Blog Archives
Asmar Equestrian sponsored rider Sophie Wells receives an MBE
An MBE rounds off what has been an amazing year for sponsored rider Sophie Wells. The paralympic rider sponsored by Asmar Equestrian has been honoured by the Queen in the New Year’s Honours list after Sophie contributed hugely to the success of Equestrian sport at London 2012.
The grade IV rider gained individual silver on Dr Jackie and Dr Neil Walker’s horse Pinocchio in both the freestyle and individual tests which are approximately equal to the complexity of a Prix St George level test. Sophie also won her team test contributing her high score to the overall Team Gold placing.
Nottinghamshire based Sophie Wells is not just your average rider, from a non horsey background Sophie has managed the rare condition; Amniotic Band Syndrome, alongside riding, which affects blood flow, development and movement to achieve success at National, European and now Olympic level.
Modest and humble as ever Sophie said “I’m so proud to say that I have been awarded an MBE!!! It’s so exciting and I can’t believe it! I definitely think this honour should be shared with my amazing horse Pinocchio and my fantastic coach, Angela Weiss.” about receiving the honour.
Supplying Sophie with the finest equestrian clothing Asmar is available online at http://www.asmarequestrian.com and from a selection of retailers. Asmar Equestrian designs a range of quality, stylish riding apparel suitable for day-to-day and the show ring. The entire range incorporates classic beauty, fashion and optimum functionality for riders who deserve the best.
Warm Up With Asmar Equestrian
There is nothing like dreaming of summer during the winter months whilst we are battling with blustery winds, regular downpours and chilly frozen mornings. We at Asmar Equestrian can’t make it summer for you but we can help you stay warm and dry during the colder months.
The Longsleeve T- Mockneck and the Women’s AE Logo Longsleeve T provide perfect base layers to wear under the rest of your equestrian attire for extra warmth without the need for bulky layers. Perfect for layering the streamline tops from Asmar Equestrian provide a stylish way to look chic whilst keeping warm.
The stretchy, flexible fabric allows you to move whether on the yard or whilst working and the clever technological design includes a Chitosante treatment which allows the garments to be absorbent, breathable, durable, fast-drying, static-free, wrinkle and pill resistant. 
Priced at $60.00 the Longsleeve T- Mockneck and the Women’s AE Logo Longsleeve T are available direct from the website by visiting
http://www.asmarequestrian.com
Your Horse Magazine Features The All Weather Rider Jacket By Asmar Equestrian
The Asmar Equestrian All Weather Rider Jacket has been put to the test in this month’s Your Horse Magazine.
The buyers’ guide offered by the magazine looks at and compares products provided by leading retailers. This month brought about the assessment of a range of Waterproof Jackets and we are pleased to declare the All Weather Rider Jacket stood up well to the competition!
Reviews reported the All Weather Rider to be “slim fitting, flattering and looks smart” with testers saying the jacket is “well worth the money” and that “the hidden skirt and riding vent are fantastic, and make this jacket really comfortable for riding in whilst keeping your legs nice and dry.” To read the full review pick up a copy of Your Horse magazine today.
We know our jacket is nothing like anything else on the market providing a true connection between style and functionality, but it is nice to know our testers agree!
The design of the All Weather Rider is unique. This award winning jacket contains both front and back zips which unveil a hidden skirt. The skirt innovation fits comfortably and easily over your legs and saddle keeping you warm and dry, whatever the weather brings! When not in use the skirts simply snap back into place providing a truly elegant coat whether you are riding or hitting the high street!
There is an All Weather Rider Jacket for everyone with sizes ranging from XS-XXL and a wide choice of colours; Black, Black plaid, Brown plaid, Camel, Charcoal, Navy, Plum, Red, and Olive http://bit.ly/UmD7RW
For more information or to find your nearist Asmar Equestrian stockist visit the website: www.asmarequestrian.com
The Award Winning All Weather Rider
The popular award winning coat that transforms to keep you and most saddles dry in all weather conditions.
Front and back skirt unveil behind a hidden zipper gusset to fit over your saddle.
When the skirts are not in use, they snap elegantly into place.
Removable hood.
A truly functionable garment for any outdoor enthusiast.
3M Reflective safety piping at back.
YKK zippers throughout.
Zippered chest and side pockets for cell phone or personal items.
Inside ribbed sleeve cuff to prevent hay and weather elements from entering.
It’s even machine washable!
Simply Perfect!
Look at what was seen in the Xmas gift guide in Absolute Horse
We were so pleased to see our Merino Wool Vest in Absolute Horse Christmas gift ideas section!
We agree! We think our stylish vest is a great idea for Christmas!
Colours to flatter your skin tone
Warm skin tone – rich red, sparkling gold or topaz yellow
Neutral skin tone – you’re the lucky ones! Almost every colour will flatter your skin tone.
Fair skin tone – deep amethyst purple, emerald green, diamond pink or sapphire blue.
Check out where our Prima Fitness Jacket was seen…
We were delighted to see our Spicy Berry Prima Fitness Jacket appear in a recent edition of Horse & Hound!!
Sophie Wells’ London 2012 Paralympic Blog
“So being the first day, I just took Noki for a little stretch in walk and trot, to get him used to the arenas and surface, as it did have a slightly funny feeling about it in a couple of areas. We had a press conference over the weekend, where the press was invited to ask questions with us all sat there which was quite good. I really think we had a great team this year, a good mix of experience and youth, Tash and I were always referred to as debutantes, and the other 3 as veterans! We all get on really well, support each other and socialised together especially the girls sharing a flat with Helen Mathie our physio, and Lucy Bell, who is a physio and carer for this trip, but also is Chef d’Equipe for the Vaulting teams, so is very experienced with major competitions too.
