This is the NEW Damson Dapple
The Dapple Collection is our Best-Selling Collection and loved by many.
Our Dapples are very unique in the way that our marbled, crushed velvet shimmers in the light.
You may wonder where the name came from...the dappled horse. Our fabric emulates the dapples of a horse and it couldn't have been a more apt name for this collection.
Many of our customer's say they always receive compliments when wearing their Dapple Silks. They are something a little different to your ordinary Velvet but still subtle and classy for everyday wear.
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Sadly, there are very few Equestrian Brands making here in the UK. Whilst part of their product may be finished here, the garment is most likely made abroad. I champion British manufacturing, and this is something that has always been at the core of Stockinjur. I hope I can educate you on what sets us apart from the bigger equestrians brands and why its important to support British manufacturing in the equestrian industry.
SMALL TEAM
I have an amazing small team of Seamstresses that create all of our products. They are incredibly skilled and paid well above the national minimum wage. This fills me with so much pride as a business owner to know that I am creating jobs for women in the UK and, in turn, paying them well for their skilled work.
When you look at your purchase from us, whether it is one of our Hat Silks or Clothing items, you know it has been made by either Marina, Tracey or Kathryn. I have been known to take up the slack when things get busy. I am an experienced Seamstress myself, and I think that's what sets Stockinjur apart from other Brands. I not only understand the construction of a product, I design, pattern create and can even make the product.
SMALLER BATCHES
✂️ By keeping production small, it helps us focus on minimising waste and focusing on producing quality pieces that have longevity.
🧵 Any fabric off-cuts are put to good use. From Hat Silk panels to our Ear Warmers.
🙅🏼♀️ No fabric is wasted and sent to landfill. These small pieces of fabric would usually be thrown away in traditional manufacturing.
🏭 Manufacturing in the UK helps us support our local and national economies by creating new job opportunities and supporting local suppliers. All of our materials for our products are sourced here in the UK. We are able to lower our carbon footprint by decreasing the amount of miles that our products travel👌🏻.
🇬🇧 We have a huge sense of pride producing here in the UK and we are proud to be Make it British members.
Our products command a higher price than those manufactured abroad by producing here in the UK. I hope that by giving you an insight into how we make our products, you will see beyond a price and question where and who has made your product. Let’s champion and support British businesses.
]]>Setting goals helps you design all parts of your life. What would you like to achieve in the next 3, 6, 9 or 12 months? In 5 years? With our roadmap to goal setting we hope to give you the tools to setting and smashing your goals.
1. SET HYPER-SPECIFIC GOALS
How specific are your goals? Do you know exactly what you are trying to achieve? Do you have a clear vision and roadmap for the next 5 years that gets you up in the morning feeling excited?
Or are you setting vague goals like 99% of the population?
Most people set goals like:-
Your brain doesn’t understand ➡️ Broad, general goals.
Your brain wants ➡️ Ultra-specific goals to make it clear what you’re trying to achieve.
🧬 This is backed by science.
🧠 The reticular activating system or RAS, is where your brain is taking in so much information that the conscious brain can only process a small fraction of it at any given time. An example of this is have you ever purchased or considered purchasing an item only to find that suddenly the very item you bought is everywhere.
🧠 When you give your brain a direct cue or command, it begins to process that information differently and filters all of that information through the “lens” of your new command.
❗️This is why it is so important to set very detailed goals.
🤓 You need to get ultra-specific about what it is you want to accomplish.
😩 You need to clearly identify what it is you want to achieve. It’s easy to lose motivation when things inevitably get hard in the pursuit of accomplishing them.
2. CONNECT YOUR GOALS TO STRONG EMOTIONAL REASONS
👨👩👧👦 The reasons you want to succeed usually relate back to others in your life.
⤵️ Go deep and figure out why you really want to achieve all of the goals you have set.
3. GET SOME ACCOUNTABILITY
Clear goals ➕ strong reasons are not enough to achieve all of your goals.
☑️ You need accountability from other people.
Why not find one or two people to help you stay accountable for each of your goals.
4. CREATE PROCESS GOALS TO ACHIEVE ANY OUTCOME
📔 The next step is to set outcome and process goals. Outcome goals are easy but you need to have a plan to achieve them.
☑️ Identify what actions you need to take to make your goals happen.
❌ Don’t rely on hope or positive thing. Make a clear plan with measurable steps so you can take consistent action.
5. SET FIRM DEADLINES
👎 Most goals fail.
Why ⬇️
❌ They aren’t motivating or aren’t inspiring to your mind.
❌ They lack deadlines entirely or they’re set for the end of the year or next.
✔️ Goals need to be ultra-specific ➕ ultra-specific deadlines attached to them.
🗓 The length isn’t important, it’s that they are realistic and still short enough to push you to get them completed.
📱 Once you’ve created a goal, why not set up reminders on your phone about your goals, where you should be etc. By constantly seeing those goals, you’re much more likely to take daily action toward achieving them.
6. CELEBRATE YOUR WINS
It's easy to wait until you have achieved your goal to celebrate. Its important to celebrate those little wins along the way - keeping your brain motivated to keep going.
