Five Star Tack

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-09T09:12:00.001-05:00

I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions but you wouldn't think that with all the changes that will be happening here at Five Star Tack! 2010 was all about new experiences, and basically still at stage zero there was only one way to go - up! 2011 was both a year of incredible growth but also the frustration that can sometimes go along with it. Here are the highlights:

In 2011 more tack stores decided to carry Five Star Tack. It is gratifying to have stores that share my belief that selling the same looking strap goods as every other store does not make for sales. But, there are many more that still insist on selling the same look alike brands. That's okay. I'd rather have a few good customers than risk depleting both human and financial resources in the quest to be bigger. It's okay to be a dinghy boat in an ocean of cruise ships as long as you are going with the current. I am most appreciative of the tack stores that have chosen to carry Five Star and I hope you will check out our store locator and shop the tack store nearest you.

Our direct business, rallied for a strong finish at year's end. The economy impacted sales the first half of the year. Sales from events we sold at were way down from the prior year, until Fair Hill. I am thankful to the number of people who came up to say how much they loved both their Five Star bridle and what the company is about and it renewed my energy for the business. Needless to say, Fair Hill was huge and the rest of the year as well! There is still a long way to go and as anyone who has developed a new product or retail store knows, it takes many cash infusions in order to get to the point where the cash coming in is greater than the cash going out.

What is Five Star Tack doing for its customers? First, you will notice a big change with the website as we move to a new shopping cart/hosting platform and payment processor that will greatly allow for customization and an easier ordering process. We will be better able to showcase not only Five Star's products but also our sponsored riders and our customers! Many customers have sent in photos of their horse in its Five Star bridle and it will be great to feature them. If you haven't sent in your photos there is still time as it is looking like February for this feature to make its debut. You will also be able to shop Five Star Tack directly from our facebook page as well as shop from your smart phone.

Product wise, there are new products in the design process! There is a new crownpiece design that I think will provide the best combination of great comfort and fit. There is a figure eight bridle that, if it works out, will be unlike anything available here in the US. If it goes into production there will be a matching dressage bridle. The popular Signature Breastplate is being updated and will now have a "grab strap". You asked for it and we listened! We are also updating the elastic design so that the width can accommodate the five point breastplate and we are also updating the Ascot figure eight bridle. In addition there will be more girth offerings including the popular anatomic style, but with Five Star's distinctive design.

One thing that I did not give enough attention to that I am going to put more effort into is the Bridles with Benefits program. We were able to make a small donation to three thoroughbred charities along with bridles donated by customers and a few new Five Star bridles. This program can be so much more but I have to do a better job at promoting it.

Oh, and look for Five Star Tack at Rolex this year! There are many logistics to be worked out but I am very excited to be going.

As always if you have any suggestions for what we could be doing better please email me at sales@fivestartack.com!

Best regards,

Jamie

The BEST way to care for your Five Star Bridle

2011-12-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

I often get asked by customers what the proper way is to take care of their new bridle and with the many sales Five Star had this holiday season I thought it would be a good idea to go over how best to take care of your Five Star tack. This is important because failure to follow these simple instructions will have a negative effect on the leather and most likely shorten its life, so read carefully!

It is a very common practice in the US to oil or dip tack before use and most often too much oil is used to do this. Unfortunately this is not good for Sedgwick leather. This is the leather Five Star uses for it's Five Star Bridles. High end companies such as Hadfields, Beval, and D'yon use Sedgwick leather as well for their bridlework and if you look up their care instructions they also advise against oiling.

"How come I can't oil my bridle when that's what I've always done?" Sedgwick leather is carefully tanned to preserve the natural oil in the hide. They start out using a better quality hide than most companies which makes for a strong, tight grain with a good moisture content. The leather is further tanned using fats and greases which results in a product that is ready to use from the start. The leather is also "dyed through" meaning the hide is colored all the way through. Some companies put a color finish on their bridle leather and if you've ever had color bleed this is why. With the wide selection of colored hides Sedgwick has there is no need to darken the leather. With use the leather will darken but you can't take a light colored Sedgwick bridle and oil it to get it to a dark havana color. There are those that think you can strip the color off the leather so that it can then be oiled and darkened. You can't do this with dyed through leather and will once again ruin the leather if you attempt this. Other companies, such as Edgewood, use a leather that has to be oiled to darken but they use a different leather. You can still over oil an Edgewood bridle and if you read any threads about Edgewood you'll see many comments about the leather stretching. Which brings me to my next point.

"What will happen if I over oil my bridle?" Well, its not good. Since the leather already has a high moisture count, adding more moisture through oiling creates too much moisture causing the leather to stretch and weaken due to the leather fibres being damaged. You cannot repair the damage once done. The leather will have a greasy feel as there will be a layer that sits on top, and it doesn't go away. I did an experiment a few years ago with some pieces where I dipped the leather in neats foot oil and let it sit for a few minutes. That little time in oil ruined the leather. It still has a greasy feel. When I hear of people putting their bridle pieces in plastic bags filled with oil I shudder.

Too much oil will also cause the leather to split wherever there is a raised portion. In order to insert the leather piece that creates the raised portion the leather has to be "skivved" a/k/a split in order to insert the piece. Better bridle companies only split the portion where the raised portion goes. After the leather piece is inserted the leather is glued down, stitched, rubbed and sealed. Better companies do this by hand. When you oil Sedgwick leather too much the oil can eat away the sealant and cause the leather to split and can also cause the glue to "leak". It is a common misconception that when this happens it's due to poor quality leather or workmanship when in fact it is the improper care of the tack by the owner that caused the leather to fail.

Why do we oil our bridles? In the case of Edgewood, the color that they come in has to be darkened and the leather they use takes oil nicely. In the case of better english leather there is simply no need to oil the tack before use. I have had many conversations with Sedgwick and they don't understand why we Americans are so fond of oil! I think much of the perceived need for oil is to break the leather in before use when actually the best way to soften the leather is to just go out and use it. Sedgwick leather requires very little time to "break in". Their leather stretches less than other leather types due to it's tight grain. It has a stouter feel than other bridle leather before use but quickly softens up on it's own. It will have a feel unlike any other bridle which is a big reason why people love their Five Star Bridles. The soft leather used on other bridles may feel great out of the box but it will stretch more over time.

So if you've read this far, here are the instructions for maintaining your Five Star bridle:

1. After your ride simply wipe the tack with a damp cloth then go over it with glycerine or a mild conditioner being careful not to use too much water.
2. Stay away from any dark colored or heavy conditioners as they may darken the white stitching.
3. If the stitching gets dirty you can use castile soap to whiten it.
4. If the leather gets dry due to heat or sweat lightly oil the flesh side of the leather with a brush. It's better to do light coats than one heavy coat. If you need more than one coat, let the first one dry completely.
5. Keep your bridle in a climate controlled environment, away from direct heat.
6. If you live in a humid climate and don't have an air conditioned tack room it's best to keep your tack at home especially if it's not in use so that the tack doesn't get moldy.