We had our allocated training times each day, and Sunday was the first day that anyone was allowed a slot in the ‘field of play’! Because we were only allocated half an hour, I decided to ride Noki in the morning in another arena then walk with him stretched out in the afternoon in the main arena. It’s worked well in the past as he gets a good couple of sessions out of the stable instead of hand walking all the time, and it gets him relaxed in the arena. We had a similar routine on the next day except I picked him up to give him a trot around and in the arena. Outside the riding, I had a small drama in that my phone stopped working, ok but it is a vital time to keep communication and the phones we were allocated for the games were £10 from Tesco and had buttons which we had to learn to use all over again!!…Not brilliant so I felt pretty stranded without any communication! Turned out that my phone had completely died, so a trip to Westfield that evening to get it sorted, even though it was bank holiday they were still open until 10pm, which was amazing!! I did a deal with Apple so that I could get a replacement then and there and could carry on as normal!”
Sophie Wells’ London 2012 Paralympic Blog
“We arrived at Arrow and got Noki settled in his stable, unloaded the lorry and stacked our pallet. Each horse had its own pallet of feed and hay or haylage. All the feed bags and supplements had to be new and unopened, and the pallet wrapped in cellophane. Emma Kent, who has been back and forth training with Ange with her horse, has been looking for another horse for Rio for a while. She found one she really liked and got it to come to the Arrow while we were there that evening for us to see. He looked lovely and Emma looked confident on him, which is a big step. We all headed back to the hotel and out for dinner that night before trying to get a good night’s sleep for the last leg of our journey to Greenwich.
The next morning we arrived at the Arrow to find a massive red coach to take the 5 riders and 4 support staff into the Olympic village, it was certainly spacious! It was quite weird only going 18 miles down the road, but it was only then that we allowed ourselves to get excited at last… It’s so hard to stop yourself getting excited in the run up, as we all know anything can happen with horses. We got to the Olympic village and had a quick tour around the dining hall, gym, non alcoholic club, shopping including post office, dry cleaners, bank, salon – it was surreal! We got news through that the horses had arrived safely on Mark Perry Transport, and everyone was setting up the stables. We were due to head over on the buses that would take us from the village to Greenwich Park each day, however by then it was 4pm Friday night, traffic was terrible, so the decision was made to stay in the village and unpack. So we decided to decorate our rooms too! Tash (Natasha Baker) and I were sharing a room and had received loads of good luck cards that we put up with flags and bunting to make it a bit more homely.
Next day was our first trip out to Greenwich to see the horses and the venue. Obviously we had seen the main arena stadium, or ‘field of play’, when we went to see the dressage at the Olympics. But it was quite impressive behind the scenes! A massive veterinary centre which included X-rays, theatre, padded box and farrier’s forge – where they could even make shoes! A big stable block full of wash down boxes, the stables were all completely rubber matted, even the walk ways, and we even had a tack room each! There were 5 outdoor arenas, 1 covered arena, 1 lunge pen, the stadium, gallop track, a medical centre and dining area for all support staff and riders. I think we were very lucky to have such amazing facilities, and then to think that it was all temporary and built on stilts or crates. Just amazing.”
Sophie Wells’ London 2012 Paralympic Blog
“Well it wasn’t the easiest run up to leaving for London! I was getting Noki out for the farrier on the Monday before leaving on the Thursday and I took his boots off to find a splint sticking out of his leg! Obviously I was slightly panicky, but we trotted him up and he looked good, we lunged him and he was fine, we prodded and poked, and he didn’t seem sore. The only way I can think he did it is he crosses his legs and scratches each leg with the other one, not normal, but when he does it he tried to push his stable boots down. There only seems to be so much you can do to wrap them up in cotton wool and stop them self harming!! Mark, my farrier, looked at it and seemed happy, then the World Class Farrier, Ian Hughes, came the next day to shoe Ange’s horses and had a good look at him, and there still didn’t seem to be a problem. Typical when only a few days before we had a home visit from the World Class Vet, Osteopath and Farrier. This was also after the last day of substitution, where I could swap for my reserve horse, Reece, so thank goodness everything was ok. I had my last few gym sessions with my Biomechanics coach Teresa Dixon, having recovered well after being kicked by Reece, and I definitely felt I was going into the games as fit and strong as I have ever been.
We left for the official meeting point, Mark Perry’s Arrow yard, on Thursday 23rd, to get there for 3pm. I came to start the lorry after it was all packed, and nothing! Arghhhhhhhh! Timing!!! So we spent the next hour on the phone to Dad so he could talk me through connecting everything to jump start it. I was quite proud of myself that I managed to do it on my own and was thankful I had an emergency breakdown kit in the lorry! So we then got Noki on the lorry, an hour and a half late, and we were half an hour down the road when I realised that with everything going on, my last job was to get Noki’s ice boots out of the freezer and I had forgotten! So a quick call home, and Amie had to drop everything and try and catch us up. In the meantime we had to stop for fuel and we were in two minds whether to turn the lorry off in case it didn’t start! So finally we were on our way, hoping that we had had our share of bad luck…”
asmarequestrian.wordpress.com 