🧠 Your brain will that that massive dopamine hit that it’ll love.
👏🏻 Its crucial to achieving your goals.
🥳 Plus, who doesn’t love a celebration?!
7. REVIEW YOUR GOALS REGULARLY
📖 Review them daily.
📱 Why not add them as your screensaver for your phone. Imagine the power of seeing your goals 80 times a day when you check your phone. It will help ingrain your goals into your mind through repetition.
8. EXPECT TO ACHIEVE EVERY GOAL
❌ You will fail if you follow all of the above steps, if you do not believe you can actually achieve them.
❌ Without belief that you can succeed = you’ll almost never succeed.
🤯 Your inner beliefs control everything in your life, including your ability to complete your goals.
🤞 Even if they feel impossible, you have to know it can and will happen.
Finally…
👏🏻 Anyone can achieve massive goals once they have a system in place.
We hope this has given you a roadmap to setting and smashing your goals.
]]>It always surprises me when customers are unaware that we make all of our products in house. With many brands manufacturing abroad, it's easy to assume that most brands do not manufacture in house anymore. I champion British manufacturing, and this is something that has always been at the core of Stockinjur. I hope to educate you on how our products are made and why it is essential to look beyond prices…
HANDMADE
All Equestrian Apparel is handmade. Most Brands do not state where their collections are made globally, let alone what happens in their supply chains or how their workers are treated. Most garment workers abroad are paid well below our minimum wage, yet their job is so skilled but undervalued.
When you look at a product, what factors do you consider before purchasing (where it is made, price, quality etc..) Unfortunately, most buying decisions are made based on price. If a product is cheap or cheaper than another, you need to think:-
How much is that Brand paying per item? How much is the worker that made it being paid when you consider the cost of the core materials?
However, this can be entirely flipped on its head with Brands that charge absorbent prices for products that have cost just a few pounds per item and are making a considerable markup. It makes you question what has the poor garment worker been paid for that item.
PRICING
Demands by Brands for high volumes of products made at the lowest cost possible then push prices down even further and directly affect the wages and working conditions of the garment workers.
Brands tend to focus more on environmental initiatives within their business than the people who create their products in terms of sustainability. Unfortunately, many Brands are unwilling to pay for products at the rate required to ensure fair wages.
STOCKINJUR SEAMSTRESSES
I have an amazing small team of Seamstresses that create all of our products. They are incredibly skilled and paid well above the national minimum wage. This fills me with so much pride as a business owner to know that I am creating jobs for women in the UK and, in turn, paying them well for their skilled work.
When you look at your purchase from us, whether it is one of our Hat Silks or Clothing items, you know it has been made by either Marina, Tracey or Kathryn. I have been known to take up the slack when things get busy. I am an experienced Seamstress myself, and I think that's what sets Stockinjur apart from other Brands. I not only understand the construction of a product, I design, pattern create and can even make the product.
BRITISH MANUFACTURING
Later this year or early in 2023, we hope to open a larger factory to increase production and our product collections. This is so exciting to know that we will be creating additional jobs in the area and keeping our British roots at the heart of our business.
Our products command a higher price than those manufactured abroad by producing here in the UK. I hope that by giving you an insight into the world of manufacturing, you will see beyond a price and question where and who has made your product.
QUESTION THE ORIGIN
How can we hold brands accountable if they are unwilling to disclose what happens in their supply chain? The answer to, who made my clothes? It may seem as simple as the country of origin on the care label inside the garment. However, you should want to know so much more.
OUR NEW OULET STORE
The Outlet is a NEW concept store on our website.
We have designed this to allow you to try some of our iconic products at a special price for a limited time.
The products in the Outlet change day by day, so keep your eyes peeled to see if your next purchase is included.
The Outlet Store on the website and App have different products, so be sure to checkout both.
]]>Do you find sizing frustrating? In one Brand, you are one size, and in another, you could be several sizes different. We get it, sizing can be a minefield, and with ordering online, you do not have the luxury of trying it on. We will give you an insight into why sizing can vary between Brands and how to avoid the pitfalls of ordering the incorrect size.
As the catalogue industry boomed, standard sizing emerged to cut costs. However, problems were encountered as the data gathered did not represent the average woman. Technology has been more sophisticated than our old-school tape measure. However, the problem still exists. You cannot create a standard size when there’s no such thing as a standard body.
At the start of the system, there was a single, accepted size range. Brands now work to their own rules, making navigating buying clothes that fit a minefield. Many can find wild inconsistencies even within one Brand. This is attributed to a range of factors, from not accounting for the qualities or drape of different fabrics and high-speed production and lack of quality control.
One-third of shoppers expect they'll have to return some items when ordering, with variations in sizing the number one reason for returns. Issues arise when clothes are returned, they are not always packaged back up and put back into stock. For many Brands, the costs involved are not worth it, so instead, returns are sent to landfill. Five billion pounds of returned goods end up in landfills each year, creating 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Most Brands only prototype the fit of the garment on one model, which is generally a size small. Garments are produced on an idealistic basis, representing maybe 1% of the population. Other sizes aren't controlled - they’re scaled mathematically and are usually full of fitting errors. Patterns need to be recreated entirely, and unfortunately, Brands do not do this because of a lack of investment in creating the smallest and largest sizes. Billions of garments at either end of the sizing scale go unsold.
