Helmet cam: experience a 3*-World Cup Cross-country ride!!!!

Wow!!! Now, we can all experience a 3*-World Cup Cross-country ride thanks to Peter Atkins, who was wearing a helmet-cam at Red Hills Horse Trials, riding HenryJota Hampton (HJ Hampton). Love the horse's ears!

Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton - Red Hills Horse Trials


Here are the videos we took of this team last summer (from a normal angle = sans helmet-cam):

Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton - Showjumping at 2009 Bromont

Peter Atkins and HJ Hampton - Cross-country at 2009 Wits End

Sponsorship 101 - tips for the upcoming rider

There are a lot of questions about sponsorship that pop up regularly on bulletin boards. From the other side of the sponsorship request, here are my "Sponsorship 101" tips:

• I would recommend targeting companies you are familiar with and already use and like their products or services.
• Before contacting anyone, do a bit of research on the company. Find out who they already sponsor, in what area… if they already have a ton of riders in your geographical area, your chances are lower than if you can help promote the company in a new market.
• With that information, think of how you are a good fit and some good reasons why they should sponsor you.
• Find out who the person in charge of sponsorships is + their personal contact info.
• Send him/her an email outlining who you are, a list of accomplishments and how you can help the company.
• Starting the email with a bit of flattery never does any harm: “I use your products/services and they are fantastic”
• Always focus on what you can bring to the table, instead of a “riding is expensive, please help” approach.
• Always keep a positive mindset, you’ll definitely get more “NOs” than “YES’s”. But failure is just practice for success.
• If you get a NO, reply with a “Thank you for your time” email. Doesn’t cost anything and will make you stand out. Who knows, the company might say YES in the future.
• And after you get a sponsorship, following up + keeping in touch is a big plus.

Answering specific questions:

Should I email? Yes.
Write a letter? I don’t personally like letters, much rather do email but could be different for other people.
Email then Call? Sure.
Email my proposal to several people in the company? NO. That’s annoying.
Try different reps? Not a big fan of that idea. Get the right contact from the get go.

Can you be an amateur and gets sponsors? Maybe if it’s a young riders’ team or something like that.

I get tons of requests weekly and unfortunately, have to say no more often than yes so don’t get depressed if you don’t succeed right away.

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Edison
__________________
Patricia Da Silva
VP Marketing - ECOGOLD, High-performance Saddle pads and Horse boots
www.ecogold.ca

A tour of Boyd Martin's winter training facility in Aiken, SC

It was great to see US event rider Boyd Martin on our trip to Aiken, SC. Boyd has been riding in ECOGOLD saddle pads and horse boots for the past year and has since skyrocketed to #3 on the USEA leaderboard and #34 worldwide - FEI ranking. Coincidence? Hmmm…we’ll take all the credit anyway.
Boyd runs Windurra USA LLC, a succesful training and sales business based in West Grove, PA but spends the winter months in Aiken, SC. Here's a tour of his fantastic facility in the Bridle Creek Equestrian Development.

The barn:The paddocks: Boyd riding Neville Bardos, winner of 2009 Fair Hill International CCI*** Horses can enjoy a fantastic view* Barn seen from the side Nice detail on barn doors Inside the barn
Neville Bardos, after his training session Boyd's secret weapon: Ecogold saddle pads! Finn
Remington XXV Remi says: "Thanks for visiting!"

Click here to see Boyd's profile in our Hall of Champions - with videos!

Wellington Dressage Classic - Here comes Ayscha!

Our time at the Wellington Dressage Classic in Florida was anything but boring. A big storm destroyed our tent during the competitors' party. No worries...Grand Prix rider Shannon Dueck and Maryann Shingler came to the rescue and all our inventory was saved! The wonderful show organizers lent us another tent and we were in business the next morning.

On the dressage side of things, We had the chance to witness multiple wins by riders in Ecogold saddle pads...and a very special performance by Shannon Dueck and her fabulous new mare Ayscha, in their first Grand Prix Freestyle, to the crowd’s delight (see video!). Shannon was riding with a broken hand, which is even more incredible. This team will be one to watch!

