The BYRDS (British Young Rider Dressage Scheme) Under 25 Championships is a very popular and successful competition which has been hosted for the last 16 years by Sheepgate Equestrian Centre, Boston, Lincolnshire. Held every August this prestigious event runs National Championship classes at Prelim, Novice, Elementary, Medium and Advanced Medium, as well as the FEI Team tests at Pony, Junior and Young Rider levels. The UK currently has some exceptionally talented young rider, horse/pony combinations, which was reflected in over 370 combinations from across the UK riding in excess of 1250 tests over 6 days! Equetech is a big advocate of encouraging young riders, so this year, Equetech sponsored the Preliminary Championships which saw 30 o...

We are entering that time of year where strong winds cause us to hunch our shoulders against the pervading chill, tease our hair out of its restraints or ruin our carefully coiffed hairstyle and all this before the biting Northerly wind makes its presence felt! As horse riders we are constantly dealing with the aftermath of hat hair and for those that support us either on a daily basis or at an event, time doesn't always allow for beautiful hair and standing at the side lines allows the cold to permeate into the bones. Luckily for those that like to keep their hair out of the eyes, want their ears and necks to remain toasty, hide hat hair or want their hair to look stylish with minimum effort, Equetech has an array of stylish scarves an...

Are you looking for the ultimate waterproof all season's jacket? The Equetech Trilogy 3 in 1 Jacket is a practical yet stylish design concept loosely based around the Rambo Duo rug. After buying her horse the Rambo Duo, Equetech Managing Director, Liz Hayman was struck by the simple yet clever concept of this versatile rug and wanted to rework this concept to design a stylish jacket for equestrians and lovers of outdoor pursuits. Realising that many people do not want a closet full of equestrian jackets; a jacket for the colder winter months, a waterproof for colder wet days, one for the warmer spring weather, a waterproof for the warmer wetter days and so on, Liz explored designing a jacket for all seasons. The Trilogy 3 in 1...

September 1st sees the commencement of Autumn- well meteorologically at least. If you are anything like me the onset of Autumn is a good excuse to go shopping for all things cosy! I like nothing more than shopping for rider wear and love poring over new season collections either online or at my favourite equestrian stores. The launch of Equetech's Autumn/Winter 2017/18 Collection sees some old friends and some really exciting new designs. Classic navy and on trend mink feature heavily this season with high street fashion influencing many styles, creating a beautifully symbiotic collection. Combining the all too necessary waterproof and technical Bio- Down™ insulation to stylish jackets with toning or matching scarves and headba...

Lace has featured predominantly throughout Spring/Summer collections this year and it isn't ready to take a back seat just yet. Featuring heavily on the catwalks, lace is cleverly transitioning from summer into autumn. Here at Equetech, we enjoy designing and bringing fashionable trends from the high street into the equestrian wardrobe. It'll probably come as no surprise that we are carrying over from Spring/Summer our ever popular lace panelled competition shirts, the Bella and the Florence into our new Autumn/Winter collection but, we have added a beautiful new edition for all the lace lovers. The aptly named "Lacie" long sleeved competition shirt is simply exquisite. Featuring long sleeves for the colder months this...

Even though some parts of the UK have been experiencing glorious weather towards the latter end of these school holidays, thinking about the back to school Autumn/Winter wardrobe probably isn't top of your list. However, we all know how quickly Autumn rolls in leaving those heady days of Summer a distant memory. Autumn can be such a beautiful season, the turning leaves creating backdrops of burnished, muted hues, but all too quickly Jack Frost comes knocking and the grey and biting cold of winter is upon us ‐ sorry to depress you! So a quality, warm, hard wearing yet affordable coat, which hasn't quite featured at the forefront of your mind but is probably, slowly, starting to nag at the back of your mind is this important back t...

There has been an increase in the amount of people asking their native ponies to turn their hoof to dressage. With British natives possessing many sought after qualities for competition, their genes are influencing the breeding of Europe's top dressage ponies. So whether you have bought a native for the sole purpose of dressage, have decided to change disciplines or you simply enjoy the versatility of the native breeds, dressage has become more popular amongst the owners of these much sought after British natives. I hear so often that the stress of owning a big moving, sharp and tricky warmblood or sport horse, the desire for a more simple, easy to look after horse that frankly won't break the bank, themself or their benefactor b...

Some of you may have seen recent social media posts announcing the winners of our "Equetech Real Riders Competition." Our aim was to engage "Real Riders" throughout the Equetech community and beyond to join with us in celebrating our 25 years in business. The competition offered four winners the opportunity to feature in a very special photoshoot to mark this significant moment with one of the four winners featuring in the brands #equetechrealrider campaign. Running this competition through our social media posts and website, three of the winners were to be chosen from entries submitted directly to our MD, Liz Hayman. However, one further winner would be chosen from the competition run in conjunction with Horse and Rider...

Despite the recent gloomy, damp and grey conditions all may not be lost! You may have noticed that our beloved British weather is always a topic of conversation especially our summer or usually the lack of. This year we have been graced with a fabulous June but typically as soon as the schools broke up autumn appeared to arrive. I don't know about you, but I'm horrified to see that my horses are already starting to lose their beautiful summer coats and I'm back in a fleece and my gorgeous Equetech Quest Micro Jacket, so it's not all bad! Our warm, heady summer days may yet prove to not be a distant memory after all. No doubt as soon as the kids go back to school summer is sure to be resurrected. Maybe foolishly, I also te...

With the showing season in full swing and many chasing down qualifications to championship shows, Equetech sponsored rider Helen Newbold has kindly agreed to share some of her showing tips. As a ROR panel judge and top show horse rider and producer, Helen's knowledge and turnout of not only her horses but herself is exemplary. Helen says "It's always important to make an impression for all the right reasons as soon as you enter the ring. However most of the hard work begins at home and the actual day of the show is the culmination of all those hours of training, polishing, trimming, tidying etc. The weather won't always be your friend and your horse may not be particularly on side that day but always make an effort for y...

Blood, sweat and tears have been shed in getting your horse fit, healthy and competition ready. Your trainer has pushed you to you and your horses' limits and wonderfully the hard work has paid off. Your tenacious efforts have gained you that much sort after qualification to your riding club championship/British Dressage Regionals/Nationals/ Area Festivals. Having been out competing to obtain your qualification you may feel your competition outfit now looks a bit tired, your breeches are no longer bright white or you may just desire something special or unique to compete in. There are many ways to alter or refresh your competition outfit; the most cost effective and easiest way would be to change your accessories. Why not invest in a...

Recognising the new trend for unique equestrian apparel, we at Equetech have embraced our customers love for creativity. Following on from the hugely successful Custom XC Shirt and Custom Hat Silk, both still available, new for this year we bring you the Custom Competition Shirt. As with the Custom XC Shirt, the Custom Competition Shirt comes in both adult and junior sizes. The front of the shirt is a classically designed stock shirt with a ¼ zip and ratcatcher collar and capped sleeves. The main body is in white but this is where the standard design of the shirt ends, the back panel of the shirt is where you can unleash your creativity! With four different back panel options to choose from; pinstripe and name design, scatter hear...