The best advice I can give you is to go enjoy your Five Star Bridle! Keep it simple and you will be enjoying it for years.

For more information on caring for Sedgwick leather tack you can visit J&E Sedgwick. There is a wealth of information on their products as well as a video showing how the leather is prepared.

Thanks for reading and thanks for being a customer!

Calling all models!

2011-11-02T11:30:00.002-04:00

In my opinion, Five Star Tack has some of the most handsome models gracing the pages of Five Star Tack's website. The gorgeous Cavaldi has drawn more ooh's and aah's than I can count. His glistening coat, braided mane and of course his Five Star bridle have made him very popular apart from his status as a top eventing horse.

But, beyond the bright lights and fame of being a super model, there are many lesser known but equally as beautiful horses that wear Five Star bridles. Five Star Tack is looking for some of these "undiscovered" horses to grace the pages of fivestartack.com! Some of our facebook fans have posted photos onto Five Star Tack's fan page but there are many more out there.

If you would like your horse to be featured on Five Star's website I ask for the following:

A high-res photo of your horse in his/her Five Star bridle and/or breastplate. For obvious reasons I am not posting pictures of horses in bridles other than Five Star nor can I loan out bridles for photo shoots. In other words, your horse is currently using one of our bridles and/or breastplates.
Close ups are better. You must have the rights to use the photo as we don't want to break any copyright laws. The photo can either be a head shot, one of your horse jumping, doing dressage, trail riding, whatever.
Since your picture will be viewed by thousands of people, a shiny horse and clean tack is a must. I don't think this will be an issue since I'm sure our customers take excellent care of their horses and tack! Note: your horse does not have to be braided. I'm just fortunate to have someone to do it for me.
You have the option of providing your full name, an abbreviation or not listing your name but please provide the name of your horse along with what his "specialty" is i.e. Jumper, novice level eventer, OTTB warhorse, upper level dressage horse, best trail horse ever, family member, etc. The choice is yours and you can be creative with your description.
Lastly, why your horse is a "Five Star horse" which is basically a way of saying why you like Five Star Tack.

Depending on the quality of photo and whether it's of a bridle that is in our current product line, your photo will either be placed on one of the product pages or on a Gallery page that will be added onto the website. Don't worry if your horse has a bridle from a past collection. It makes them no less important!

To submit your photo please email it to sales@fivestartack.com . If you are a facebook fan please post your photo there as well. If you have any questions feel free to send an email or post on facebook.

While this is not a contest, it is running until the end of this month. You will be notified where your model will be featured. Product photos will be placed on the website in December with the Gallery page debuting in January.

I look forward to adding many beautiful horses to the Five Star Tack stable of models!

Five Star Tack's Newest Five Star Rider!

2011-06-29T12:09:00.000-04:00

Five Star Tack is pleased to announce sponsorship of Canadian three day eventing star Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch. Stephanie is a very talented and hard working young rider with a remarkable competition record.

She rides her sport horse gelding Port Authority who she purchased as a five year old back in 2005 from a show jumping barn as a prospect for the Young Riders Championships. She is a former working student of fellow Five Star rider Rebecca Howard. Rebecca coached Stephanie to the bronze medal at the Young Riders Championships in 2008. She then went to train with David O'Connor, head coach of the Canadian Eventing Team and continues to receive guidance from him today.

Stephanie and Port Authority - Show jumping Rolex CCI****

Photo courtesy Lisa Barry

Port Authority "Ollie", has that rare quality of being strong in all three phases in eventing. For a young rider, bringing along her own horse, they have beaten much more seasoned riders. She and Ollie competed at the Rolex Kentucky**** in 2010 and finished in fifth place! They finished on their dressage score of 52. Not only that, she was the youngest rider at Rolex and she also received the prestigious Best Conditioned Award. She was the highest placed Canadian and for being the highest placed rookie she received a HSBC training grant. Pretty amazing!

Stephanie and Port Authority - Cross Country World Equestrian Games

Photo courtesy David Caruso

If that wasn't enough, Stephanie and Ollie were members of the Canadian Eventing squad at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. They were the highest placed Canadian rider after dressage with a 44.2 putting them in 17th place. With a clear cross country round and one rail down in show jumping the pair moved up to finish in 9th place individually and helped Canada to a team Silver medal!

This year she made the trip to England to compete at the Badminton Horse Trials and while she and Ollie did not have the results they had hoped for, it was a very educational experience for them. After some down time, Stephanie and Ollie will be competing again this summer with a goal of riding at the Fall Eventing Championships at Fair Hill International. This partnership is a top contender for the Canadian Team for next year's London Olympics!

Stephanie also has a few young horses she is bringing up the eventing ranks. Her horses will be wearing Five Star Tack's Waverly dressage bridles, Ainsley and Star bridles and Five Point Breastplates.

Show jumping at The World Equestrian Games

It's Time For Bromont and Announcing a New Five Star Rider!

2011-06-10T12:51:00.000-04:00

Montreal, Quebec is the site of the Bromont CCI being held this week. It was the location for the equestrian events from the 1976 Montreal Olympics where US rider Tad Coffin won the individual and team eventing gold medal on Bally Cor. It was also where parts of the movie International Velvet were filmed in 1978 and if you were a horse crazy kid back then like I was you were a fan of Tad Coffin and hung on every stride of International Velvet!

With so much history it's no wonder so many eventing riders dream of competing there. Five Star rider Doug Payne is competing on his Pan Am Games hopeful, Camerlingo and they are currently in second place in the one star, a mere four points off the lead. Doug uses Five Star bridles on all of his horses and when I say he uses them, he really uses them!

Speaking of Canada and eventing, we have a new Five Star sponsored rider to announce! Five Star Tack is pleased to announce that Canadian eventing rider Rebecca Howard is now a Five Star rider. Rebecca is a very accomplished and successful competitor. Riding Riddle Master she competed as an individual at last year's World Equestrian Games and finished tenth at this year's Rolex Kentucky 4 Star. She is riding Roquefort "Rocky" in the 2 Star at Bromont and is leading after dressage! She and Rocky have had a "rocky" couple of years. The pair suffered a fall at the beginning of 2010 and Rebecca was injured and out of the tack for awhile. They are making up for that down time with a wire to wire win in last month's Jersey Fresh 2 Star. She and Rocky are on the fast track to the Pan Am Games and we wish them the best of luck on their journey!

Rebecca is the head trainer at The Fork Fam in North Carolina, site of The Fork CIC and I can't think of a nicer place to train out of! She has a number of students who have gone on to have successful eventing careers of their own including Canadian rider Stephanie Rhodes - Bosch. She also has a number of horses she is bringing along. After her two star win at Jersey she was at the Virginia Horse Trials competing her novice level horses. Rebecca's long term goal is to represent Canada at the 2012 London Olympics. Competing at Bromont was a dream of Rebecca's when she was growing up in Canada as shown by this video courtesy of Samantha Clark of Eventing Nation.

