November 2014 – Page 2

Small Business Spotlight: Annie’s Equestrienne Apparel

Published on November 21, 2014 by Amanda C18 Comments

Anyone who follows me on Instagram has seen lots of pictures of my hot pink full seats lately, and a few of my Tiffany blue ones. I never would have expected to love bright colored breeches so much, but I have to admit: they’re awesome and I’m obsessed. So a couple weeks ago when I decided it was time to revamp my Small Business Spotlight series, Annie’s Equestrienne Apparel was at the top of my list.

Some of you may actually already know the company’s namesake, from this video – Annie meets Pepper – which seems to go viral every Christmas in the horse world. It’s so cute it hurts. While they started out making clothes for kids, they’ve also expanded to a ladies line. They have a color to suit just about anyone, from royal purple to red to hot pink to deep royal blue. Hermes orange? They got it. Apple green? Got that too. Not into bright colors? How about a black pair with skull and crossbones on the butt? If fun breeches are your thing you must get acquainted with Annie’s. Too boring for any that? Don’t worry, they have basic white too.

If you’re not a fan of full seats, have no fear. Annie’s has plans to roll out some limited colors in a knee patch version around mid-December. In addition to their awesome line of breeches they also offer a nice basic schooling shirt for women and several shirts and polos for girls (great Christmas gift for that pony-loving barn rat in your life).

To make it even better, right now Annie’s is offering a different promotional deal every week through the holidays. This week if you purchase a pair of Ladies breeches you get a schooling shirt for only $5 with the code “layerup” – a $40 savings. Definitely Like them on Facebook and follow them on Instagram @anniesusa so you don’t miss any of their upcoming deals! Cherry on top – right now they’re also offering free shipping through the end of the year.

And now for the fun part – the Q&A! Annie’s mom Shannon gave us some more insight into their operation.

1) When did you start this business?

Annie’s Equestrienne Apparel launched in late January of 2014.

2) How many employees do you have?

We are a family business: my husband and myself, along with our three teenage sons and 9 year old daughter Annie.

3) Where did the idea for the business come from?

Annie and I had been trying to shop for schooling apparel, but we just couldn’t ﬁnd anything we both really loved. The options for young riders were either too little girlish, or just scaled down versions of adult clothing. One day Annie got out her crayons and drew what she thought would be “fun” clothes to wear while riding her pony Pepper. She had sketched a bright pair of pink breeches and a colorfully striped polo shirt. When she showed them to me I said “Those are really cute…somebody should make them”. This lightbulb went oﬀ in my head and voila…the concept for Annie’s was born!

4) What is your background in horses and design?

I grew up on a farm and have been around and shown horses periodically throughout my entire life. I also have always loved fashion, so combining the two just came naturally. Annie comes up with the basic styles and colors, I tweak them to make them a bit more “realistic”, and we have professional pattern makers and seamstresses to make the magic happen! It’s very important for us to not only have fresh, unique and fashion forward design, but to also have it withstand the rigors of the equestrian sport.

5) Any interesting notes about yourself, your business or your products that you would like for people to know?

When we launched earlier this year, we were speciﬁcally a children’s/tweens brand. However, shortly after our product made it into the market we were getting inundated with requests to make ladies sizes. In just a few short months, we were oﬀering ladies styles and even a boys breech! We’ve been so busy we haven’t yet changed the tagline on our website from “Sweet schooling clothes for girls” to “Colour your ride”! Colouring their ride is exactly what our customers are doing. We’ve heard time and time again (from ordinary riders to very high end clientele and professional equestrians), that they LOVE our brand, and are thrilled to ﬁnd such outstanding quality and fashionable riding apparel at aﬀordable prices. Some customers recently told us that our brand was “happy chic” and that we reminded them of the “Kate Spade of the equestrian world”!

We are beyond ﬂattered and humbled with feedback like that, as well as how well we’ve been received thus far. We are so thankful to have such a supportive and loyal customer base…many of whom cannot wait to see what the next color of breeches will be!

“Happy chic” is absolutely the best term to describe Annie’s… it’s impossible to have a bad ride when you’re wearing fun breeches. And how could you not love an entrepreneurial kid like Annie?

