Have you ever noticed that most horse enthusiasts, if not from the Royal families, are mostly rich business tycoons and celebrities? Being in the world of horses is a life full of extravagance more than meets the eye. Rearing for them, especially those that are used in racing, dressage and other sporting events, cost about thousands of dollars a month more than the sum of money needed by an individual to survive on a monthly basis. Unexpected trips to the veterinarian due to emerging illnesses, on the other hand is not included from the regular scheduled visits.
Like their animals, horse owners or horse riders too, have their basic needs for clothing, riding boots and other riding accessories that become necessities as these gears protect them from riding injuries and other forms of environmental stimuli that threaten their safety. Now that fashion designers nowadays have also invaded the world of sports, dressing sports enthusiasts and athletes, horse riding have become fashionable, especially the women. Gone are the notion that riding boots must be stodgy and hard, riding breeches and jodhpurs should be dark-colored and among others.
One of the many personalities who shaped the fashion in horse sportsmanship is Sheryl Rudolph who grew up with his father’s horses. Her background of education from various reputable educational institutions gave her the advantage to acquire knowledge in the liberal studies and freedom to pursue her many fields of interests from arts, designing to sewing her own designs. Her expertise brought her as a merchandise manager for the racing and swimwear fashion lines of Speedo, brand manager for Pendleton Woolen Mills and product developer for Nordstrom and Eddie Bauer. The turning point of her career came when she worked with great designers for Nike, Adidas, Jantzen and Arc’tyrex from H. Warshow and Sons, Inc., where she realized that many designers have been creating fashion lines for various sports but none ever designed for horse riders. Armed with her expertise, experience as a rider and love for horses, she began to create her own company known as Fun in the Saddles, supplying topmost quality riding breeches with both wicking and warming capabilities coupled with the state-of-the-art technology that do not only provide maximum comfort but also qualities that will be able to compete in the catwalks.
Sharie Loychuk, also a lover of horses, began her riding career in 1982. Her love for horse and passion for designing clothes led her to take-up a few lessons in tailoring where she ended-up working in a high-end lingerie company. Being a self-taught designer at heart, she started designing for her friends and families, for herself, for her own barn and her own town preferring European fabrics which then led her to a partnership with a Vancouver-based sportswear line thus, came the creation of Arista, makers of top of the line breeches, vests, jackets and recently schooling shirts and jackets that look fabulous even on jeans.
Equestrian outfit need not look dull and unattractive as many great designers with true love for horses and passion for riding and designing have utilized their talents to create riding apparel combined with the latest technology in the garment industry to provide comfort and at the same time, freedom to create a fashion statement for horse equestrians.
