11 June 2010 | International Team News | Be sure to bookmark DiscoverWEG!
Are you one of those been-there-done-that horse owners who knows the Dover Saddlery and Smart-Pak catalogs by heart? Do you prowl the aisles at Equine Affaire with a pounding heartbeat, as you search for some unique or innovative product you haven’t seen before–one you know that no one else has? Do you go out of your way to find tack for your horse that makes him stand out from the crowd?
Congratulations, you’re a hunter, not a gatherer in the world of equestrian shopping. And the shopping opportunities in Lexington during the World Equestrian Games will be your bonanza. You’ll be among your tribe, in a world bazaar of equestrian treasures.
International equestrian events yield wonderful prize possessions, even if you’re not out to purchase anything. People trade things–jackets, sweatshirts, caps and pins–and that can be more fun sometimes than buying, although the luscious tack and clothing and jewelry is sure to make us all swoon.
As I look around my office I see a prize necktie from the Clydesdale Horse Society and a sweatshirt from a German dressage training center I couldn’t pronounce then and still can’t. My Australian kangaroo leather farrier tool bag, made by a saddler, would make any luggage collector swoon. Some of my favorite collector’s items have been traded around the world, and I’ve always thought I came out on the better end. So pack your bags full of tradeworthy treasures!
Team Ireland is already getting in the swing of things. Working with sponsor Horseware Ireland whose four-year 500,000 Euro grant will come in handy, the Irish are dressing themselves and their horses–and maybe even you and your horse!–in their national colors. No one else back home will have an Irish flag sheet for his or her horse, or Irish national team socks under their boots. As with everything Irish, it’s all good fun, and you can bet that other countries will be bringing similar lines of products and clothing to make themselves visible and to sell and share.
I have to have some of those socks…I think one would look pretty impressive hanging from the mantle on Christmas Eve!
