Just like humans, grooming and looking good starts from the inside. If you feed a horse what they need to be happy and healthy, their coat and skin will hopefully be in reasonably good shape. I am not a nutritionist, but it is worth looking into your horse's diet, to make sure they are getting proper food based on their breeding, performance level, their age, the environment they live in, and the climate(s) that they have to deal with. It goes without saying to make sure that they get all the care they require from their vet and dentist, and that they are wormed regularly. I formulate, make and sell natural grooming products. I believe that my products add a...
In 2015 I attended my 10 year college reunion at Mount Holyoke. It’s almost as if life had flashed before my eyes - has it really been 10 years since I graduated? I mean, it’s not as if A LOT has not happened in the last 10 years - multiple jobs, graduate school, getting married, starting my own business - oh, did I mention I have moved 7 or 8 times in those last 10 years? When I think about why it feels like I was at Mount Holyoke (MHC) just months, not years ago, it all culminates in one thing - the IHSA riding team. Above: the Mount Holyoke Equestrian Team in the 2004-2005 year. The IHSA team...
It is always a pleasure getting to know our customers a little better. This week, I spoke with Midwesterner Lori Reglin about her multi-generational horse-loving family. Lori, her grandparents, parents, and now her daughter have all been riders and involved with horses in one way or another throughout their lives. That’s at least four generations of horse lovers, if not more! Some of Lori’s first memories were as a three year old when her parents got a pony which they kept in their suburban backyard. At age ten, Lori and her family moved out into the countryside. Lori, along with her younger brother and sister, became avid 4H participants. There were many family outings; the entire family would load...
For those of us in the Northeast, it's that time of year, when we are bound to look more dirty than our equine friends by the time we leave the barn. Everything has melted, spring showers have arrived, and our horses are shedding like bandits. Shedding also means they feel itchier than normal, and that means they are rolling like mad. The warmer temperatures also mean that sometimes they get to go out without a sheet. The result: an almost daily grooming battle, with a crusty, mud-covered, shedding horse. There are two ways to tackle the cleaning of your muddy friend: 1. If it is warm enough, you can rinse your horse off with the hose when they come in...
As I embarked on The Simple Equine adventure over two years ago with the goal of creating a natural grooming products line, I spent a lot of time studying the competitive and comparative sets. I looked at horse grooming products, human skincare products, and other pet products. I looked at big sellers and smaller niche products. And of course, since natural products were a priority for me, I studied many of the products claiming to be natural. Unlike “organic” products which are regulated, “natural” products are not. In the skincare/petcare/grooming products industry, what I have discovered is a large sliding scale, or spectrum in terms of what people say is in fact, natural. There are two big takeaways for...