This is Rebecca's winning dressage test from yesterday.

We wish Rebecca and Doug a successful weekend at Bromont!

3,000 fans and a bit of an intro.

2011-05-29T21:53:00.003-04:00

10% of all sales for the month of June will be donated to the

True Prospect Farm Fire Recovery Fund

To aid three day event rider Boyd Martin and his connections

after the loss of six horses in a barn fire.

Three thousand fans and counting! Okay so Smartpak has over 386,000 but hey it's better than none right? With so many new fans I thought it was a good time to introduce, or re-introduce as the case may be, Five Star Tack. We really aren't like anyone else and while comparisons will always be made it's important to know how we differ from many of our competitors.

To start, we are not the Walmart of tack stores carrying every brand at "low, low prices". Five Star Tack is more like that little boutique on a quiet street that has a small but great selection. Not too well known but well known by those in the know. Our products are not purchased from a distributor. They are designed right here in the US by yours truly. We don't order hundreds of each bridle nor do we make endless variations of the same type bridle. It's more like 30 to 50 of each bridle style and we make only a few styles on purpose so that as customer requests come in we can add or adjust the line as needed. When you call or email with a question you are talking to the actual designer of the product you are interested in. Can you name even one company where you get that kind of service and product knowledge?

Unlike most tack stores that carry the same strap good styles year in and year out (in other words boring), we follow apparel retailing and change styles yearly. What you see on our website fivestartack.com may be here today but it may be carried in a new version in six months so if you like something now, it's best not to wait!

So really, what makes Five Star Tack different? Well, when you think of those little tiny companies where the owner is working out of their garage trying to fill orders, that's pretty close. We are a great example of when one door opens making another one open and of not being afraid to fail. Five Star Tack was going to originally be a place where you could buy the best brands of bridles and strap goods hence the name Five Star but not having an ongoing business as a tack store no one would let me open an account and this was pre-recession! So with encouragement from my partner I decided if I couldn't join them then I would do my own thing. Ah, that can-do American spirit! Little did I know what I was getting into.

Anyone who thinks that manufacturing and retailing is easy knows nothing about manufacturing and retailing. What goes into our price? For one thing our bridles are not mass produced. The english Sedgwick leather used for our strapgoods takes fourteen weeks to produce from start to finish. That is before it reaches the bridle maker. Then when it reaches our bridle maker, it takes six to eight weeks to make just a small order of 300 pieces as the majority of each product is made by hand. Then add two weeks for shipping and customs clearance and that's if there are no customs issues.

Correct bridle making is an art and there is no way to rush a top quality product to market. Our philosophy has always been to put quality before quantity and while it has meant that we don't have a continuous supply of products, nor a big product line, I strongly believe in only letting the best products reach the customer and I will never compromise on this point. If I had my choice of having thirty exceptional bridles and one hundred quickly produced bridles I will always choose the former. In the rare instance where there has been a defect of some sort we have rectified it without question since humans are not machines. There are plenty of companies that can quickly produce hundreds of bridles that look the same as every other brand out there. It may not make the best business sense to make a few at a time, and I've lost lots of sleep worrying about it, but it is the way we operate and I like to think in the end it will work out for the best!

To be able to create a line of top quality bridles and strap goods has always been the goal but at the same time it had to serve as a vehicle to do something bigger. My late father took great pride in giving a portion of his income to charity. That is where the bridles with benefits program came into play. As a cancer survivor (not a badge I want to wear) I have always felt the obligation to give back as I received tremendous amounts of support at an extremely difficult time. Anyone who has stared down their own mortality or had their life turned upside down knows what I am talking about. So to pay it forward I wanted part of the bridle sales to go towards something besides earnings for me. We have donated a percentage of profits from day one to various charities engaged in cancer research and also to help horses in need. This has been before any profit has been actually earned which for a small company I think is pretty good!

We have gone from being a tiny internet company to selling to high end tack stores. I wish it could be one of those fairy tales where one goes from tiny business to being "discovered" and becoming THE brand everyone wants to carry but as much as people want to try something new they want to stay in their comfort zone. To be able to live outside of one's comfort zone is one of the most liberating things a person can experience and I have cancer to thank for that. Unfortunately I don't find too many people who have had the same experience. For them it's about how they have done things in the past no matter whether it was the right way to do business. Five Star Tack is about customers who are not afraid to try something new, who don't want to look like everyone else, and who don't want to maintain the status quo. In today's retail environment maintaining the status quo is a business model that is going to fail and when I speak to tack stores who are afraid try something new because their strap goods aren't selling I scratch my head in disbelief. If you are only going to sell the same products as everyone else how do you expect to sell anything when you know that customers are going to buy from whoever has the lowest price?

So where does this rambling post end? It ends with you the customer for without you Five Star Tack will not survive. We do our best to help each customer purchase the best fitting, best quality bridle for their horse. As a long time horse owner and competitive rider I know the importance of having tack that not only performs but lasts. Good tack should have longevity. You shouldn't buy a bridle and be happy that it hasn't broken in a few years or worse yet have one that falls apart after a few years. Good bridles are good investments.

To tie things up, Five Star Tack is about beautiful, high performing bridles and strap goods that no one else designs and who gives back to the community through donating to cancer organizations and thoroughbred rehoming organizations. I hope you will stick with us and help us grow to be more than a tiny company and to thank you for reading this far I offer you forty percent off of your next purchase between May 30th and June 5th! Simply enter the code forty at checkout.

I truly appreciate each and every one of you for becoming a fan, a customer and sending pictures of your horse in their Five Star bridle and I hope you will continue to join us on our journey! I am truly fortunate to be given this opportunity and while I'm not sure where it will end up, since I don't have that proverbial crystal ball, I promise it won't be boring!

Musings on The Fork CIC

2011-04-16T22:40:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I had the good fortune to attend The Fork CIC 3 Star in North Carolina. It was a much anticipated trip and with my gal pals Wendy and Vicki we were off to the airport at 4:15 am!

We arrived bleary eyed (at least I was) but were greeted by warm sunny skies, much better than the cold rain back home in PA. It was a who's who of riders and it was fun to see so many up close, many wearing their barn's "team" jacket. It was an impressive turnout of riders, many using it as a final outing before Rolex. The Fork is an amazing farm and the turf used for the cross country was foot perfect, due to it being maintained all year for this event. To have the opportunity to gallop across the fields is a special one and I can see why riders look forward to competing there. Canadian Team rider Rebecca Howard is lucky to have this as her farm to work out of!

Unfortunately the cold and rainy weather in Pennsylvania found us as Saturday dawned cloudy, cold and damp. Not the weather we were expecting but good for the horses. We walked cross country on Friday in order to avoid the crowd of thousands that we heard were coming in for Saturday. That would be the crowd that never materialized. Maybe they were at the Azalea Festival along with the wine bar that was supposed to be on course? Disappointing, but the lack of spectators meant we were able to claim an unused tent right next to the water complex as our own "VIP" section. It was a real treat to be able to see so many quality horses and riders gallop through the water complex and the good ones made it look easy.

