Unique Equine Blog

Special thanks to Liz and Paula, friends at Willowdale Farm in Topsfield, MA for helping with our fall fashion photo shoot. We lucked out with a glorious fall day - the leaves are just starting to turn but the days are still warm. Also perfect riding weather. Below at left they show off their Barbour Liddesdale Quilted Jacket and Utility 2 Jacket while visiting with “Cure” in the paddock. At right, they hang out in their Goode Rider faux fur vest with Goode Rider Jean and the Tech Jacket with Low Rider Breech in Denim Stripe . Dublin looks on from behind.

What did you do on your summer vacation? We updated our website!!

We are so excited - we finally have our new updated website running! Websites are always more work than anticipated, but this is so worth it! We have added MORE products than before to reflect as much as possible all that we carry in the store - and there is more to come! The site also has some extra special features…

WISHLIST - You can now create a wishlist that you can send to friends so that they know what to get you.This will come in handy this holiday season or for birthdays.

PRODUCT REVIEWS - Write a review on a product that you liked… or didn’t. We want to know what you think!

TELL A FRIEND - send an email to your friends if you see a neat product they would like.

SHOPPING CART UPGRADES - You will notice that you have to create a login to checkout. Don’t be afraid, this is more help than harm. Your cart will be saved if you can’t complete your order right away, and you won’t have to fill in those tedious ’shipping’ details every time you come back.

PRODUCT ORGANIZATION - We have expanded our product categories and added more stuff! You can also sort products by name, price, or manufacturer.

Take a tour of the new site HERE.

We hope you like it as much as we do. Please note we are still updating some things, so just let us know if you have any problems or information is missing.

Enjoy and happy riding!

Ok, it took me forever, but I finally took the free trial ride in the MDC Ultimate Stirrups. THEY ARE AWESOME! The only way I can explain it is that my horse instantly turned into a Cadillac. My ride felt gentler, with more cushioning and better handling. My knees, back and ankle didn’t hurt during or after my ride, either. And I think Jimmie felt it too because he was softer and more supple. Probably because I felt better, I was able to relax more and wasn’t tensing up to brace myself against the little twinges of discomfort.

If you’re not familiar with these stirrups, they are flexible irons with a twisty thing at the top so that you can position your stirrups at an angle that best suits you. I was getting tired of the shin burns that my old stirrup leathers were causing and I swear I was getting shin splints as well (which I’m prone to from a long ago track career). I positioned them so that the top was perpendicular to the stirrup which allowed my leathers to lie flat and the iron to be positioned the way my foot would naturally fit inside. This also made picking up my irons A LOT easier - no more twisting the ankle to find it!

If you haven’t tried them, you should. Unique Equine offers a free test ride in these stirrups. We know that if you try them you will love them. All you need to do is call, email or come into the shop. You can try them out for two weeks and if you don’t like them, just bring them back. We will just need a valid credit card and contact info as insurance that you will return them or buy them - you will only be charged if you decide to purchase them.

For more information about these stirrups you can go to their website.

To order, visit Unique Equine

MDC Stirrups are a bit of an investment at $189.99. However, they are less expensive that the HS brand (over $200) and no other brand has the adjustable top.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting women today. New statistics project that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. While statistics also say incidence is on the decline, it is still important to continue to research and provide support to organizations that are helping to improve our lives. That’s why it is so special that the Potomac Valley Dressage Association has put together the PVDA Ride for Life, a fundraiser benefiting the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Center.

Unique Equine is extremely honored to have been asked to make special quarter sheets for the Ride for Life to be held this weekend in Maryland. quarter sheets were requested for a ceremony to honor four equestrians who lost their lives to breast cancer. The symbolism of these quarter sheets hit hard as they were being assembled - sadness that these women, and so many others, have lost their lives to breast cancer, but empowerment that others are taking steps to help the cause and remember these riders for their fight.

We were inspired to do more to help. Unique Equine is now offering pink ribbon polos for sale on our website. 10% of total sales (not just proceeds) will go to the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Center.

Visit Unique Equine’s Pink Ribbon Shop for more info. More UE Pink Ribbon products will be introduced this summer. You can also check out SSG’s pink ribbon Gloves for Hope and Wahl’s pink ribbon clippers (with free pink ribbon hat). Each manufacturer donates a portion of sales to breast cancer research. Whether you have been affected by breast cancer or you know someone who has, we can all do more to help.

Unique Equine spent some time at the USPC games rally in Topsfield, MA this weekend. We helped to outfit the Funky Frogs with Lime Hologram helmet covers from EQ Rider and Apple Green saddle pads from Tuff Rider. Some of the riders also found our ‘games reins,’ in plaited leather or colored rubber grip, to come in handy. Here is a pic from the day! Congrats Funky Frogs on a great showing!

Breaking News - The new g.r.a.s.s. apparel from Kerrits has arrived! We have been waiting for this new line to make its debut and we are so pleased with the quality, comfort and environmentalism!

g.r.a.s.s. stands for “green riding apparel for style & sustainability.” This performance apparel is made with organic and recycled materials - even down to the zippers! Fabrics use organic cotton, recycled poly and bamboo. The benefits of using these materials is not only the effects on the earth (organic cotton and bamboo are renewable resources and recycled poly is made from recycled plastic bottles) but they are naturally antimicrobial and odor resistant. You know how your poly performance apparel smells after a while? These clothes won’t!

And, you can know that you are taking one step toward helping the environment - g.r.a.s.s is conscious about saving energy and materials throughout the entire production and shipping process which includes using recycleable and reused packaging materials. Oh, and did we mention everything is made in the U.S.A.!

To check out the new g.r.a.s.s apparel, go to www.unique-equine.com/shoppingcart/agora.cgi?product=grass or their website at www.gra-ss.com