At Stockinjur, all of our patterns are created in-house by Leanne, our Founder and Designer. We have much more control over the drafting and testing by creating these in-house. Only once we are satisfied with the pattern will it be graded up and tested again. This is a long process but keeping it in-house means adjustments can be made quickly. Another benefit of understanding pattern drafting is that when customers request a bespoke made to measure or slightly different measurement (sleeve length, neck size etc.), we can make these adjustments and provide a completely bespoke service for our customers. Made to measure is something that we would like to roll out in the future for all of our garments to ensure you get the perfect fit for your body shape. This goes a long way in reducing the excessive waste that haphazard sizing creates.
Whenever you're looking at a garment, rather than go by your usual size (8,10,12 etc), we would always suggest checking your measurements against the Brand’s size guide. Whilst this can be a laborious process, it will hopefully prevent you from having to return a garment that is either too small/large. We receive a lot of questions regarding sizing, we will always refer you back to our Size Guide so you can check your measurements, as it is always difficult for us to advise on sizing without seeing you in person.
What's your biggest challenge with sizing in your equestrian wardrobe?
]]>This time round we take mindfulness a step further and introduce your horse.
Reasons to meditate with your horse:
One of the simplest ways of connecting with your horse is through breathing. If you can breathe correctly with your horse and be mindful (in the moment with him), eventually this process will bring you to a common understanding and a greater unity.
When you eventually climb into the saddle, you want to be as calm and positive as possible, none of the everyday thoughts and stresses dominating your mind. A horse lives in the NOW and you want to mirror this by living every moment in the NOW with him. Shrugging off any obtrusive thoughts and focussing on the NOW will not only help your own state of mind but it will also help his.
With a few breathing methods whilst at the yard or in the stable and you can put aside any nagging thoughts - your horse will sense your inner calm and this new energy will be projected onto him.
Mastering your breathing and finding inner calm is only one (major) part of meditation. Mediation can be done anywhere, although somewhere comfortable and quiet is best.
Now in a calmer state, visualise climbing into the saddle. Picture yourself riding, your newfound calmness leaving by way of your hands and legs, transferring this energy onto your horse. Being relaxed allows our centre to drop, enabling us stay supple and to manoeuvre more deeply in the saddle. Because horses respond to our calm and entered energy, this helps us in the saddle, either from a spook or a stumble.
If you try these methods and benefit in anyway, you’ve won. We love our customers and online community and would really like to hear any positive feedback from your experiences using meditation and for either hacking out or competing.
]]>ENERGY
Horses are often a reflection of their owners 😱...
You need to be aware of your energy and how it influences the horse and how they behave.
Your internal energy is the message you are sending to your horse.
Here are 3 Tips to use your energy effectively:-
CREATE THE RIGHT BUBBLE
Creating intention with the right energy are the most powerful tools we have.
Being able to harness the language of energy is crucial to be being a better communicator to your horse.
Controlling your energy will benefit your horse. Horses respond to Calm, Confident and Happy energy. This means it is up to you to create situations for them to act like partners.
Fear or frustration when a horse displays unwanted behaviour will only reinforce these behaviours resulting in an uncontrollable, unbalanced horse - not a partner at all!
We must therefore help the horse to utilise their energy in a productive way:-
We need to maintain a consistent, calm, confident and happy energy to create that partnership.
Frustration and irritation are negative emotions that will only contribute to your horse’s anxiety- making the situation worse.
Taking note of the horse’s emotional state will give you an idea of how to create habits that build partnership.
PROTECT YOUR BUBBLE
You need to establish your authority early, often and convincingly - for your own safety. A dominant horse will challenge this daily.
By not protecting your personal space and your bubble, the horse could take this and see himself as the dominant leader.
Have you ever had a horse rubbing on you, bumping into you, ignoring you? These are all signs he is the dominant one (in his mind 🙈).
Your horse should only enter your bubble when invited. It should be second nature for you to protect your energy bubble and personal space.
A horse that sees you as the leader knows that you own that space where you stand and will respect your authority.
VARY THE SIZE OF YOUR BUBBLE
You can influence the horse making your energy bubble bigger or smaller.
A Dominant horse you need to claim more space or a horse that’s too submissive you need to give more space.
If a horse has more energy than you - you need to increase your energy bubble to calm them down. A horse with less energy - you need to decrease your bubble to animate them.
You can do this with some simple circling exercises making transitions - move the shoulders out, yield the hindquarters, back up or ask the horse to come in.
You have to master your energy to be an effective leader and partner for your horse!
By being skilled in creating and protecting your bubble you are able to use your energy effectively.
Do you feel empowered to use these tips to create a calm, confident, engaged horse and use your energy more effectively?
Follow these tips to be that leader your horse is looking for.
]]>This week we are touching on mindfulness, not just in everyday life, but also being around your horse.
If you aren’t aware of or are a little unsure as to what Mindfulness is all about, please read on.
