Dogwood Is Recruiting

*We are Recruiting*

Dogwood is recruiting; we are looking for someone with an in-depth knowledge of the equestrian industry to join our team in Chichester.

The ideal candidate will not only be very knowledgeable about horses and the equestrian industry as a whole, but will also be a good writer, ability to multi task, a good telephone manner and an affable nature to deal with our broad spectrum of clientele.

The primary responsibility will be to assist the General Manager with the day to day running of the company website; this includes producing written copy for news stories, articles and blogs as well as writing engaging and informative product descriptions. The role will also include order processing and fulfilment as well as account data entry.

The role is Mon-Fri 8.30am – 5.30pm with some flexibility for weekend work when we’re exhibiting at shows. Previous retail experience would be preferable but is by no means essential as training will be given.

If you’re a keen individual who has a passion for equestrianism please get in touch by emailing a cover letter and CV to thesaddlery@dogwoodlondon.co.uk .

In the subject line please put ‘Job Application + your name’.

Dogwood @ Olympia - See you there!

The Olympia Horse Show is known by every equine enthusiast as the ultimate lead up to Christmas. The show is famous for its electric atmosphere, great shopping, amazing show jumping spectacles and world class performances; a Christmas build up for the whole family.

The shows main events feature throughout the week with classes running in the international arena every day. Tuesday and Wednesday will see dressage performances such as the FEI Dressage World Cup Qualifier and World Cup Dressage competition. Thursday onwards will then see major international show jumping competitions such as speed stake classes, the famous Puissance, FEI show jumping World Cup Qualifier and the Olympia Grand Prix.

However, the events aren’t the only attraction to the famous horse show, with the Olympia shopping village having everything any equestrian could possibly dream of all under one roof. This year, Dogwood London will be one of 16 new exhibitors at the show with our collection of casuals and tweeds. The collection includes our now iconic polo tops, together with the unveiling of our ‘brand new and unseen’ (not even on our website yet) beautiful and British tweed fashion jackets!

You can find the Dogwood stand in the National gallery stand R18, from 2pm on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th – Monday 19th from 10am onwards.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Natural Horsemanship - Bridless riders warned about dangers of road riding!

Natural Horsemanship is always a beautiful sight to see, whatever style of riding you come from. A trusting horse that can be ridden without a bridle, in a relaxed way seems a millions miles from traditional English riding at times, but have you ever wondered about the implications if something went wrong?

Bridless riders are being warned of the different situations between riding at home and riding out on the roads. The Highway Code, rule 52 states “Never ride a horse without a saddle and bridle.” and if you fail to observe these rules, this could potentially lead to a road traffic offence. However, what if an accident happened which affected another driver? Would you be covered under your insurance company?

For example, terms of insurance usually state that people can be insured fully if they do not undertake dangerous behavior. However, if other road users are affected, this could lead to legal proceedings.

An associate director of the popular equestrian insurance company SEIB, David Buckton said that reasonable precautions should always be taken to avoid a claim.

“However, the terms of personal accident insurances arranged by SEIB make no stipulations about the use or otherwise of bridles or saddlery,” said Buckton.

“Riders should always be open with insurers, disclosing activities they are likely to undertake, and ensuring they’re in control of their horses, taking into account their normal riding activity, personal experience and the horse’s level of training."

The Natural Horsemanship society does offer a policy that protects riders while using natural horsemanship riding equipment such as rope halters through an association called Fidelius Insurance Solutions.

Keep safe whilst hacking with new GPS phone App!

A unique piece of safety equipment is now available to keep you safe while hacking alone; the HorseRidersSOS app for smartphones.

The new technology has been designed to keep riders safe, sending a panic message to your emergency contact if an accident occurs.

You may be thinking how does my phone know if I am in an emergency? Well, this new piece of safety equipment monitors activity while on ‘tracking mode’ and will enter into ‘alert mode’ and send a panic message to a pre determined contact number if it recognises that there has been a significant period of inactivity and no movement, such as from the event of a fall. This SOS message contains your exact GPS position thanks to the brilliance of global positioning systems.

However, in case of false alarm the app also has a built in safe mechanism which allows the user to over ride if not genuine.

This unique app costs £4.99 and is available for Android and iPhones at www.horseridersos.com

Take the Sweet Itch Survey to win £100 worth of Country Clothing!

Horse owners with animals that suffer from sweet itch are being urged to help with the sweet itch survey.

If your horse suffers with the skin condition which occurs in the summer time, you will understand the need for more information to improve the welfare of horses suffering with the condition.

Completing the survey will only take ten minutes while helping improve the quality of many horse’s lives. You will also be entered into a prize draw to win £100 worth of country clothing vouchers!

Managing sweet itch can range from using specialised horse rugs which help relieve the symptoms, which include itching, hair loss and flaky dandruff. Sweet itch is caused by an allergic reaction to insect bites and is known to be a hard condition to treat.

To enter the survey, please visit www.mogannonassociates.com/surveys/equineskin/ and make a difference to a horse’s life.

Get Well Soon Tim!

Get well Tim Stockdale is a wish for any persons in support of equestrianism and British Show jumping.  Well known for his dedication and success to show jumping, 47 year old Tim Stockdale is on the mend after his accident on the 17th October.

The accident happened while the Olympic show jumper was trying out a young horse in North Wales and moved to adjust a piece of horse tack. The horse jerked forward, knocking Tim from the saddle where he hit the post and rail fencing. He was unconscious for a while after landing outside the school.

Immediately, Tim was transferred to Shrewsbury Hospital and then moved to a spinal unit. At first it was thought he had fractured two vertebrae but new tests have revealed that it is actually three, along with torn ligaments on both sides of the neck.

Due to adequate safety equipment when the accident happened, Tim is now on the mend with six weeks bed rest and physiotherapy. Laura, Tim’s wife has said that her husband is in good spirits but isn’t the easiest of patents saying: "He's really fidgety and all I hear the nurses saying is, 'Will you stop moving!

"He doesn't do relaxing, so it's going to be hard."

The famous show jumper, sponsored by Tuffa footwear, is hoping to make a recovery and be back on the circuit around February, March time. Other riders have shown their support offering to take his horses to competitions and fans have relentlessly shown support though social networking and emails.

Last but no least, from us at Dogwood London, get well soon Tim!

New Jumping Simulator Released!

Have you ever thought of trying out some show jumping or maybe even getting some practice cross country? Well, thanks to the new jumping simulator from Racewood, you don’t even need to even get on a real horse!

Racewood have built the new simulator to add to their collection of dressage, polo and racing simulators. Built to improve your confidence and eliminate faults exhibited by the rider, the jumping simulator can add bags of skills to riding without having to go anywhere near an ‘actual’ horse.

So, how does it work?  The simulator is built with leg sensors that respond to movement on all areas of horse tack such as the bit, the saddle and the stirrups. The horse will jump perfectly every time so the simulator will show if you are off balance or relying on aids such as neck straps.

The Racewood Jumping simulator will be available around Christmas time, but if you’re hoping to put this on your Christmas list, it may be your only present, as simulator costs start at £50,000!