Canada’s top rider Ashley Holzer and Pop Art won both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special. The pair, unbeaten in the Wellington Dressage series this year, will take a break from competition until the spring.
Also, two great wins from talented upcoming riders Krystalann Shingler riding Tividor (Intermediaire I) and Jaimie Holland with Fleurina (FEI Young Rider Class and Freestyle). Enjoy the videos!

Shannon Dueck and Ayscha - Grand Prix Freestyle


Ashley Holzer and Pop Art win Grand Prix Special


Ashley Holzer and Pop Art win Grand Prix


Jacqueline Brooks and Balmoral - Grand Prix Freestyle


Krystalann Shingler and Tividor - Intermediaire I


Jaimie Holland and Fleurina - FEI Young Rider Freestyle

Hawley Bennett carries Olympic Torch for Vancouver 2010

On Monday February 7, ECOGOLD sponsored event rider Hawley Bennett realized a dream by carrying the Olympic Torch for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

It was an emotional night for Hawley, an Olympian herself, having represented Canada at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, with long-time partner Livingstone: “Carrying the Olympic Torch is something I have dreamed of doing since 1988 when I saw Rick Hanson carry the torch down Hwy 1 for the Calgary winter Olympics. Thank you to all of my friends and family for the support over the years!! This just shows that dreams... do come true!!!”

Help your horse stay cooler during work - ECOGOLD's John Da Silva on Horse Radio Network

ECOGOLD founder and textile engineer John Da Silva, was featured today on the Horse Radio Network. As an expert on the Horse Tip Daily radio show, he explained how you can control and reduce the temperature of your horse.


Click on the following link to listen to the podcast: ECOGOLD's Horse Tip Daily

Or read John's comments below:

"As with human athletes when horses exercise, their muscles develop heat. Like a car’s engine, after the initial warm-up, the heat generated needs to be dissipated for the car to run well. The natural way in which the body controls overheating is by producing sweat. When the sweat evaporates, it cools the muscles down, reducing the temperature to the appropriate level.

So it’s very important, not to interfere with the horse's natural cooling process by using saddle pads or horse boots made with materials that allow the maximum evaporation.

Basically, you have to check 3 things.

#1. BREATHABILITY
Here’s an easy test that we always use to find if a product is breathable.

Put it against your mouth and blow. If the air flows easily through the material and you can feel it on the other side on your hand, it’s really breathable. If you can’t, it’s not breathable at all (as is the case of most waterproof materials such as neoprene), or it might be a “little” breathable under pressure or special conditions different from the natural way horse’s sweat evaporates.

#2. INSULATION
Does the saddle pad or horse boots trap in heat? You should use materials that are not temperature insulators because you want to dissipate the heat as quickly as possible.

As a general rule, if it keeps you warm in winter, don't use it on your horse when competing in hot weather.

As a matter of fact, one of the aspects of the equestrian sport that initially most called my attention, was the use of wool and sheepskin on saddle pads and horse boots. You just have to look at human athletes… no one runs a marathon dressed in a sheepskin suit!
ECOGOLD

#3. EVAPORATION CAPACITY

You have also to consider: how quickly does the sweat evaporate?

Water in a plate evaporates much faster than in a glass. Why? Because the evaporation capacity is proportional to the size of the surface. So you should always look at the shape of the fabric. A material with a waffle or honeycomb surface will cool your horse much faster than a flat one. The hills and valleys in the fabric increase the evaporation surface.

So these are the 3 factors to look for to keep your horse (as any other athlete!) cool and comfortable , and help him achieve the maximum performance."

Kathy Henderson Lalonde wins Horse Boots!

Kathy Henderson Lalonde is the big winner of our Equestrian Trivia Contest on Facebook. She wowed everybody answering 5 questions correctly with incredible speed.

How did she manage to outmart the competition? “I work very long hours at my completely computer-based job, so I was able to baby-sit my home computer to stay on top of this contest.” says Kathy “I found it a lot of fun.” “Thank you so much for having this contest, it meant a great deal to me. I wanted so badly to win the boots to give them to my daughter Allison. She is very dedicated to the sport of Dressage and works so hard at all times to learn and improve. I attached a photo of her and her horse in the FEI Children's class this summer in Blainville in her ECOGOLD saddle pad.”

We hope that Allison and Dalton will enjoy their new set of Dressage Horse Boots. Congratulations!