You will never have to tell your horse you are sad, happy, confident, angry or relaxed; he knows long before you do! Whilst we can fool another human with words, we can never fool our horses. Our emotions and moods are language to our horses. So just being aware of your emotions is key and the largest part of mindfulness.
Helping our mindset will in turn help our horses. Everyday we have between 60k-80k thoughts. Many of these can be negative or stress enhancing. Being mindful of our thoughts can have a profound impact on our lives. Stress is the biggest factor here and has a huge impact on both our physical and mental health, increasing cortisol (stress hormone) levels in our body. Too much stress and cortisol can affect our sleep or leave us feeling drained, which isn’t great if you want to train and ride. This knock on effect of stress is profound if your mood is also low.
There are many simple techniques to mitigate this, from tuning into your breath (you’ve heard the saying - “take a deep breath”) and 5 senses, to guided meditations and journaling.
This is something we need to work on everyday. Feeling better is an accumulation of all the small things we do time and time again. Over time and with constant awareness of our thoughts and feelings, this creates transformation and TRUE sense of wellbeing.
Meditation is one of the most popular Mindfulness tools. Even 10-15 minutes following a guided mediation can make the world of difference to our mental health.
Next week, we’ll touch upon mediation and connecting with your horse, enhancing that magical bond you already have together, but for now, we’ll leave you with one of many breathing methods to help lower stress and those cortisol levels. Being mindful about how you feel and knowing to use a breathing method (as many times a day as you like!) will have a profound affect on your mind and body.
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Stockinjur has always had an eye on fashion; not just in the design process, ensuring our rider wear is fitted and complimentary to the female figure, but also tapping into each seasons’ colour trends.
]]>Equestrian fashion has come along way over the past two decades, especially within the eventing world. Long gone are the days of rugby shirts or ill-fitting unisex baselayers, riders are now thundering along the XC courses dressed to impress, with matching hat silks and fitted baselayers.
Stockinjur has been producing riding hat silks and matching baselayers for seven years now, and over the years we quickly started to understand colour trends. Some of the traditional colours such as black and navy always sold fairly well, however it was always a little unpredictable how other colours would sell. Some riders would email us wanting to know the best XC colour matches for their horse, and we are always happy to help out (see our infographic on matching your horse), however, what we have been doing over the past few years is watching the catwalks.
Stockinjur has always had an eye on fashion; not just in the design process, ensuring our rider wear is fitted and complimentary to the female figure, but also tapping into each seasons’ colour trends.
The runways in 2022 reveal several colours that are sure to influence fashion around the globe. Colours and hues of lilac, yellow, hot pink and blush, royal and sky blue are all colours that will inspire some of the colours Stockinjur either already offer or will certainly seek out for our matching xc sets.
Below are some of our colours set to trend this spring/summer.
Blush Riding Baselayer with Complimentary colour suggestions.
Royal Blue Riding Baselayer with Complimentary Colour Suggestions
Lavender Riding Baseleyer with Complimentary Colour Suggestions.
Suggested reading on Colour Matching you Equestrian XC Colours:
]]>2021 has seen a massive shift in focus for a lot of brands when it comes to sustainability, especially some of the bigger names on the market who aren’t part of “fast fashion” (manufacturers using cheap materials and cheap labour to produce extremely cheap garments - think Boohoo and Primark).
One designer/brand flying the flag for sustainable fashion is Stella McCartney. Stella has been behind trying to put an end to “fast fashion” and encouraging people to recycle their clothes instead of throwing them away after a few wears. Only 1% of clothing is actually recycled, a grim fact considering the remainder is buried in the earth. Considering a lot of clothing is polyester and plastic based (read our previous post on fast fashion and polyester), this can only be a tragedy with all the climate issues we face.
Stella McCartney is an inspiration and we hope many other fashion houses take note and find ways to reduce their contributions to landfills and unethical practices. We are always looking to reduce our carbon footprint and we hope you take some reassurance in us as a brand that we don’t cut corners or manufacture abroad just to save a few pounds and offer an inferior product.
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So from drilling and extracting from the earth, this crude oil goes through the following stages to finally make it onto coat hanger:
Ethylene Glycol is mixed with dimethyl terephthalate, causing a reaction in which polymer is created.
This polymer is then mixed with terephthalic acid which creates liquid polymer.
The liquid polymer is then extruded through holes to make lengths of material that is cooled and chopped into chips.
The chips are then heated to 270° and melted back into a liquid, where through tiny holes (spinnerets), long threads are formed, which are then cooled to create a fibre.
These finished fibres are then twisted together and spun onto reels to be woven into fabrics.
Go to your wardrobe and grab a handful of garments from the rack and they’ll almost certainly be items with Polyester among them. In fact, the majority of equestrian brands out there use polyester because being manufactured abroad usually means cheaper fabrics and keeping costs to a minimum.
At Stockinjur we use a quality nylon-based fabric. Although nylon is also petroleum based, we use a nylon created from recycled landfill. So whilst our fabric is plastic-based, it is reusing old material instead of drilling for it.
