Boyd Martin wins Fair Hill, Karen 2nd, Phillip 4th!

The sun shined for Boyd Martin with a win on Neville Bardos and a 6th place on Remington XXV at the Fair Hill International CCI3*. Riders in ECOGOLD saddle pads did an amazing job, with 5 in the top 7!! Here are some videos...

Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos - 1st place

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba - 2nd place

Phillip Dutton and Kheops du Quesnay - 4th place

Boyd Martin and Remington XXV - 6th place

Sharon White and Rafferty's Rules - 7th place

Fair Hill 2009 - freezing, wet and muddy!

We've been at Fair Hill International CCI since Thursday and the weather has not been cooperating. Everyone is shivering and covered in mud head to toe. Several riders decided to call it a day before the cross-country and not risk an injury. Thankfully, the ones that braved the difficult conditions all made it safely (there were a few falls but nothing serious). ECOGOLD sponsored riders shined! Boyd Martin finished in 1st place and Karen O'Connor and Phillip Dutton tied for second. Here are some videos from today's cross-country and a couple of dressage videos. Enjoy!
Boyd Martin and Remington:

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba:

Phillip Dutton and Kheops du Quesnay:

Kelly List and Mistral - CCI3*:

Boyd Martin and Neville Bardos - CCI3* Dressage:

Karen O'Connor and Allstar - CCI2* Dressage:

Burghley: Phillip 4th, Oliver Townend wins!

Videos from Burghley Horse Trials' spectacular showjumping finale where British favorite Oliver Townend signed, sealed & delivered his victory. Ecogold-sponsored rider Phillip Dutton finished in 4th place with TruLuck. Buck finished in 11th (came up from 16th) and will undergo surgery for his hernia in the US on Wednesday...

Burghley Day 1: Phillip in the lead!!

So I have finally arrived at Burghley (see how pretty it is on picture above) and on the first day, Phillip Dutton gets 1st place and Karen O'Connor 6th (out of a field of 49 riders). What a great start!! The show is really well organized with a giant screen outside the arena with live scoring so you never miss any of the action. The shopping is incredible with more stores than I have ever seen at an outdoor horse show - there's everything from pillows to traditional woven baskets. The weather has been typical English/Canadian weather that changes every 5 minutes.
On a personal note, my new UK cell phone spent the day browsing the web, wasting all the $40 of minutes I had just bought...
ok, enjoy today's videos!! - Patricia

Dutton Eventing Academy - 2009

Last week, we were invited to Phillip Dutton's Eventing Academy. Students live a very unique experience of 5 extensive-days of training, presentations & social events with two-time Olympic Gold Medallist Phillip Dutton & his team at True Prospect Farm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the students and it was wonderful to be part of it. Here are a few videos we made the day we spent there - Enjoy!

Cross-country training: Facing a challenge at the water jump.

Here's our presentation: How saddle pads affect safety & performance.

How to fit a saddle to different horses without a custom saddle.

Here is Emma Ford, Phillip Dutton's groom, sharing her grooming secrets with the students.
How to avoid boot rubs:
Her Sunday morning show routine:


Voila! If you want to know more about the camp, here's a link to a blog from one of the participants: Cherie & Katchi get Duttonized

Bromont CCI- Showjumping videos

Here are some videos of the showjumping phase at Bromont from riders using ECOGOLD saddle pads. Enjoy!

Bromont CCI*** - Cross-country

Here are a few videos of riders in ECOGOLD saddle pads competing in the CCI***. Enjoy!

Bromont CCI** - Phillip Dutton & Dario

Here is a video of Phillip Dutton & Dario competing in the CCI** at Bromont.

Jane Savoie Clinic - Ottawa, ON

It was wonderful to finally meet World-renowned Olympic coach, author and speaker Jane Savoie, who has been riding in ECOGOLD's Stabilizer Dressage saddle pads for a few years. She gave a clinic last weekend at Northern Equestrian Centre in Ottawa, sponsored by ECOGOLD.

The clinic was phenomenal! Positive training with a positive attitude. Two thumbs up for Jane, a wonderful teacher who simplifies the complicated and puts riders & horses at ease. (kudos to Aliy Brebner & Trish Roberts, organizers-in-chief).