Five Star rider Doug Payne and Camerlingo. Doug has one of the best riding styles out there and dare I say George Morris would love his following hand!

Phillip Dutton on Isabella, a beautiful jumping mare.

Five Star rider Kristin Schmolze on Castle Jordan getting their season underway.

The really interesting part was watching chef d'equipe Capt. Mark Phillips, "The Captain" observing the riders as he was often parked right in front of us. We quickly found out who was on his list to watch. If you were an important rider than he would speed past us on his golf cart to watch as much of the ride as possible. For a somewhat important rider he would slowly drive from one side of the water complex to see the rider as they looped back past the water complex and well, let's just say if you weren't important you didn't get a passing glance.

"The Captain" between fly-bys. Is he catching a nap?

Sunday dawned gray again but we were in for another display of good riding. It was show jumping day for the two star and three star riders. It was a classic Sally Ike designed course with alot of turning and technical questions. You needed not just a horse with good jumping style but one who's stride was easily adjustable. You can tell many of the riders are getting coaching from show jumping riders. At the end of the day it was Jennie Brannigan and Cambalda who won the three star. Doug and Camerlingo won one of the Intermediate divisions which I believe was the horse's first outing at that level!

Doug and Camerlingo on their way to a win in the Intermediate division! Camerlingo is wearing Five Star Tack's Chelsea bridle and Five Point breastplate.

It is a shame though that more people don't come out to these big events as there is so much that can be learned from watching good riding. When you think of what it costs to audit a clinic with a big name rider the cost of admission to one of these events is nominal. There is always something more we can learn. Ask any one of these riders and they will tell you they are constantly working to improve their riding. Watching the skill of many of these riders and horses should inspire all of us to learn more and ride better no matter what level we ride at.

I love this shot of Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister. He has the most gorgeous tail!

We were sad to see our weekend end so quickly but as they say, "time flies when you're having fun!"

Let's just say what happens at The Fork stays at The Fork!

Next stop, Jersey Fresh!

Catching up with Five Star Riders

2011-03-01T11:36:00.001-05:00

As the snow and cold weather of this winter begin to lessen, the competition season is heating up! Those riders fortunate to head South for the winter are either in Aiken, Ocala or Wellington. Amanda Flint is in Ocala with her jumpers as well as her clients and both are having a very good circuit at HITS. Amanda always has a promising string of young horses in training and they have all had top placings in the young jumper classes so far. You will be sure to see some of these horses at the top of the year end Young Jumper and Jumper Futurity standings. Chinedine PPZ, Marquis, Ladonna, Super G and Super Bad have all successfully moved up to the next level of Young Jumper competition with two wins each for Marquis and Ladonna. In addition Texas Hold Em has had wins in both the meter forty and meter forty five prixe!

The two competitions in every advanced level event rider's mind this year are the PanAm Games and the 2012 Olympics. Doug Payne has two very promising horses that he is carefully aiming towards these two events. After winning virtually every Preliminary level event he contested last year, Crown Talisman has moved up to the Intermediate level and is making it look easy. The Pan Am Games are a two star level (Intermediate) competition and I think Doug and "Tali" will be top contenders for the US team! Doug's other star Running Order has just started his competition season after a successful trip to last year's Boekelo Three Star Event in Holland as part of the US squad. While maybe not as naturally gifted as Tali, "RO" is a game and gutsy horse and has been steadily improving his dressage. If you've ever watched the advanced level dressage test, you know it's not easy for an event horse! Doug is hoping to complete a Four Star event at the end of the season, with an eye on the London Olympics. As one of the busier riders on the eventing circuit, Doug always has several young horses he is bringing along and finishing in the top standings with. Doug is always mindful of how his horses are feeling and always puts their needs first even if it means not winning on that day. I hope the eventing "Gods" will bless Doug with good luck this year!

Meanwhile, Kristin Schmolze is waiting to hear back to see if her entry was accepted for the Badminton CCI Four Star! Kristin and Cavaldi were third at last year's Fair Hill International Three Star Championships. She and "Joey" have successfully contested Rolex Kentucky and Burghley and it has been a dream of hers to compete at Badminton. How cool is it to have that dream and have it become reality! While he can be fresh in the dressage, Joey excels on cross country and I always enjoy watching him go as you can see how much he loves going cross country. He is not a big horse but he makes those massive jumps look easy! I am keeping my fingers crossed for them to get to go to Badminton.

Kate Samuels, our youngest Five Star rider, had a very successful entry into the advanced level last year with Nyls du Terrior and she is just getting started with this season. They had a very good first outing last week at Pine Top at the Intermediate level. Kate and Nyls have climbed the levels together and she hopes to one day ride Nyls in the Rolex Kentucky CCI Four Star. She will spend this year getting more mileage at the Advanced level with Nyls. Kate was named to the "B" list of the Developing Riders program and will benefit from training with Team Coach Mark Phillips.

Five Star Tack has a new eventing rider that we will be sponsoring beginning this Spring. I'll have more about that soon.

That's it for now. I hope wherever you are the sun is shining and it's a good day to ride!

AETA Wrap Up

2011-02-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

While it's been a snowy winter, the weather cooperated just long enough for the AETA trade show. When you think of the money spent to have a booth along with the hours spent organizing everything for the trade show, the last thing you want is a blizzard! Fortunately Murphy's Law was not in effect for the weekend but sure enough, the second the show was over another storm barreled in.

After a not so great show back in August I was really looking forward to this time as I was in a prime location. Being put in "Western World" the last time was the kiss of death. Instead of potential customers I got people asking me to either stamp their Western Passport, or why I wound up there. To say I was demoralized was an understatement but, as they say nothing happens by chance and perhaps I just wasn't ready for prime time. Lucky for me, this time that was not the case and I have to thank the people at Hopper Expositions for remembering what happened and making things right.

It was great to be able to show the tack to so many people and to articulate the passion I have for what I do and for what the company stands for. To have people come up and tell you the good things they have heard about the tack and the charity work Five Star does makes me think I am on the right track. The best comment was from someone who I asked what new and exciting things they had seen and they said, "your bridles". Thank you!

While I sometimes felt like I was at a pony club inspection, I enjoyed being peppered with questions about the construction of the tack. The Wembley integrated crown hunter bridle was very popular along with the Ascot figure eight. The new halter was ordered and the new Symphony bridles sold as well. I was not going to bring the Signature elastic breastplate with me as that is one of the eventing pieces but I was glad I did as everyone who placed an order purchased a few of them. So all in all a very successful outing!

So at the end of a long day of standing and with adrenaline running on empty what do you do? You go across the aisle to visit your neighbor for their cosmos and crudites happy hour!

