to have their head covered. Sleezy Barb Horsewear has so many fun patterns for their products and have sizes ranging from foal to large warmbloods. Since these have multiple uses, horses from the hunter ring to the western pleasure ring benefit from them. The best part is, they offer free alterations for our hard-to-fit horses.
FOR THE BARN
SaddleMattress: There are always modifications or updates that need to be made to our barns, and SaddleMattress will set your barn apart from the rest. Your saddle is one of the most important pieces of tack, and many people do not realize the damage the saddle panels endure by sitting on a wooden or steel saddle racks. The pressure from the steel bars often causes deep ridges and indentations on the panels that we are not even aware of. This can throw off the balance and fit of your saddle. SaddleMattress is dedicated to protecting saddle panels to ensure that the shape and fit of your saddle remains the same. Constructed with a zipper cover for easy removal and cleaning, SaddleMattress is designed to help reduce pressure on your saddle, redistribute weight and balance and provide cushion.
Photo provided by Saddle Mattress.
Premier Equestrian: Ring footing is such an important factor in riding — too soft or too hard of surfaces can negatively impact your horse and its performance. Premier Equestrian works hard to be skilled in production, techniques, safety and biomechanics to be able to properly formulate a footing blend for your ring. Providing your horses with substantial footing helps ensure that they can perform at their best. Premier Equestrian offers gudance over the phone, works with you and a contractor of your choice, or they can provide a team of builders to build and install your arena surface. Let Premier Equestrian give your ring a makeover!
Top Jock Tack Boxes: Specializing in luxury boxes for the equestrian, Top Jock Tack Boxes gives you the choice to create a horizontal trunk, vertical locker, grooming boxes, saddle racks and much more. With each box you are able to add custom graphics and solid oak engraved panels to include any sponsors, country flag, website, stable, or any other details you can think of. Their most popular box is the Silver Edition, which is a double door box that is perfect for all of your tack and supplies. Get in touch with them today for a free quote.
Photo provided by Classics Eventing.
HORSE CARE
Adeptus: Using only the highest quality ingredients, Adeptus has formulated an array of products ranging from joint supplements to muscle builders ensuring that their products do not contain any fillers unlike so many on the market. Their products contain nutritional benefits that have been clinically proven and include labels with clear instructions on use. They also provide dog and cat supplements so you can do all your shopping at once.
Shapley’s: For over 75 years, Shapley’s has been trusted to provide top quality products to keep our horses looking their best! Starting out with the Original M-T-G, which works wonders for any kind of skin problems or fungus your horse has, they have evolved into also providing skin sensitive shampoos, conditioners, oils and much more. Shapley’s also offers grooming products to help with problems every equestrian deals with, such as preventing our horses from getting sun-bleached to making your horse’s chrome pop in the ring. Shapley’s is a number one choice with top riders and grooms around the world. They have recently even added products for dogs, too.
A to Z Horse Cookies: Being the first in the country to create low carb, low sugar horse cookies that are wheat, corn, soy and alfalfa free, A to Z Horse Cookies are the perfect option for horses of all ages. Since they are a softer cookie, they can be a great choice for your older horse and is even safe for humans to try. If you have a horse that gives you a tough time when taking medication, try the “Original Flavor” molasses cookie as it is simple to hide the pill in the center. To help your horses with inflammation, try the “Blonde Bits of Health” made with organic agave and cinnamon. Treat your horse to a healthier natural horse cookie.
NEIGH: With our horse’s health always being a priority, NEIGH has formulated an all-natural fly repellant that is safe and non-toxic to use on your horse. Free from permethrin, pyrethroids, pyrethrins and DEET, NEIGH uses peppermint and citronella essential oils along with vitamin E and Quillaja saponin. This natural fly spray protects your horse from mosquitos, gnats, flies and ticks and is a great option for our horses that have sensitive skin because it does not contain all those harsh chemicals that most others do.
Well-Horse: Having won Horse Journal’s “Best Product of the Year” Award in multiple different categories, Well-Horse products contain ingredients from the Amazon Rain Forest that have been known to cure a variety of problems including thrush, fungus, hot spots and more. One of their products is “Thrush-Off,” which is a great choice to treat thrush or white line bacteria. Another popular product includes “Well-Horse Resin,” which helps heal wounds and damaged skin by promoting the growth of new collagen. They also have great products to assist with any fungal problems.
This list is just a small group of American based equestrian businesses that you can access online — and many that are providing free shipping within the US. There are so many US businesses out there offering the products we need to ride daily, hit the trails or prepare us to return to the show ring. If you are able, support our Made in USA companies during these tough times.
Nicole Williams grew up in New York and started riding horses at the age of nine when she moved to Virginia. She spent many years showing in local and rated shows which grew her love for the sport. While attending Florida Atlantic University for her degree in sociology, she also competed in the equitation with FAU’s IHSA team. Nicole knew from the start that she wanted to incorporate horses into her career and is currently interning at Entrigue to gain equestrian marketing experience while still riding in the hunter/jumper ring! If you want to learn more about Entrigue’s digital marketing services, visit www.entrigueconsulting.com.
Nicole Williams. Photo courtesy of Entrigue Consulting.