All riders at the clinic rode in ECOGOLD's WitherCare saddle pads.

Here are some photos of the event:

Part 3/3 Boyd Martin wins Jersey Fresh CIC***!

Here are the last three videos from ECOGOLD-sponsored riders at the Jersey Fresh CIC***, in their riding order. Molly Rosin & Havarah's Charly, Phillip Dutton & Tru Luck and the big winner Boyd Martin & Belmont!

Here's Molly & Charly, who finished 7th in their first CIC***, riding in ECOGOLD's WitherCare saddle pad.


Phillip & Tru Luck


And the winner: Boyd Martin & Belmont!

Part 1/3 - News & videos from Jersey Fresh

Jersey Fresh was a show of ups and downs and mixed emotions. Sadly, Phillip Dutton had a fall on the cross-country course with Bailey Wick, in which the horse was fatally injured. On the other hand, we saw great successes from Boyd Martin who won the Jersey Fresh CIC*** with Belmont and Molly Rosin, finishing 7th in her first CIC*** with Havarah's Charly.
Here are a couple of videos from Boyd's cross-country CCI** and CCI*** rides.



On this new video, Boyd is testing the final prototype of an upcoming XC saddle pad. It will be in the market in the next few weeks.

Video Steffen Peters' Clinic - Grand Prix horse

Here are the four last videos of the OADG clinic by World Dressage Champion Steffen Peters featuring Canadian Young Rider Annie Desranleau & her Grand Prix horse Maguin. ECOGOLD sponsored the clinic and all the riders had WitherCare Dressage saddle pads, specially made for the event.

Annie rides on the first video and then Steffen gets on Maguin & works his magic. Enjoy!

Video Steffen Peters' clinic - Andrea Bresee

Here are three more videos of this weekend's OADG clinic by World Dressage Champion Steffen Peters featuring 2007 Pan Am Dressage Team Silver Medalist Andrea Bresee & Discansano. ECOGOLD sponsored the clinic and all the riders had WitherCare Dressage saddle pads, specially made for the event.

OADG's Steffen Peters Clinic

It was a real pleasure to sponsor OADG's Steffen Peters clinic at the RCMP Arena in Ottawa this weekend . We were thrilled to be there, as were all the auditors & riders. It was a great opportunity for them to get one-on-one instruction from the current World Champion. We were surprised to see him get on almost all the horses. As he explained, it was easier for him to understand the horse from the saddle than from the ground. It was a real treat to see him in action and reveal his training secrets.

The riders received new WitherCare Dressage saddle pads and another one was presented to Steffen by John Da Silva, ECOGOLD's president, as a "welcome to Canada gift".

We will be posting some video of the clinic later this week.

IMPACT: Protect your horse's back!

Watch our latest video! We take a comprehensive look at the issue, exploring the causes and ways to prevent impact.


Some riders think that piling up layers or using thick saddle pads will protect their horses back from impact. Wrong!
When our clients come to us with issues, as textile engineers, we start by trying to find the root cause of the problem. Then, we find solutions that address the cause instead of “patching it up”. The marketplace is filled with all kinds of bad ideas so you will save yourself some money by taking ECOGOLD’s “prevent and reduce” approach!

Phillip Dutton at Rolex in ECOGOLD pads!

Here's a video of Phillip Dutton & Connaught riding in ECOGOLD's WitherCare Saddle pad. Warning: this is a professional, don't try this at home. :)

Exciting Cross-country!

Last weekend, we travelled to the Fair Hill Horse Trials in Maryland and watched cross-country live for the first time. We had the privilege of seeing in action Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin and Valerie Vizcarrondo, all riding in ECOGOLD saddle pads.
Phillip was kind enough to test some prototypes for a new XC saddle pad during the show. The new pad will be launched later this year.

Enjoy Phillip's and Boyd's Cross-country rides in the Open Preliminary Division. Filming cross-country was a sport in itself...a lot of "where's Waldo" was involved.

here's Phillip:


and here's Boyd:

WitherCare Dressage pad

Here's a video showing our lastest saddle pad. The WitherCare™ pad is very useful for riders that ride more than one horse with the same saddle. A custom-made saddle is not always an option and the WitherCare™ helps balance and fit the saddle to any horse.