While there wasn't much time to walk around and see the many vendors what I can tell you is that performance fabrics are in. I saw alot of this at the Spoga show last fall and it's really taken off over here. Ariat had a huge presence and were debuting the sneaker style riding boot that they had at Spoga. I wonder how it will sell as the Nike and Tretorn boots of a few years back never took off. There were lots of saddles with interesting accent stitching and new styles of helmets with their own design accents.

It was interesting to note that the quality of the strap good leather of many companies has gone down hill. I touch EVERYTHING and I was surprised by some of the companies cutting corners in this area. This is one area where Five Star Tack shines as I had so many store owners bemoan the fact that it is getting harder to buy quality bridles because of all the cheap quality leather being used. The tack stores know this but I wonder if the average consumer is aware of what they are buying. It puts the stores in a difficult spot because buyers too often look at the price and don't know what it costs to make a top quality bridle so it forces the stores to buy down in quality. Fortunately I think our Symphony line will give those stores a quality alternative. Plus with our fresh and unique designs it brings some life back to store displays as the bridle designs displayed by many companies at AETA was a total yawn.

I am very thankful to the tack stores that signed on to become dealers of our products! I look forward to growing the number of dealers selling Five Star Tack but will limit the number of stores so that each dealer feels they can differentiate themselves from other stores. If one of these stores is near you I hope you will support them.

Bit of Heaven Tack Shop, Collegeville PA; Bits of Tack, Boyertown, PA; DaMoor's Feed & Tack, Glendale, CA; The Tack Box, Middleburg, VA; Green Valley Tack, Pine Island, NY; Alta Hills Tack, Sandy, UT; Gallops Saddlery, Tigard, OR; Unionville Saddle Shop, Unionville, PA; and Barrington Saddlery, Barrington, IL.

The above tack stores will be carrying Five Star's hunter/jumper bridles, dressage bridle, the Symphony line as well as strap goods. These items can be viewed at fivestartack.us. We will put you in contact with one of our dealers if the item you want is not available near you.

Five Star's eventing bridles and strap goods will be carried and sold direct to consumers on fivestartack.com as well as at select eventing competitions during the year.

Thank you for reading this far as it is a long post but there is always something new and exciting going on here. Next up, two new initiatives with proceeds going to the charities Five Star Tack supports!

New Products!

2011-01-19T21:24:00.021-05:00

One of the best things about designing tack is getting to see the finished product! These are the latest additions to our product line and arrived today. Some will only be available through tack stores, some will be available on the Five Star website and some need a bit more tweaking to get them just right. These are also the first photos of our new Symphony line of bridles. Symphony bridles are made with Wickett&Craig American leather and are a moderately priced option for the rider who likes the quality of our Five Star bridles but needs a more affordable option.

This is the updated version of our popular Chelsea bridle. The cross straps are padded as well as raised with fancy stitching. It is super sharp looking and will be available on our website.

Above is a new breastcollar design we are working on. It needs a little tweaking as it is not quite fancy enough yet although I do like the cross. As popular as the Five Points are, alot of riders use this type of breastcollar. It is just hard to find an all leather one hence why we are making one. It will be up to the task of performing under all conditions and look good at the same time!

This is a BLACK Wembley HUNTER bridle we made up for a customer along with a matching standing martingale. It was purchased for a black horse and I think it is going to look stunning! I applaud this rider for not being afraid to have her own look in the hunter ring. The Wembley hunter bridle with integrated crown is available through tack stores.

This dressage girth is what I've been waiting for! It is so much nicer than what the picture shows. It is beautifully stitched and features our silver cross with raised padding underneath. The white stitching really enhances it although dressage purists may not go for it.

This is our new hunter girth. It is softly padded and has a ring to attach training aids. Available through tack stores.

This is a totally luxe halter and lead for the horse who has everything! It is quite pricey made up with Sedgwick's leather but I will try to source out a different leather to keep the price down. The crown strap is padded and has fancy stitching on top. The noseband is padded and raised with fancy stitching. The cross piece is what really sets this halter apart. The fittings are solid brass. The matching lead has a loop handle that is padded and has an embossed cross on it. As pretty as this halter is it is built tough to withstand what we all know horses can do!

New dressage bridle for the tack stores. It has all black stitching and buckle end cheeks with an integrated crown. We will have a different version of this on the Five Star site that will be the redo for the Magnolia bridle as we have had alot of requests to bring it back.

This is one of our new Symphony bridles made from Wickett & Craig American leather making it a more affordable option for buyers who like our designs but cannot afford the pricier Sedgwick bridles. It features an integrated crown, attached flash and white accent stitching. The final version will have buckle end cheeks instead of the hook stud shown here. Available in tack stores only.

Another Symphony bridle, this is our jumper bridle with integrated crown. The cross straps are padded and raised and the rings are padded behind. I think this one is going to be popular. This one gets its own look as the nosedisk is a bit different from our Five Star bridles. Tack stores only.

There will also be a Symphony hunter bridle with matching standing martingale but I am still waiting on it. Tack stores only.

I am looking forward to showing these new products at the upcoming AETA trade show! As always I appreciate your feedback on these and any of our products.

Let's Get The Ball Rollin'!

2011-01-03T11:27:00.002-05:00

The New Year always seems to start off with a bang for me and for the last several years not in a good way. As I watched Snooki (yes, that Snooki) being lowered to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk I decided that this year was going to be different as there are many good things happening and one of those good things is Five Star Tack.

Never content to sit still, we have a number of new things coming up in the next few months. The biggest shift will be in our website presence. As we grow our reach into more tack stores the inevitable conflict of interest between selling to both brick and mortar stores and selling direct to customers becomes an issue and a constraining one at that. Starting February, after the AETA winter trade show, Five Star will be debuting a dealer only website featuring our hunter bridles with matching strap goods plus our new dressage bridle, a new moderately priced line of bridles and our new girth and halter!

Speaking of girths and halters, I have seen the samples of these and they are nothing short of gorgeous! They incorporate Five Star's celtic cross and elastic colors and are totally luxe. I am confident they will be a big hit with the tack stores. These items along with our hunter bridles will be available only through tack stores and hence will no longer be listed on the Five Star Tack website.

That leaves me to concentrate on developing the eventing and jumper side of the business on the current Five Star Tack website which I enjoy because it allows me to be more creative with the design process. Our Chelsea bridle will have a new figure eight design, the Ascot will have an integrated crown option and we will have a new version of our old Magnolia bridle that will have a narrower noseband and for those dressage purists all black stitching! There is also a new rein that we hope is popular with eventing riders for cross country as well as a leather breastcollar and hunting breastplate.

We are committed to recognizing the amateur rider and will be continuing our sponsorship of the USEA's Training Level 3 Day Series. We will also be targeting those eventing competitions that have a large amateur attendance for sponsorship as well. Going forward though, Five Star Tack, has to be more selective in sponsorship of riders and competitions. It is a great concept to try to help out any time a sponsorship opportunity presents itself but in the end it is just not realistic nor does it make good business sense. It's nice to be nice but it's not nice when you are broke in the end!