Of course, this is only a temporary solution to somewhat reducing our carbon footprint, as eventually there will no doubt be a solution to creating fabrics which behave like polyester/nylon without the use of oil at all.
When it comes to branding, there is a lot more to it than getting a good logo and providing glossy pictures and a product/service.
Brands can conjure up many emotions when they first enter your mind, from excitement in perhaps purchasing something new from them, to more pragmatic thoughts in saving money with a brand known for bargains. When you picture your favourite brand(s), are the first thoughts more about the amazing quality or are they leaning more towards style or maybe even saving money?
At Stockinjur, we are first and foremost concerned with the quality of our materials and the final finish of our products. When we first started, our aim was, and still is, to reach the quality status of brands like Barbour.
We also take enormous inspiration from a local Welsh denim company called Hiut Denim, a brand known for smaller product runs but using the highest quality denim and manufacture. They are the antithesis of ‘fast fashion’ as once you own a pair, they will last forever and won’t end up in a land fill - they even offer free repairs.
Stockinjur also only use UK sustainable fabrics and product components, from our hand-cut 2mm plastic peaks, to the labels inside every product and the packaging they are posted in. Whilst most equestrian brands use polyester, we use a fairly thick nylon-based lycra cleverly constructed from landfill.
So whilst we would like our legacy to be known as a quality brand, we’d be just as proud if we were remembered for being as environmentally aware as possible too.
]]>One of the most frequently asked questions we receive at Stockinjur usually involves either matching colours in an outfit or what colours best suit a horse. Answering these types of emails used to be a little simpler, but as fashion and gym-wear have found their way onto many equestrian brand design boards, more and more looks and garments have flooded the market. Over the past decade, equestrian fashion has become a huge deal, booming in both matching rider wear and horse wear. The term “matchy matchy’ can be found across all social media platforms, riders striving to match their beloved steeds.
From base layers to fly veils, leggings and hat silks to saddle pads and bandages, the only thing better than matching your horse, is to match your horse with the right colour(s).
This can sound a little daunting, spending out and then not quite sure of you have invested in the correct look. Rest assured it really isn’t that complicated if you stick to the rules surrounding the ‘colour wheel’.
Used in fashion and design, the colour wheel offers different answers depending on its rules.
If you want a more subtle colour to your overall look, then analogous colours are the answer. These are positioned next to each other on the colour wheel. They possess a similar common hue. So take a chestnut, for example - the colours positioned next to the orange hues are reds, or on the other side, golds/yellows.
Making a statement is the often preferred route to take when competing with your horse. Complementary colours are definitely the way to go if you want to stand out. These are colours positioned opposite each other on the colour wheel. So if we take a bay this time (browns are shown as darker orange on the wheel) and use the complimentary rule, the opposing colours would be light blues to a darker medium shade of blue.
Another great look is to choose monochrome colours. If you think ‘monochrome’ you might envision a black and white universe cast in grey shadows; however, the word ‘monochrome’ actually indicates any single colour. The past few seasons have seen single colour themes dominating many fashion houses, their coordinated looks stemming from the use of varying hues of a single colour - this offers a stylish way to add depth. The equestrian world has seen riders use this to get affect, matching their horse wear with matching base layers, hat silks and breeches/leggings.
So if you rode a grey, adding similar grey and silver shades to you and your horse’s look would offer a fantastic coordinated finish.
Of course, grey and black horses are easier to choose a more personalised colour for and you don’t need to adhere to the colour wheel.
Whilst black horses can carry off virtually any colour, from light pinks to purple, greys are a little harder to choose for. You can't go wrong with lighter pastel colours for grey horses, pinks, sky blues and mints working well. If light colours aren't your thing, darker colours like burgundy and purple work well too.
If you have chosen a single colour throughout your entire look, how about adding a highlight colour? Again, if we go to the colour wheel and take a colour positioned opposite your choice, you could add this highlight to either the piping on your horses saddle pad or fly veil, and match it with either stars or patterns on your base layer and hat silk. Picture a bay and its rider donned in royal blue attire - not a bad look by any means, but now mentally add yellow piping to the saddle pad and yellow stars on the rider’s base layer and hat silk. Not enough yellow to take over; just enough to tie the whole look together.
When we answer customer questions it can be a little daunting to us too, knowing someone will take our advice and may spend money on it - what if they don’t like the finished look? Or what if they don’t think it’s a good match? We always go from experience and what colours thousands of our customers have used. We receive hundreds of photos of customers either hacking or competing, and whilst there are no rules when it comes to personal preference, throwing the colour wheel and rules into the equation will always ensure you and your four-legged partner are a match made in heaven.
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For a more in-depth look at matching your horse, check out our Stockinjur matchy matchy infographic.
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Equestrian Colour Matching
Here at Stockinjur HQ we receive a lot of questions regarding matching colours. Whether it’s another item of horse wear or rider wear, or even the horse itself, we have the answer to selecting perfect matching colours. For a more in-depth look at matching your horse, check out our Stockinjur matchy matchy infographic.
If you taker a look at the colour wheel above, analogous colours are those positioned next to or close to each other. Using analogous combinations or pairings offers a subtle look, easy on the eye as they naturally blend and aren’t in any way contrasting.
