Sustainability in the Equestrian Space

As a little girl and as an adult, I’ve never passed horses on the highway or backroads without admiring them or calling out “horses” and I really don’t think i’m alone in that. Even now as an adult, I love to watch horses being horses out in the fields. I also never want to imagine a world where lush pasture, clean drinking water and quality grain and hay isn’t available to them.

As equestrians, we should consider taking greater stock in the environment since it’s so important for our horses to have those lush fields for grazing, galloping & playing. Not to mention clean fresh water and space to grow hay, grains, oats and important minerals that we extract from the earth to keep them shiny, healthy and happy.

But where do we start?

This can be a tough conversation for many equestrians to have. Just look around any barn and you’ll find numerous gorgeous leather pieces, supplement containers, bedding delivered in plastic, grain bags, numerous saddle pads, coolers and we’ve not even scratched the surface on our collection of breeches, sun shirts, show jackets and all the things! Its kind of a prerequisite of a horse girl to love all things fashion, luxury and glam, am I right?

Behind the scenes as a fellow equestrian, equestrian yogi/yoga teacher and advocate for wholeness, kindness and leaving things a little bit better than I found them, I try to be very aware of my daily choices as a lifestyle. This isn’t something that happened overnight, it started super small actually with skincare and make up products, I became obsessed with clean & Cruetly Free products (because no innocent animal should be a lab experiment). From skincare & make up, it morphed into cleaning supplies and laundry detergent, then organic food (not all organic but certain things, absolutely), and on and on. Fun fact about me, my boyfriend Cory and I have an organic hobby farm, Oliver’s Meadows and last year our property became an certified Wildlife Habitat. It has taken years to hone in and I’m still learning and making changes but we all have to start somewhere. Having a conversation, being in community and raising awareness is key.

Making changes can sometimes feel like turning a draft horse around in a two horse trailer. While protecting the earth is a much bigger conversation than addressed in this this journal entry, I think its amazing that within our Equestrian space we have some really amazing women owned brands that are committed to sustainability and raising awareness around this topic so that you as a consumer can make a conscience choice toward a better tomorrow and a healthier Mother Earth.

The mission of this project is to highlight some of my favorite sustainable friendly brands, many of which you already know and love. I hope that by hearing some of their behind the scenes efforts makes you want to fully support them more than you may already.

Here is what I learned..

GREEN IS THE NEW BLUE

I had an absolutely amazing call with Anna, the youth coordinator with Green is the New Blue. This environmental nonprofit was born by an adult amateur who saw a need for change by way of seeing so much garbage and plastic liter while grazing her horse at shows. Since inception, Green is the New Blue has been advocating for our horses and making a big impact jumping into the bigger show scenes like the Hampton Classic, Upperville and Aiken and grooming youth programs, IEA and ISHA teams on sustainability, all things GREEN and they have some really amazing programs like the “Plastic Free In-Gate” and the nature inspired hunter derby fence that can be built by using scrap branches from your farm and by way of planting native to your area plants. Fill your reusable water bottle, hop on their website, type in your zip code and learn some of your native plants.

FWORDS GEAR

Kendall, FWORDS Gear designer & owner shared with me that she reduces her carbon footprint by manufacturing locally in NYC verses shipping production from overseas. Her brands manufacturing process of cutting one by one ensures that fabric is not wasted and sent to the landfill. Her practice shirts are made from NewLife™ is “certified to use post-consumer PET water bottles that have been transformed into our stretch smart performance knit through a mechanical process which makes no use of chemicals. This is unique because many other brands also use up-cycled fabric made from used plastic bottles, but, the process to make up their up-cycled fabric uses chemicals which are harmful for the environment”. A fun fact that Kendal shares is that she’s reused her plastic hangers and plastic garment bags since launching the brand in 2017 thus reducing the amount of plastics sent to landfills. “Our garments are crafted with such quality and care that they are meant to last years and can be worn as hand me downs.”