That said, there is one opportunity I stumbled upon just recently that I think has some real importance. Five Star Tack made a donation of thirty five bridles to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and CANTER USA to be used in their retraining programs of retiring thoroughbred racehorses. There is quite a great need for tack for these horses and I imagine with similar organizations working to rescue, retrain and find homes for various horses; more than I thought. In order to make a greater impact Five Star is looking into developing a program to accept donations of used bridles and strap goods to then be sent to an organization that is in need. By organization I mean a registered charity as I made that mistake once this year and I don't think the money went where it was supposed to go! Georgina Bloomberg does this with The Rider's Closet, an organization she established to accept used riding clothes that are then provided to riders who can't afford to buy show clothes. We are just at the idea point right now so if anyone has any suggestions I am open to them.

It is great to look back at 2010 and the many fun times I had at all the competitions, especially Burghley, but it's even greater to be able to look forward to the positive things that are out there on the horizon. Let's get this party started!

p.s. here are two links to articles about the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and one of the facilities that is receiving Five Star bridles.
http://www.trfinc.org/From-Rags-To-Riches-c109.html

http://www.trfinc.org/c15/Center-Brook-Horses-Start-School-c93.html

Five Star's New Hunter Bridles!

2010-11-04T17:01:00.023-04:00

With the season winding down for both horse showing and eventing I decided to focus this time on some of our products since the holidays will be here before you know it! While Five Star Tack is better known in the eventing and jumper disciplines, it was actually the hunter bridle market that provided the "light bulb moment" to start designing tack. Instead of making another copy cat brand, it was my goal to design a top quality bridle, with it's own look and identity. After seeing the many similar looking bridles on the market and the slide in quality I knew there was a niche Five Star Tack could create.

Five Star currently offers four hunter bridles which are either new to our product line or have gone through revision this year so that our bridles reflect the varying needs of today's hunter rider. The Piccadilly bridle is designed with a narrower browband and noseband and provides a refined look. Our Wembley bridle has the same features as the Piccadilly but has an integrated crown. For those horses with more prominent features the Hickory bridle has a wider noseband and browband. It is also a great look for those riders who like today's wide noseband bridles. Lastly, for those riders who like a quieter look, the Kensington bridle is similar to the Piccadilly but without the fancy stitch.

If your horse is hard to fit we can special order any part to give your horse the best fitting bridle. In addition, the Hickory bridle can be special ordered without fancy stitching and can be ordered with an attached flash. Our standard colors are Australian Nut and Conker Brown but other colors can be special ordered. We can offer you the closest bridle to custom without the custom price!

Kensington Square Raised Hunter Bridle

To sum up the features of our Five Star Hunter bridles, the bridles are constructed so that the raised portions are made with leather not the short cut of using plastic. The leather is skived down only the length of the padded portion whereas other brands skive the entire length of either the browband or noseband leaving a long seal that needs to be glued. The majority of each bridle is made by hand, including stitching and finishing. They are also finished one at a time, not in batches. No matter where you look on the bridle, the stitching is straight and even. This is where a lot of companies cut corners as they figure since you don't see the underside of the bridle, it's okay for the stitching to be crooked.

Wembley Integrated Crown Hunter Bridle

Feedback from customers and fellow riders has been overwhelmingly positive and has helped target the direction of the product line. The tack stores that have seen the bridles are excited to see a new, different looking product and one that is top quality. Look for our hunter bridles to be in better tack shops in 2011!

The latest items we are working on are halters, leads, belts and possibly a second, lower priced line. There is a lot of work to be done before the next AETA industry trade show in January!

Piccadilly Fancy Stitch Hunter Bridle

Hickory Wide Noseband Bridle

Plantation Field Wrap-Up

2010-09-21T16:53:00.008-04:00

I had the pleasure of being at The Plantation Field CIC*** and Horse Trials this past weekend and believe me it was a pleasure as the weather couldn't have been any better! Plantation is located in Unionville, PA which is home to Bruce Davidson and Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds, so real horse country. There are rolling hills as far as the eye can see and anyone who lives in the area is certainly lucky!

The event is first class all the way and the organizing staff has worked very hard to make it a destination event. The vendor tents were ideally located next to the warm up areas and overlooked the cross country course. The VIP tent and dressage and show jumping rings were all nearby as well which provided a steady stream of traffic all weekend. The organizers also do a great job of recognizing all the sponsors and vendors which has not been the case at some of the venues I've been at this year.

Doug and Running Order
Anyway, onto the good stuff. Doug Payne was there on Running Order in the three star, Crown Talisman in the one star and his new horse Simon Slick running his first preliminary. Kristin Schmolze had Cavaldi and Castle Jordan in the three star and Ballylaffin Bracken in the two star. Lastly, Kate Samuels was making her third outing at the Advanced Level on Nyls du Terrior. All three riders had an impressive weekend!

Kristin and Cavaldi

Doug was second in the one star on Crown Talisman. This pair has had a very successful season with a win in the one star at The Stuart Horse Trials and a win at the recent American Eventing Championships in the most competitive field and finishing on a score of 24.2! He was ninth with Running Order in the three star. "RO" had a couple of green moments on cross country but finished the course strong and had one rail in show jumping. The exciting news is that with the consistent results this pair has had this year, Doug has received a grant from the USEF to compete at the Boekelo three star in Holland in October!

Kristin had her three horses including her veteran partner Cavaldi. Cavaldi has been there and done that, having competed at Burghley a few years back as well as Rolex three times. While he can get hot in the dressage he is a machine on cross country and the bigger the jumps, the happier he is! He has a zest for jumping and is my favorite to watch. The pair wound up in fourth in the Three Star. She also had a very good run on Castle Jordan but an unusual stop in show jumping knocked them down to eighth. On Ballylaffin Bracken she finished up in tenth with a careful cross country round and one rail in show jumping. The really neat thing is Kristin won the Best Conditioned Award with not one but TWO horses, Ballylaffin Bracken and Cavaldi! This is very impressive and as Pete Blauner the FEI Vet told me, "Kristin knows how to get her horses fit and keep them in one piece." To win this award with two horses is testament to Kristin and her team for their expert care and riding.

This is what "Best Conditioned" looks like!

Kate and Nyls are a new and promising pair at the Advanced Level and they had their best finish to date! While their dressage is a work in progress, Nyls is a bold and scopey jumper on both cross country and in show jumping. They easily cruised around cross country and put in one of the few clear show jumping rounds to finish in fourth place!

Kate and Nyls

It wouldn't be Planation Field without the bareback puissance and this year, well let's just say it was more like bare chested puissance courtesy of Doug Payne! Doug was knocked out early in the competition (beat by the girls no less!) and after begging to get back into the competition he was told what he needed to do. Being the competitor that he is he happily obliged to the roar of the crowd! Thank God it didn't get past that!