Whilst analogous colours don’t contrast with each other, complimentary colours do just that. When you compliment colours, you choose colours from different ends of the chart - usually they are opposite on the wheel. Take purple, for example, a perfect complimentary shade would be yellow, whilst complimenting green you could choose red. Whilst they certainly stand out, they aren’t jarring or garish.
When you think of ‘monochrome’ you may imagine a world in black and white; however, this word actually indicates any solo colour. Solo colours are huge this season with many fashion houses creating looks with a single colour, different hues of the same colour providing layers of depth.
You will find a lot of neutral colours in day-to-day wear, including the equestrian world. These are your greys, navys, blacks, creams and browns. Combining neutral colours allows them to work together, creating a chic colour palette.
This is obviously entirely subjective when it comes to individual choice, but following the rules ensures you don't turn up to compete as a statement the fashion police may want a word with you about.
Joking aside, equestrian riders love to make a statement when it comes to Eventing colours. We see a lot of our bright colours proudly displayed on our fans' Instagram and Facebook pages, colours matched with saddle pads and bandages etc.. Adhering to the above rules will allow you to match bright colours without clashing. With these bolder colours, we would recommend complimentary matching or monochromatic matching.
If bold and bright isn't your thing, using neutral or analogous colours can create a chic and perfectly great matching outfit.
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So I’m excited to be working alongside the amazing Stockinjur company. Stockinjur is a luxury quintessentially British Brand instantly recognisable for using the finest fabrics together with the most luxurious FAUX Furs offering luxury for every rider.
They offer several Collections ranging from faux fur pom pom Hat silks to matching Baselayers together with accessories for the horse and have also just introduced a fabulous riding/fitness legging! Their signature pieces are by far the luxurious collection of Pom Pom Riding Hat Silks.
So working with them we have decided to come together to give you a new rider fitness series. These will be based on the amazing Pom Pom hat silk collection, and we will work through the collection providing you with a different mini workout for each!
Each mini workout will consist of 5 exercises that you can easily do in any environment with minimal or no equipment. These are a great quick workout you can add to your daily routine or add onto the end of your regular workouts. All the exercises are designed with the rider in mind and will work on improving the rider for a better position in the saddle.
All workouts will be on social media but for more detailed descriptions on how to do the exercises and why it benefits you as a horse rider don’t forget to check out the blogs!
Squats and Lunges are a great exercise for horse riders as they both require flexibility through your ankle, knee, hip and lower back all white maintaining and building core strength to keep your upper body in an upright, straight position just like we require in the saddle.
The black panther workout gives you some squat and lunge variations you can try anywhere with no gym equipment needed. So why not give them a go!
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: The squat is a great exercise to develop your leg strength, balance and stability, all which are very important to enable yo use your legs effectively whilst riding.
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: The horse width squat mimics the ridden position and develops dynamic strength, body control and strengthens the legs for a more secure leg position while riding.
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: This exercise helps strengthen major muscles in the leg that help control the leg and especially movement around the knee that is needed especially for cantering, jumping and light seat positions.
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: The lunge helps flexibility through the hip and ankle, which is very important for horse riders. It also aids to build up force absorbing capabilities in your legs, giving greater leg control especially when jumping.
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: The lunge helps flexibility through the hip and ankle, which is very important for horse riders. It also aids to build up force absorbing capabilities in your legs, giving greater leg control especially when jumping.
How to do it:
How many to do: 8-12 Reps, 3-4 Sets
How it helps my riding: This exercise helps strengthen major muscles in the leg that help control the leg and especially movement around the knee that is needed especially for cantering, jumping and light seat positions.
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What in life is better than riding your horse...?
Looking fantastic and riding your horse, of course.
Equine fashion has come on leaps and bounds over the last two decades or so. Gone are the local eventing days of sweatshirts and rugby shirts. The matchy matchy look has grabbed the equine world by its reins and galloped full bore into colour matched lycra silks and baselayers. If you can match your horse with its saddlepad, wraps and fly veils, the look can be dazzling.
Stockinjur has matched many rider colours with brands such as LeMieux ands PS of Sweden for their saddelpads and horse accessories.
We have created an infogrpahic (below) showing which colours are best suited to different horse colours. Whilst this is our opinion and understand colours are subjective, we have used our own buyer stats and photos to build the ranking.
We hope you enjoyed our infographic. If you want to see more matches from us check out our LeMieux matches page and see what we offer. We have some new matches coming later in the year, some lighter colours that will match some of the new PS of Sweden saddlepads, so keep our blog in mind.
]]>Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars ~ Frank Sinatra
We often release Limited Edition colours or designs we don't always continue to keep on our main store. However, we have several new editions coming to our collections, pom pom hat silks we will be keeping available.
Stockinjur loves the universe, its nature, and all the wildlife within. Our colours are often influenced by Mother Nature in some way, whether it's the sky, sea, water or fire. Some of the hat silk names are taken from wonderful creatures such as the wolf and fox. These are some of the reasons we want to keep our new hat silks available within our permanent collections.
