According to official statistics, the average dress size for UK women is a size 16 with an average bust size of 36DD. With more women embracing and appreciating their curves, it sadly appears that some equestrian clothing manufactures have been slow in realising this, meaning there is a lack of quality and flattering apparel for the UK's average female body size. Equetech's Managing Director Liz Hayman likes to keep her finger firmly on the pulse of current trends in style, colour and design, keeping an eye on fashion predictions for up-coming seasons, analysing data from Equetech's sales and customer feedback. Armed with this information Liz, also Equetech's head designer can effectively design stunning, flattering and o...

The schools have now broken up for the long summer holiday break heralded by exalted delight from children amidst cries of despair from parents all across the country! How to keep the little treasures amused for a whole six weeks I hear you cry! Well thankfully those that are lucky enough to have a pony will probably have a full diary of Pony Club and other equine related events to keep them amused and those not so lucky to have their own pony probably have a full schedule of events organised by the riding school or equestrian establishment they frequent. Pony Camp will be your saviour! With a full schedule dauntingly laid out in front of you, you realise that you have so much to organise not least of all a wardrobe fit for Pony Club/Pon...

Comfort and style is just as important on the bottom half of our body as it is on the top half. So let's talk comfort and the often embarrassing subject of chafing! As horse riders, at some point or possibly on a regular basis in our riding lives we have experienced the misery of a chafed and sore rear or worse a chafed and sore ‐ let's call it a front bottom for the purposes of this blog! We have had a fabulous yet challenging lesson by the sadist that is our instructor, always demanding we put more effort in/work harder/suffer sitting trot for longer, you get the picture, and we are so focused on not dying of heat exhaustion and exertion we don't realise until we dismount that our underwear has caused some serious chafing i...

You've decided it's time to update your competition jacket but where do you start? Most of us will quickly peruse our favourite retailers whilst on our lunch break or sneakily go online when the boss isn't looking! We search out deals and easily compare products but is this the best course to take? In some instances then definitely, yes, but when looking to buy your next competition jacket, then possibly not. The ease of online shopping has created many "Wardrobe Hoarders" an affliction for many of us horse owners where we find what is considered the bargain of the month or simply a "Must Have" item but upon delivery, it's not what was expected or it just doesn't fit/hang correctly. So, as a hard work...

We are currently enjoying a fantastic yet uncharacteristic hot summer here in the UK. As we are totally unaccustomed to seeing a huge orange orb in our rather unusually blue sky many of us are struggling to keep not only our horses cool but also ourselves. We are resorting to either riding very early in the morning or late at night in order to work our horses during the cooler hours of the day. If we are unable to ride at these times, then we have raided the bottoms of our wardrobes, dusted off our sun tops or for the more toned of us, our bikini tops and are riding in temperatures more accustomed to summer holidays in the Mediterranean! However, when we are competing wearing as little as possible simply is not acceptable. Dressage judge...

I'm sure you are all aware from all the social media coverage that we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary ‐ WooHoo! In order to say a huge thank you to our customers and followers we have been running the "Equetech Real Rider Competition" and there is still time to enter as entries close on the 31st July. We are looking for four riders that love their horses/ponies and their sport/hobby. You DO NOT need to be a professional rider, a model, or a competitive amateur, we are looking for people from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes and from 18 years of age and up that have a passion for all things equestrian. The prize is amazing! The four winners will feature in a very special photo shoot. Three winners will feature...

According to government statistics the average weekly working hours for full time workers is 37.5 hours a week, feels like much more doesn't it! So, if you are a full time worker with a passion for horses, how do you fit riding in to your life? As a horse owner, finding the time to juggle a full time job and look after your horse(s) which is essentially an extremely fulfilling but unpaid part time job is definitely not easy, especially if you have a long suffering non-horsey partner. Whether you are a leisure rider or competition rider, your beloved equine will always come first. Those precious moments with your horse make those 5am starts so you can ride before work mostly worthwhile or so you convince yourself! Your colleagues stru...

If you are a lover of all things equestrian, follow the season's fashions or are an innovative trend setter then crossover accessories will be an important part of any discerning fashionista's wardrobe. The most obvious equestrian/fashion crossover accessory is the humble scarf. Equestrian themed scarves are continually gracing the runways of the major designers across the world and are a firm favourite of equestrians. Whatever the season, a stylish scarf will lift any fashionable outfit away from the stables and can add a touch of class to your equestrian ensemble. A stylish tie and tie pin or stock and stock pin worn in an equestrian competition environment also make for a fabulous statement when worn with a suit. If you are ma...

We live in an era where travelling to civilised or even not so civilised parts of the world is relatively easy. This ease of travel has seen an increase in worldwide riding holidays from those wishing to experience the joy of beach riding, sedate or perhaps not so sedate trail riding or for those with an inner cowboy/cowgirl wanting to experience the thrill of ranching. But, how do you pack for the riding holiday of your dreams? After all, no one wants to lug around a huge suitcase crammed full of riding gear! As the holiday suggests, you will probably be logging many hours in the saddle and no one wants their holiday ruined by those cursed saddle sores or chafed areas! So, in order to avoid the misery of a sore rear, comfortable padded...

Ah, the great British Weather…..summertime in the UK is one fraught with wardrobe decisions due to our ever changing weather patterns. We wake up and look out of the window and either sigh heavily at the prospect of a cool grey day or smile widely as the day appears to want to bring forth one of sun and blissful heat. Indeed, when we are lucky enough to experience those balmy summer days so eloquently mentioned in British poetry and prose our wardrobes seem to be horribly under prepared. Thankfully, equestrian apparel for the summer season has seen a shift over the last few years towards fashionable and cooling technical clothing driven by innovative designers and the consumer. Designers such as Equetech MD Liz Hayman believe that...

Let's be honest, comfort when riding features quite highly in most peoples opinion. We spend as much time as possible with our horses so when it comes to leg wear, we are always looking for a garment that is not only comfortable and attractive but allows for freedom of movement both in and out of the saddle. With the advent of technical fabrics, leg wear for riders has evolved. Yes, we still love the classically styled breech or jodhpur but we are also discovering the many virtues of the riding tight. With many of us loving the relaxed feel and freedom of movement the humble legging affords us, it was perhaps no surprise, innovative designers like Equetech's MD and Head Designer Liz Hayman, brought us a robust equestrian variant...

If you aren't lucky enough to have a groom/friend/long suffering partner or parent to help you get yourself and your horse ready for an event, you will probably spend more time making sure your horse looks fabulous leaving little time for yourself. Having arrived at the event, tacked up and added the finishing touches to your horse, time has in all probability run away with you, unless you are one of life's highly organised people. So, you throw on your hopefully clean competition clothes and hastily tie your hair in a ponytail and add a hair net. You will then cram your hat on and hope that your hair is neatly confined in your hairnet and stays confined for the duration required. Sadly, hair does seem to have a life of its own, cer...