Eventually (one of these days when I’m not so horse poor) these Tardis Blue breeches will be mine. It’s a must-have color even if you’re not a big Dr Who nerd like I am. Or maybe the purple since they’d go perfectly with a bonnet and baby pad I already have? I’m beginning to understand how so many Annie’s customers become “collectors”.

Working with Annie’s has been nothing but an absolute pleasure. They’re so nice and so friendly and just so… darn pleasant. Must be a side effect of being surrounded by fun colors all the time. They’re exactly the kind of small business I love to support! If you’re looking to add to your breeches collection or buy a few gifts for the holidays, definitely keep Annie’s in mind.

Even better? Take it one step further and pair them with Mango Bay!

TBT: Cruz the $350 thoroughbred

Published on November 20, 2014 by Amanda C36 Comments

I’ve had a lot of random low-budget project horses over the years, and Cruz might be one of the most random and almost, but not quite, the lowest budget. I bought him in December 2008 for $350 out of a field as a halter-broke 17.1h 4yo. Because when I say project, I mean project. It took a while to catch him, he’d never been on a trailer, sorta kinda knew how to tie, and didn’t even know how to lunge. I’m always attracted to a challenge, so how could I possibly resist?

Because who could say no to a sale photo like this?

Getting him home was a feat. I was not there to load him but apparently it included grain, round pen panels, and lots of coaxing. As soon as he arrived I worked with him daily, starting with a massive makeover, then ground manners (although for a big horse he was a bit timid so this wasn’t hard), and he got a new name. Previously he’d been named Slim, which I didn’t like, but I noticed that his star was kinda shaped like a heart. Hence the show name Te Amo which spawned the barn name Cruz.

After a few days of round pen work I started to introduce tack, then climbed aboard. He was not the first horse I’ve started but he was probably one of the easiest. After those first few days with me he decided I was not in fact going to eat him and became pretty darn game to do anything I asked. We spent the first few rides in the round pen then I decided he was “broke enough” and rode him around the ring and pasture. Everything came to him really easily… he was smart and once he trusted me he was totally on board.

A couple weeks in – now wearing a bridle and riding out in the field

That’s not to say he was totally perfect. He had a continually tough time with trailer loading (eventually he got to where he loaded fine but he was never 100% relaxed) and got over-excited in his stall when it was turnout time. He was also a little cheeky about being caught in the field – if you tried to go straight up to him you’d end up chasing him all day, but if you just walked out there and immediately chased him away from you he’d turn around and trot right back. Horse brains, or lack thereof… go figure.

After a couple months I moved him to a different barn with a real ring and some jumps, then started him over fences. We even went trail riding in the big 300 acre park next door – he loved going for a gallop. Considering he’d had a less than ideal start to life, he really came along pretty quickly.

2.5 months – looking more like a real horse!

I took him to one horse show to school, where he was really really good despite a Cinco de Mayo festival happening next door (complete with inflatables). He handled the atmosphere better than many of the seasoned show horses.

Cruz didn’t really have stellar hunter instincts over fences but he was athletic and had a lot of “try” so I thought he’d make a nice jumper or eventer for someone. After about 6 months I put him up for sale, because you can’t keep them all, and he sold to the first person who came to look at him.

The journey through taking a horse from nothing to something will always be my favorite thing. That’s why I’m still a sucker for a good project and probably always will be. One of these days I’ll tell you about Max… 😉

GIF yourself, and other miscellany

Published on November 19, 2014November 19, 2014 by Amanda C14 Comments

Today is one of those random conglomerations of thoughts, because I don’t have a lot to say about any one thing, but I do have a whole lot of stuff happening in my head.

Ever since I saw a lesson recap from A House on a Hill where she made some gif’s of herself from videos, I’ve thought it was brilliant. By embedding them in your post you can basically force people to watch little video clips without actually having to click on anything. I fully support making people do things whether they wanted to or not. Especially if all you have is short little clips anyway, imgflip.com becomes a playground. Not saying that I wasted an hour gif-ing myself on there or anything…

Second random of the day: I’m not going to complain about the forecast this weekend. Really I’m not. Everyone knows that severe heavy thunderstorms make dressage and stadium day better, especially when they’re on grass. Ride times (or maybe they should be called death times?) should be out today. I’m just so excited. And so not complaining at all. Nope, not me.

And last but not least: Viva Carlos‘ 10 questions for November!