CALYSE

Cassandra, CALYSE designer & founder shared with me when asked “what are some of the ways that your brand reduces its carbon footprint?” “Ways that I’m reducing my carbon impact: the obvious one, recycling saddles into bags instead of using new, raw materials. I also recycle some hardware from halters/harnesses. This keeps saddles and tack out of the landfill and allows me to steer away from needing to use cow hide. Aside from the sustainability, I feel like this honors the cows life who lent itself to the saddle by giving the leather two rounds of life. Another way I reduce my carbon footprint - I use plastic free packaging, also containing no dyes, all recyclable! Lastly, I work out of my home. This way I’m not using up energy to run a secondary establishment for my operation. “Where do you find your old tack that you’re using?” “I find the tack I use through folks kind enough to donate tack they would otherwise be tossing. Also through equine rescues which I return the favor of donating to their foundations. A lot of my work is coming from people sending in their personal saddles to have something made specially for them.” “Are there scrap pieces that ultimately end up at the landfill? How much of a saddle, bridle, piece of equipment can you usually salvage (what percentage?)” “ Some scraps like flocking from the saddles and any pieces of leather that are not healthy to use end up getting tossed. Its pretty minimal. I’ve been donating saddle trees for education purposes on saddle fitting! I would say an average of 95% of the tack is useable for me.” “Your pieces are so unique (and absolutely gorgeous!). If someone loved something you’ve previously made, can/do you replicate?” “I have set patterns which are my “styles” found on my website. I can replicate the style but it can be tricky replicating an exact piece. For instance, I can get close to a color scheme and patch working a bag may have, but really specifically things like character markings and saddler’s stamping, or may certain tooling on a western saddle, can all be a one shot deal! At the end of the day, no two are totally alike”.

VELTRI SPORT

Lisa, VELTRI Sport founder shared the following with me when asked “what are some of the ways that your brand reduces its carbon footprint?” “Our website is hosted by a carbon neutral platform. “Energy used by data servers is offset by investments in renewable energy. We also offer carbon neutral shipping options through our website. Using Shop Pay, emissions from each delivery are offset though a paid partnership with WeForest, restoring mangrove habitats with high carbon sequestration.” “Some methods you have in place to recycle, reduce and reuse? We use recycled packaging and materials for all our products. We use two layers of protection to package our products for delivery, a bag and a cardboard box. Our re-sealable bags are made of 100% recycled materials. Although they can be recycled, we encourage reuse. Our packaging is ideal for storage and is the perfect size to fit the average stable sheet. We are actively researching and updating our packaging to maximize sustainability as we grow. We don’t include additional thank you notes, advertisements and other unnecessary paperwork in our packages because it creates more waste. We know it looks pretty, but it just winds up in the garbage.” “With the growing waste crisis from single-use plastics, it was on us to deigns products that help deal with the problem, rather than exacerbate it. Our bags are privately composed of nylon fabric spun from recycled PET. There are three reasons we chose recycled materials over virgin nylon: (1) with the growing crisis of single-use plastics, it was on us to design a product that gives new life to post-consumer waste. (2) As new plastic is derived from oil, we want to conserve resources. (3) Less energy is used in the recycling process compared to production of virgin plastic.” “If you’re making products out of recycled plastic. Is that mechanically done without chemicals?” The fabric mill is one of the most advanced facilities in South Korea that works with other well known sustainable brands.” “Any other fun facts/anything else that you’d like to share?” “Our fabric is made by extracting top-quality nylon yarns from the raw materials from reclaimed waste, saving valuable resources from being extracted from the earth, so you can feel good about your purchase by bringing new life to single-use plastics. Each Veltri Sport bag is composed of approximately 10 recycled water bottles.

TRIED EQUESTRIAN

Abby from Tried Equestrian shared with me when asked “Could you share some statistics with us? How much would you say you receive each month/annually to cosign?” “The Tried Equestrian's primary focus is creating a circular economy, where items are reused and repurposed rather than ending up in a landfill. Of course, most of our inventory is pre-owned items looking for a new life, but we also offer an outlet for brands; that way, their older styles aren't thrown away. As for the shipping products and in-store necessities, we try to use things made of recycled materials and even use shipping bags that are meant to be used again. We're huge on repurposing bubble wrap, boxes, and more to create as little waste as possible. Overall, we have re-homed over 50,000 articles of clothing. We usually receive about 2,000-3,000 items a month to consign. So far, we have saved 135,000,000 liters of water and 1,200 metric tons of carbon. We try to offer our shoppers over 500 new items a week, and we couldn't do that without our fabulous consignors. They're truly the backbone of the business, and we're thankful to them for doing their part for the planet.” “What is your process for picking acceptable brands? Do those brands have sustainability built into their mission?” “Our process for choosing what items to accept depends on many factors. We want to offer tack and apparel for every level of rider, from a first lesson to an A-rated show rider. We accept most equestrian brands and even some that aren't! We inspect every item to ensure they have plenty of life left, and to make sure it's something we know a rider would love. Many of the brands we work with do have a focus on sustainability as well. Lots of brands we see are now using a lot of recycled materials and are making their items to last. By sending their outdated items here, brands are also making a difference. We love offering the highest quality clothes at lower prices, opening the door to riders who may not have hundreds of dollars to spend on clothes. We want this sport to be accessible to everyone! Being able to do this while working towards a more sustainable shopping experience is a mission that all our employees are excited about!” “Any fun facts/ BTS that you’d like to share?” The Tried Equestrian is a woman-owned and women-run business! All of the employees are fellow horse girls!

