I was one of those lucky enough to qualify for and receive a government stimulus check last week. A small piece of it went towards paying my taxes, which was ironic in many ways – here government, have some of your own money back – and also, the reason I owe on my taxes is because of all my side gigs. Why do they think I have the side gigs in the first place? Anyway. While I’m in a “hoarding money” mode and want to put most of the stimulus check in savings for the tiny house or whatever unforseenhell may be waiting, I also wanted to use a little bit to give back to some of my favorite small businesses that I know are being majorly impacted right now.

There are so many vendors that are SOL without horse shows. Many of those mobile tack shops that we’ve come to rely on and enjoy so much at shows make most if not all of their living from just that – shows. Being down and out for several months is a huge blow. Luxe Eq, a store that I’ve worked at a few times in the past, is a mostly-mobile vendor that travels from show to show, so when it came time to pick a few shops to spend some of my stimulus check at, they were an easy choice.

They DO have a website, so that makes browsing easier, and they’re also offering personal shopping, which is pretty cool. Want to browse the mobile shop a bit, or maybe have questions about how things fit or compare to each other? You can contact Megan and get a one-on-one shopping experience via Skype, Facetime, or Zoom. For instance, I didn’t really know what I wanted so I just said “What do you have that’s green and under $X?”. And she proceeded to pull out a few different pieces to show me, plus even tried on some different brands of breeches to show me how they fit. If you can’t be there in person, it’s definitely the next best thing. And fun. Highly recommend.

They’ve also got some good deals happening right now, like a big Animo sale, 30% off show shirt sale, sweaters on sale, belts up to 50% off, free shipping over $100, $50 gift card with orders over $250, etc. The sale page has all kinds of great deals. Or, if you’ve been thinking about trying one of the higher end brands but were nervous to just buy online, maybe the personal shopping experience could help you pick a fun splurge item.

Megan is super nice and really knows her brands well, so if you have any questions about fit, sizing, or how things compare, definitely just ask. You can email or message or Instagram, she’s easy to reach. She can 100% steer you in the right direction or maybe even suggest some better options you may not have known about. I started at Animo breeches and ended up at Cavalleria Toscana, after seeing the fit comparisons. Luxe EQ has a lot of really cute casual clothes in addition to riding clothes, too, so I’m 100% certain they have something for pretty much everyone.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to give back a little bit to your favorite horse show vendors right now, please consider it. And if you’re looking for a place to support with a little bit of that stimulus money, please take a look at Luxe EQ. They’re good people. ❤