Have you ever owned a horse? Henry is horse #11 if I’m remembering them all. But I’ve never had more than 3 at once. Yet.
What is your favorite aspect of your discipline? I think it takes a lot of heart on the part of the horse (and rider too, but I’m more impressed with the ponies) and trust in the rider. Plus it’s just plain fun, and at the end of the day isn’t that the point?
What pet peeves do you have concerning your discipline? Sloppy turnout (sorry, the h/j roots are deeply ingrained) and borderline dangerous riding at times. That can really apply to both the jumper ring and eventing.
Do you do barn chores? Not so much these days.
What is your least favorite barn chore? Back when I did them – blanketing. Usually I was freezing to death, trying to fasten a million buckles and straps on horses that generally wanted me to eff off.
What do you consider the worst vice in a horse? Rearing, followed very closely by a bad work ethic.
What saddle brand is your favorite? CWD. Not that I’m biased or anything.
Do you ride with a quarter sheet in the winter? If it’s cold enough, yes.
Does your horse wear boots? What kind? I’ve got two full sets of open fronts/hind ankles, his Majyk Equipe XC boots, and a couple pairs of polos. What he wears depends on what we’re doing that day, although he does wear bell boots 24/7. Looking to add a full set of fleece lined brushing boots to my collection if anyone sees a super good deal. 😉
Full seat or knee patch breeches? Funny, back when I evented the first time I really hated full seats. But having just gotten a couple pairs again I actually really like them, especially in my jumping saddle. Go figure on that one. So I guess I like them both.

XC schooling pics

Published on November 18, 2014 by Amanda C32 Comments

These are from 3 weeks ago, but better late than never. Look how warm and happy we were…

He was a very good pony that day, but then again he usually is. This is the same venue as our event this weekend so hopefully he remembers. Good news: the weather is supposed to warm up for the weekend. Bad news: 90% chance of thunderstorms on dressage/stadium day. Goody. Maybe Henry needs floaties like this guy?

Weekend recap: proof that I actually ride

Published on November 17, 2014 by Amanda C14 Comments

Finally, a little bit of lesson video! First I have to say: the weather for our lesson was freaking miserable. Low 40’s with drizzly cold rain. It was a group lesson with a lot of people in it, so every time we were sitting there waiting for our turn to go I just about turned into a solid block of ice.

We started out easy with just crossrails then a little oxer then a couple of lines, then put it together into a really twisty course. We were in the top ring which is pretty small and there were lots of jumps with tight turns and short approaches. For it to ride well you really had to come forward out of turn, otherwise you’d just get “stuck”. This is a pretty ideal course for us because my biggest problem is my tendency to NOT keep coming forward out of the turn… so it was tricky but a good exercise for me. If you didn’t keep coming forward, it didn’t work out. Period.

The video is a pretty good example of that. My completely crooked wiggly botch at fence 6 is because I clamped up instead of continuing to let him go forward. The rest of it, where I actually put my leg on and kept going, worked out decently.

IMG 8821 from amanda chance on Vimeo.

Fence 1 was an oxer, 6 bending strides to the plank at 2. Then around the corner (which was very tight and short) to 3, 4 and 5 – a 3 stride to 2 stride combination. 6 was a little vertical, broken line with a short approach to the oxer at 7. It was one of the harder angles but actually rode pretty well. Then a tight left rollback around to 8, the gate, with a very short approach to 9 (easy to blow right past if you didn’t get them back quickly after 8), then 3 forward strides to 10. Fences 11 to 12 rode as a going 4 or a whoaing 5.

It was a sea of plain white jumps. For the most part I was satisfied with how it went, but felt like I was a little sloppy, a little reactive instead of proactive, and of course WTF at fence 6. Very happy with my horse though and how well he listened and how very honest and game he was. Somebody get dat pony a halo.

After the lesson I clipped him again… yes, clip #2 already. Ugh. This time I left his legs since they hadn’t regrown much and he’s awful about them. Definitely not my best clip job but I was frozen and in a hurry and he kinda wanted to kick me in the head so it’ll do.

Sunday was decidedly non-horsey, unless you count washing saddle pads. The grocery store and new brakes on my car are not that interesting. But I did use a couple gift cards and go buy some actual winter clothes. Well… winter-ish. Better than what I had, at least! Hope everyone else had a good weekend! Just gotta make it through a 4 day work week and then we’re off to our first event.