-The owner left her day job after spending a day selling equestrian items for a fundraiser for the Compton Jr. Posse. She knew she had found her passion in giving equestrian gear new life!

-We donate many items we can't sell to other charities, rescues, and riding schools to be used. Just because we can't sell them doesn't mean their life is over!”

BOTORI

PJ, designer/creator & founder of BOTORI shares with me when asked “what are some ways that you reduce your carbon footprint?” "there are three areas where we look to reduce our carbon footprint: packaging, production, and products.” “Methods you have in place to recycle, reduce and reuse?” “From the start, minimal packaging has been the goal with BOTORI. Pants and tops are not packed in individual plastic or tissue, and online ordered items do not even include hang tags (unless necessary for special care instructions). The majority of shipments go out in EcoEnclose recycled (and re-usable!) mailers with a simple paper thank you card that is easy to recycle. This means no garbage to deal with - just beautiful clothing to enjoy. Even at the production facility packaging is minimal. All products are bulk packaged by size and color in large bags, and then into reusable storage containers instead of cardboard boxes. Since the cutting and sewing is done locally, there is a huge savings in the carbon footprint of transportation. I am able to personally pick up orders, and deliver the bins back for refilling on the next order. Even the bulk bags are reused in the BOTORI office as trash bags once a size has sold out.” “I know and love that you have some up cycled and pieces made from plastic bottles, can you share a little bit about those?” "Innovative products and fabrics are an area where I feel BOTORI can make the most gain in sustainability over the next few years. Buying small quantities of fabric yardage per style/color, it can be a challenge to source materials that are as ecological as I would like. But with growth comes the buying power to make more and more impact in this area and explore better fabric alternatives. Currently BOTORI offers the Eva riding tights made with recycled polyester. Based on positive feedback, the plan is to expand this offering to new colors. Our stainless steel tumbler is a great alternative to taking plastic bottles to the barn, and we are proud to carry Veltri products in our store that are produced with 100% recycled fabrics. Recently BOTORI was able to successfully upcycle an unsellable order of pants into a totally unique crew sweatshirt. With some creative thinking and sewing, this design diverted 50 pairs of pants from the landfill. Lovingly named the “Off the Track Crew - OTTC”, it celebrates the spirit of retraining OTTBs to a new equestrian discipline. Products with a fit, feel, and quality that is long lasting and durable, combined with ethical production and minimal packaging, is how BOTORI is making a small difference in the equestrian fashion space.”

HUNTSMEN AND HOUNDS

Huntsmen and Hounds is that brand that i’ve always really admired from her up cycled bags and small batch pieces and her down to earth personality that shines through in her posts, the aesthetic of her IG page and even her interview style questions. Michele shared with me when asked “where do you get your pieces to make your unique products and how much (percentage wise) would you say you’re able to salvage?” “I hunt and gather my materials from various resources. Its takes time to find, sort, clean and prep each piece that is going to be used. I do my best to save and use at least 90% of the parts and hardware from the horse tack. I have many new surprises in the works that will use up the scraps I have. Unfortunately some of the pieces I receive are so damaged and have not been well cared for and are of no use. Do keep in mind that leather is a natural byproduct and composes better than plastic which can take up to 500 years to decompose.” “any fun facts or anything else you'd like to share” “I have so much more to say about sustainability. I worked for Patagonia for 20 years and sustainability has always been a huge part of my life. The love that I have for the planet and animals goes very deep for me. My goal with Huntsmen & Hounds is to eventually provide educational information that can help us all be better caretakers of our planet and do our part in our homes and businesses so that we can help slow down the damage that has already been created.” “One of the many reasons I have made bags is that we have become such consumers of plastic bags which are so destructive. Plastic itself is so destructive and it is everywhere. I use my bags for everyday use from the store, farmers market and the barn.”

While there are many other equestrian brands that are committed to sustainability, these are a few of my top favorites. I’m beyond honored to have gotten the opportunity to connect with each of these business women on a topic that we are all passionate about and that may not be widely discussed within the industry.

Life is full of balance and duality and while our everyday choices may seem small, as a cOMmunity, we really can make big changes. It’s important that we commit to the change we want to see even if it’s just the change of a daily habit. Consider supporting fellow equestrians and brands in the quest to raise awareness within our industry to advocate for the environment our favorite beasts live in, not only for them, but for us, and the future horse obsessed.

Happy Earth Day today and everyday, Equestrians.

Be well,

Natasha