Our first new edition to the Dapple Collection is the Luna Dapple, named after the Moon. We thought it very apt considering we do a darker shade called the Silver Wolf.
This is our shimmering Starbright hat silk. In conjunction with our Constellation collection, we thought this a great compliment to our star theme we use on our matching silks and baselayers.
We hope you love the new editions - keep your eyes peeled as we will be blogging and sharing some more colours very soon! We'll also be updating across all our platforms with videos, including 360 and close ups.
]]>Just like the catwalk trends, it's very hard to predict exactly what is going to really trend and blow up colourwise. We always sell our classic blacks and navys, but as the seasons pass, different colours seem to trend for a while and then pass, sometimes coming back later on in the year.
As you can imagine, Stockinjur has had a VERY busy November, December and January. Apart from the classics, we have noticed six main winter trends in our pom pom hat silks and baselayers.
1.
2.
Baby Pink Understated (pictured)
3.
Cranberry Dapple (Pictured)
4.
5.
Silver Wolf Dapple (Pictured)
6.
So there you have it, our Top 6 trending colours this season. As always, we adore your pictures and love sharing them on our social media, especially Instagram. How many of you are trending? Do you think your colours will trend in 2019? Who knows? You guys are mystery sometimes, and for that, we love you all the more.
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If your main priority is safety when it comes to hacking out but you also want to look chic and stylish whilst you ride, look no further than our newly designed Beacon Set.
Using an extremely reflective material that allows for stretch, we have managed to fuse our quality 4-way stretch lycra and produce a stylish matching set. The faux fur pom pom hat silk matches perfectly with the baselayer, both featuring highly-reflective panels.
As you can see in the image above, the flash of the camera has illuminated the pom pom hat silk's seemingly grey-silver panels and logo into bright white homing beacons. The cuffs on the baselayers do the same thing, adding the extra illuminated panels for safety and ensuring both on-coming and rear-approaching traffic can clearly see the rider. We designed the cuffs with the reflective material to allow for the rider to wear their favourite gilets, ensuring the panels were still visible when signaling with their arms.
Sounds kind of silly really but considering the rider is the highest visible point on the back of horse, the Beacon pom pom hat silk really is the lighting beacon for traffic to see first -- this is why we designed the hat silks to have big fluorescent panels on the front and back.
Kindly sent in by one of our customers, hamishandhugo this photo shows our Beacon Sets also match up perfectly with the Le Mieux saddle pads.
If you want to ensure both safety and style, please check out our Beacon pom pom hat silks and matching baselayers. Colours include fluorescent yellow, pink and orange.
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Well that’s another year done and dusted, and what a year for Stockinjur! 2018 was a year that could only be underlined by a multitude of adjectives, words like amazing, satisfying, eye-opening, exciting and surprising. We couldn’t be happier and more grateful to our loyal BAs, fan base and customers – you have all shared your wonderful images and stories with us throughout the year and we love to see you, whether you are hacking or competing. If it wasn’t for you guys our inspiration and enthusiasm wouldn’t be as high as it is going into 2019.
As you may have noticed over the past few weeks, we have started putting more focus on our images and we will be sharing more new ideas and imagery on all our social media platforms. Our SS19 collection will be landing in a few months time, so expect some more gorgeous matchy matchy loveliness from us.
Our aim for 2019 is to give you all more content and inspiration - we want to share as much content as possible. We just hope you all share yours with us and we smash 2018!
From everyone at Stockinjur HQ, we wish you all an inspirational and prosperous New Year!
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Before we go into any real detail within this post, we would like to offer our fans and customers the comfort that Stockinjur’s pom pom riding hat covers are – and have always been – made with FAUX (synthetic) fur. You’ll be glad to know there are simple ways to test and check real fur against faux fur, which we will list later.
You would think the debate on using real animal fur for fashion has been over for at least a decade, especially when big fashion brands declare their products are all faux fur. However, the BBC recently aired their Watchdog show, a segment dedicated to the FAUX/animal fur lie. Watchdog revealed the shocking realisation that animals are still being used by brands declaring their products are synthetic – buyers thinking they are morally in the clear are completely unawares to the reality of the situation.
Photo - BBC
Take TK Maxx for instance (a brand having a 15 year “no fur” policy), or how about retail giants, Amazon – both were found to have pulled the wool over consumers’ eyes by selling their products as faux fur, when in fact the investigation revealed otherwise. Animals such as rabbit, fox and raccoon dog were all found by textile analysis experts, their test items varying from handbags, shoes and jumpers.
Photo - BBC
One useful part of the Watchdog investigation was showing the easy ways to look for and test the differences between real and FAUX fur.
Above we have taken a picture of Stockinjur’s most realistic FAUX fur, the material used for our pom pom riding hat silks. These three colours are very realistic but there are a few give aways if you turn the fur over.
This next photo above is a close up of the same materials turned over. As you can see, the base of the fur is held in place by a synthetic material, not skin.
You can also take a pin, and if the material is faux fur, the pin will puncture the material base easily; if it is real fur, the pin will feel real resistance as it is trying to puncture leather (skin).