So all in all a very fun and entertaining weekend. Our new bridle styles were well received and it was a good weekend for Five Star! On to Fair Hill in October which will be the last event of the season.

Burghley!

2010-09-07T13:46:00.008-04:00

I had the good fortune to be able to attend the Burghley Horse Trials this past weekend and it was truly an incredible experience! The British know how to do things just right and always with class. With my two boys in tow we had a bit of an adventure getting to Burghley what with finding a car to rent and figuring out how to work the Nav which circled us back to the rental place the first time! Oh, and did I mention driving a stick on the "wrong" side of the road? I figured I had got it once I was able to drink my latte and steer and shift at the same time! I only crossed into the wrong lane once and popped the clutch once so all in all did alright.

Back to Burghley. To get to the estate you travel through a quintessential old English village and I couldn't help but think I was in Sherwood Forest. The road was narrow and twisty and the shifting got a bit challenging. Upon entering the grounds we saw a large pasture full of the most beautiful deer. Small but with big antlers they have lived on the castle grounds for centuries and are rounded up for the event. The drive up was lined with massive trees with trunks about six feet in diameter. Again, I couldn't help but think of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest as these trees were certainly around back then!

This was the first four star I had gone to so I can't compare it to anything else, but Burghley is legendary. It has the toughest terrain of any of the four stars and as Mark Todd said, "You need a horse that is a fighter". The backdrop is spectacular with Burghley Castle sitting prominently on the grounds, Union Jack waving proudly.

It took a bit to get our bearings since the signage was not the best and the crowds were huge, about 150,000 to be exact, but we found the Member's tent and got some much needed lunch. It was the perfect setting. People had "parked" their dogs outside the members area. There was a 1920's style band playing (tuba, banjo, those white hats, you get the picture) and in front of that there was a grassy area for people to hang out and watch the cross country from one of several jumbo-trons located throughout the grounds. There was no shortage of food and drink (alcohol). You could buy everything from wood fired pizza to caviar to Pimm's and champagne. There were bars set up around the grounds and I think some people just came to drink and watch the festivities!

It was a very festive atmosphere and it was great for people watching. Everything from jeans to British tweeds with a lot of Dubarry boots. The cross country course was beautifully constructed and without so much of the artificiality you see on some of today's courses. The turf was in pristine condition as it is only used for the event and it was a joy to see the expert riding and bravery of the horses over some very big jumps. Land Rover is the title sponsor and so there was a Range Rover parked next to every jump for the fence judges to sit by and the officials (of what type I don't know) all wore black suits with black bowler hats. Oh, so British. No wonder I love England so much!

While we didn't hear of any great difficulties on course while we were there, there was one lengthy hold on course when Nicola Malcolm fell from her horse and had to be airlifted out. Fortunately she was released from the hospital the next day and her horse was uninjured. Too bad because they appeared to be doing quite well on course. Well, what to do when there is no action? Did I mention SHOPPING? There was a dizzying array of shops, 500 to be exact and one would need at least a day to see all of them. From feed to luxury home goods there was something for everyone. I thought to myself a few times "what recession?" as it seemed as though everyone held a bag containing some treasure they had purchased. I was actually glad in a way that I had the boys with me as it limited the number of shops I could go to. My AMEX was burning a hole in my pocket and I could have done some serious damage to it! I did score a pair of beautiful pig suede jodphur boots - the only pair left and they fit. It was meant to be! In my giddiness from being in shoe heaven I lost my son Declan. Woops, but not like he hasn't done it before. He knew to go to one of the cafes and ask for help and we quickly found him. Yep, a bit embarrassing but a trip to the toy store cured that (I told you they had every kind of store there)! There was so much to see, you almost forgot there were horses going cross country!

It was time to go and of course I couldn't remember what the rental car looked like! Fortunately my other son Liam, whose brain replaces mine on many an occasion, came to the rescue and we were soon on our way back to London, already looking forward to next time. Congratulations to Caroline Powell for winning the 50,000 pound first prize!

Stay tuned for my next post which is a wrap up of my first visit to the Spoga Trade Show in Cologne, Germany!

Catching Up With Five Star Riders

2010-07-06T17:57:00.006-04:00

The last few months have been busy for Five Star sponsored riders!

Both Kristin Schmolze and Sara Mittleider finished inside the top twenty at April's Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event with both having clear cross country rounds over the massive four star course. Kristin is prepping for her trip to Montana for the Event at Rebecca Farms which is a World Cup Qualifier!

Amanda Flint was just third in the Ox Ridge Grand Prix, Darien, CT riding Kathleen Kamine's Texas Hold'Em and fifth with Kathleen Kamine's Will of Iron. She was also third in the Swan Lake Grand Prix, PA with Will of Iron and fifth with Texas Hold' Em. The young horses in her barn have also had their share of top placings including a win in the Five Year Old class at The Devon Horse Show riding Kathleen Kamine's LaDonna.

Willie Tynan and the handsome Cartier had a win in the meter forty jumper class at the recent Showplace Spring Spectacular in Chicago. They were also second in the Welcome Stakes! Victoriano also received high ribbons and is now owned by one of Five Star rider Shannon Slyfield's students. Hope he likes the Texas heat!

Finally, Doug Payne has been cleaning up in both the jumpers and eventing! Horses ridden by Doug had great results at the recent HITS Saugherties, NY horse show and Hunter Farms in Princeton, NJ as well as Seneca, MD and Plantation Fields, PA horse trials. Doug is also on the cover of the new Dover Saddlery Eventing Edition catalog. He is pictured riding Running Order. That makes two covers in the last few months as they were on the May cover of Practical Horseman! Doug is headed to the Stuart Horse Trials next week.

While I don't have a horse to compete, I am enjoying taking Five Star Tack on the road! I can watch horses competing all day and I also enjoy talking to everyone about their horses. It's like a mini vacation for me and isn't it the best job when you can say working is like taking a vacation!

The rest of the summer road schedule for Five Star Tack is: Stuart Horse Trials, Victor, NY July 15 - 18. Millbrook Advanced Horse Trials, Millbrook, NY, August 5 - 8th and the AETA Trade Show August 15 - 18th.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and as always, let us know your suggestions/comments for Five Star Tack!

The competition year is in full swing!

2010-03-02T16:30:00.002-05:00

Five Star sponsored riders are getting the year off to a great start!

Kristin Schmolze and Doug Payne are in Aiken, SC for the winter and have had strong showings on the eventing winter circuit. They have both won and placed with all of their horses so far. At last weekend's Pine Top horse trials Doug was fifth in an Open Intermediate section riding Happy Valley and Kristin was third in an Advanced section on her Cavaldi. Cavaldi is a horse who truly loves his job and he is lovely to watch!

I got a chance to meet Willie Tynan in Ocala and he has some very impressive horses this year. In Victoriano's first show this year he was first and third in the Level 5 and Level 6 jumpers. This horse had a number of wins in the young jumpers last year and it's great to see that carry over into the new year. Willie is riding two new horses, Flintstone and Cartier van Shuttershot, and both horses have gotten high ribbons including a third in the Open Welcome on Cartier. They will be moving up to the Friday Grand Prix next. It will be exciting to see how the year proceeds as Willie feels these horses are top notch!

Amanda Flint is down at the Gulf Coast Winter Circuit and has had high placings with all of her horses ranging from the five year old jumper classes up to the grand prix. Last week she was fifth in the Nutrena Grand Prix and won classes in the five year old and 7 & 8 year old jumpers. Amanda has a number of horses she has started from a young age and carefully brought along.

Shannon Slyfield's horse Sacramento N crossed over into hunter land at the recent Great Southwest Winter Series and was sixth in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Rumor has it Shannon may be trading in her grand prix coat for a shadbelly!

One of the things I really admire in all of these riders is their partnership with the horses they ride. They take great care to do right by their horses. While there are many people out there complaining that riders today have no horse management skills I can say with certainty that is not the case with these riders. They know every detail of what is going on with their horses and carefully plan out what competitions they are going to and what level to ride at. They don't leave the job to others to do. While others complain that horse sports have become too much of a business and that money has taken importance over the horse's well being, these riders do what's best for the horse first.

If you are at a show or event and get to see Kristin, Doug, Amanda, Shannon or Willie ride be sure to give them an extra loud cheer as they deserve it for all of their hard work! While it takes years to make it to the top levels of eventing and show jumping I think all of these riders are destined to make it and Five Star Tack is proud to be associated with them!

If you could have the perfect bridle........

2010-02-01T18:47:00.004-05:00

This is the question I am posing to anyone that follows Five Star Tack. Whether you've been a customer or follow us on Facebook your opinion counts! One of the advantages of being a small company is the ability to change and evolve in order to respond to customer requests and changing market trends. Sort of like being the nimble thoroughbred as opposed to the big heavy Clydesdale (I am a sucker for TB's and I really need to stay off the CANTER site)! Anyway, we have been reworking some of our products as sometimes a design that looks good on paper isn't quite what you want when you actually hold it. I purposely did not order large quantities of anything for this very reason. Hence, we had a limited product roll out for our first year so that we could "tweak" each product until it was truly something special and met customer needs.

In that vein, I started thinking it would be great to get YOUR input regarding products. Is there a perfect bridle you can think of? Are there things you don't like about tack you've had? Is there anything you don't like about Five Star's products OR would like to see us make? While our website is a bit of a hodge podge at the moment since we are low in inventory in many items, are there things about the website you think we should change? What do you think of the bridles with benefits program? Let me know!

Consider yourself part of a focus group and feel free to post what you think. We have already responded to requests for additional leather colors and different nose bands. Your thoughts will definitely be considered and listened to and if it's a good idea it will be incorporated into our product line and/or website.

Thanks for your help in making Five Star Tack an even better company!

Jamie

New Designs

2010-01-21T08:54:00.005-05:00

One of the reasons for starting Five Star Tack was to develop a recognizable brand of bridles. So often the bridles look like copies of each other with each having an identical stitch pattern. When you go to your local tack shop there are sometimes rows of bridles with not much of a way to tell the difference between one brand or another except for the price tag. So my goal was and is to have a bridle that buyers will recognize for it's distinctive look, top quality and a company that actively supports equestrian sport and charity.

Quality is always in the back of my mind and I've lost a lot of sleep over it in the last year! There have been many times when I have felt like the new unknown fashion designer putting together their first line. You have to make a great impression on a demanding and knowledgeable audience and there is no way of knowing whether your designs will receive a "thumbs up" until you present them. You can do all your design sketches and then see the finished product and realize you have to start all over again or the person making your designs doesn't do the right job. You have to constantly make adjustments based on what your goals are while keeping an eye on what the market is doing.

While it used to be that the majority of bridles were made in England, the high cost of labor and top quality hides has brought about change. In bridle design the trend is moving towards brands being made in developing countries by large manufacturers assembling bridles for different companies. Much of the work is done by computerized machines with the labor mostly unskilled. They are merely following orders and have no knowledge of horses. The leather may be from England or the leather comes from another country and is tanned using "english methods". What this does is it makes it possible to produce tack at a lower cost but as is often the case, the quality is not the same. Maybe this doesn't matter to you and the most important criteria for you in buying a bridle is price but for me it does matter.

If you are going to differentiate yourself from the competition then you can't be like the competition. In light of this Five Star has switched to a new production company. Located in Dorset, England it is a small shop who makes bridles the "old fashion" way; by hand. They are also a shop who has received awards for their bridle work from the UK's Society of Master Saddlers of which they are a member. We have switched all the buckles from regular stainless steel to Sprenger german silver and will continue to use Sedgwick's best leather. It has taken longer to rework some of the styles than I anticipated but sometimes it can be tricky to integrate functionality and style. You have to be patient and think long term which is sometimes difficult. I am hopeful that these designs will be even more successful than our current ones and I look forward to your feedback!

If you have any comments on the tack market or questions please post them here!

Welcome to Five Star Tack!

2010-01-13T15:20:00.002-05:00

So how do you begin your first blog post? That's a very good question as I've never had a blog and I wasn't the kid who chronicled her life in the pages of her diary but boy I've got some great stories in my head! While the main thrust of this blog is to update followers on what Five Star Tack is doing I also welcome those of you that follow us to post as well.

Five Star Tack is not just about selling tack. Obviously that's why I started the company but it encompasses a lot more. It's about the trials and tribulations of starting and running a new business along with having a family. It's about connecting with other riders whether it's working with our customers or the several riders the company sponsors. It's also about giving back. My late father was a big believer in helping those less fortunate than himself. He grew up a poor kid during the depression, went to college on the GI bill and through hard work became President of three shipping companies. He never forgot his roots and to that end donated to charities that helped the poor and those who did not have the good fortune he had. He took great pride in having a good year at work because it enabled him to give more. Well the apple did not fall far from the tree and he blessed me with that trait.

We are a small company and still in our first year, but one with a big heart. Five Star sponsors several up and coming eventing and jumper riders. I will be featuring each one in upcoming blog posts. Five Star is also a product sponsor at major horse shows and three day events. We will also post "live" from some of these competitions! Through our bridles with benefits program Five Star donates twenty percent of it's profits to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. I will post more about these charities and bridles with benefits in a future post.

As both a tack manufacturer and retailer I have had the opportunity to learn what goes into making tack and the different manufacturing methods that go into making bridles. I will post about this also as there is so much more to purchasing tack than just what is on the price tag!

If you've made it this far down the page then thank you for sticking with me! Feel free to post your comments and questions about Five Star Tack or anything related to horses and riding. I promise I will do my best to keep my posts interesting and relevant!

Best,

Jamie