Photo - Wikihow
Another test is the sniff test. You can simply pluck a small section of hair, and CAREFULLY, singe it with a flame – FAUX fur will smell of plastic, real fur will smell of burnt hair.
At Stockinjur we hope this helps and informs anyone who has concerns when it comes to FAUX furs. Next time you are shopping and really can't tell by look or feel, try and - at least – study the back of the material and see how it connects to its base.
Just rest assured Stockinjur will NEVER use real fur, and all of our pom pom riding hat silks use only faux fur.
We have added more products to our collection. Our stunning new model Gabriella can be seen all over our social media showing off our cute faux fur pom pom Riding hat silks.
These add style to any riding attire. We have a wide range of colours available. Our current favourite has to be the Turquoise and extremely popular Baby Pink.
These are all handmade using faux fur (as you all know we do not promote using real fur!). To find out more about our promotion of faux fur, check out our faux fur blog post on how to tell if fur is real or not.
So go on and take a look at the vast variety of matching XC sets we offer and find the perfect matching pom pom hat silk and baselayer.
The brand has come so far this year and exceeded all my expectations. The focus this year has been to produce high quality products whilst keeping the price tag affordable. Focus has always been on creating a British Brand with all materials sourced right here in Britain. It’s with great pride that all our products are made in house. Every inch of our Pom pom riding hat silks and Baselayers are handmade. We have made tweaks along the way with slightly thicker peak material making it more robust, thicker tighter elastic to ensure a snug fit on your Hat, new packaging to name a few.
The success of our riding Baselayers has been overwhelming. I designed these with the focus being on creating the perfect silhouette and two contrasting fabrics, something that is completely unique and unlike anything on the market. Everything I design is something I would wear myself. I’m incredibly fussy and always seek out to be individual and this is where my design ideas come from.
We have added several Collections this year. However, the most popular out of all of the Collections has to be the Dapple Collection. To say I’m lost for words at the success of it is a complete understatement, it really has blown me away.
Nothing excites me more than looking on our Social Media Pages and seeing all our lovely customer pictures. Every picture is special as it's a testament to our brand. We have tried to create a community and we just love seeing all of your pictures.
We have 4 fantastic Ambassadors flying the Stockinjur Flag and you can follow their journeys too on Social Media.
We have some exciting Collections planned for 2018 along with a few redesigns of our other popular products. We are also hoping to get out to some trade shows this year too and it will be lovely to meet you.
So thank you to all of our customers, all of this would not have been possible without you. I hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year and hope it brings you many successes!
Leanne x
]]>With the Eventing Season well underway, we have designed and launched The Countess rider baselayer range.
Designed with body contouring panels in a contrasting fabric creates the perfect feminine silhouette. It also features our Reglan Sleeves for freedom of movement essential when in the saddle.
The Countess Range provides the perfect colour matches to any of our pompom riding hat silks from our various Collections.
You'll be winning all the style stakes in one of Countess riding baselayers. Now is the time to update your eventing wardrobe.
Available to purchase online.
]]>This season’s ‘must have’ has arrived, and we are just as excited to have it on our riding hats as you will be to have it on yours.
We proudly present our Dapple Collection and is the latest Collection to join our Velvet pom pom riding hat silks.
The crushed velvet is this seasons trend. We as a brand are always proud to bring the fashion trends to your equestrian wardrobe.
For this reason, The Dapple pom pom riding hat silk is every inch an investment piece for the now and still cherished in the future.
Combining classic colours with our sumptuous shimmering crushed velvet sourced and handmade here in-house, elevated with our signature luxurious FAUX Fur Pom pom, creating a statement piece that will stand out in any crowd.
Styled with a pair of riding leggings or riding breeches for the sophisticated equestrian look, let your pompom riding hat silk do the talking.
The Dapple Collection is available online to order now.
]]>With the evenings drawing in and the mornings becoming misty and gloomy, I find myself grabbing my Hi-Viz jacket before going on a hack. But is a jacket enough? This is something I pondered whilst working on our products. Along with myself, what if my horse were to don something that would cut through the gloom? After all, the horse is a big animal, so adding something bright can only add to the overall safety.
Pictured above is our Hi-Viz Rope Halter. The rope used is a high quality 6-mm boating rope, it's outer weave an extremely bright yellow. They come in all sizes, but if you require a custom size, we can easily cater for this for you.
Along with our Hi-Viz rope halter, we also make the Bosal/Bitless Bridle Attachment. If you aren't quite sure what this is, click on our Bosal/Bitless Bridle Attachment Explained link for more infomation.
The above product is the Low Sidepull Bridle. As you can see in the right hand side image, the low side pulls are for connecting reins.
Another excellent way of being seen in the dark is to wear a Hi-Viz hat cover. You are sat high up there, so use your head as a beacon.
Although this Hi-Viz hat cover is perfect as a safety device, our new Pom Pom range adds that extra sprinkling of chic. Our Pom Pom hat covers are a real hit with our customers, so the only logical step was to introduce it to our Hi-Viz range.
So if you want your horse to be seen as the days start drawing in, think about using Hi-Viz products and don't let Mother Nature dictate your hacking out hours.
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