Read this article and more HERE, inside the 2017 Equitation Issue of TPH
BY SISSY WICKES
As a child, EquiFit founder, Alexandra Cherubini, remembers playing with various forms of foam and materials brought home by her father who was in the medical supplies business. It was not unusual for her to hear her parents discussing innovations in braces, orthotics, and pads. Their company, Alimed, sought to improve established products through creative design and cutting-edge materials. Through her own company, EquiFit, Cherubini carries on the family tradition of excellence. The EquiFit product line was the first equine oriented company to apply progressive materials and manufacturing design from both the medical and sports industry to horse products.
Cherubini was an avid rider as a junior, and an occasional rider during her college years at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. She describes the “aha” moment that occurred in 2001 when she was walking down the street in New York City. Cherubini had begun a career in public relations, but knew she wanted to somehow enmesh a career path with horses. “I had to figure out a way to get back in the horse world,” she explains. “Suddenly, I thought, ‘Aha, shoulders back!’ It was something that every trainer had said to me.’” Cherubini went to the drawing board and designed a garment to be worn to improve posture. Many trainers have their students ride with a riding crop behind their back and hooked through their elbows in order to force a straight back. Building from that “horrible experience,” as Cherubini calls it with a laugh, she designed a product to enhance the same effect. As the website describes, “With consistent use ShouldersBack helps retrain your mind and muscles to stay in a correct, upright position. ShouldersBack™ is comfortable, breathable and does not restrict nor hinder your movement.”
Her first product was a huge hit and EquiFit was launched! ShouldersBack was featured on the Home Shopping Network as well as an installment at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called “Extreme Beauty,” depicting trends of manipulating the human body throughout time to obtain perfection. It has successfully crossed over from the equestrian world to the mainstream market, with mainstream sales exceeding equestrian sales. “I love the horse industry, and that’s what we are about,” Cherubini explains. “But, it is fun to have a product that crosses over.”
EquiFit is described as a “Massachusetts-based company which designs and manufactures technologically advanced products for top riders and horses throughout the world.” Its mission is to provide superior products for equestrians and horses through ingenuity, innovation, and imagination. To date, EquiFit offers a large selection of products for horses ranging from a wide selection of boots to its popular AgSilver skin products to girths and saddle pads. Riders can find human products to improve posture and provide protection from rubs and chafing.
EquiFit’s flagship product is its T-Boot. Branded by the iconic black and white elastic fastening straps, the foamed lined, non-chafing, washable boot became de rigueur for equestrians nationwide. As technology and materials improved, so did EquiFit’s array of products. In 2017, EquiFit offers 12 different kinds of front boots and 16 different hind boots. From the top of the line D-Teq boots favored by McLain Ward and Kent Farrington to the soft EverLeather MultiTeq boots lined in SheepsWool, EquiFit offers a boot for every occasion. A recent innovation is the opportunity to customize a boot with barn colors, logo, or name (think Nike ID for horse boots).
Cherubini is thrilled with the success of EquiFit, and continues to seek new opportunities in the marketplace. At the 2017 USEF Pony Finals, EquiFit launched a new line of boots for ponies. “It went gangbusters!” Cherubini exclaims. Included in the new pony line is the Pony Medal Boot for pony equitation competitors. Also offered is customization in both the D-Teq and MultiTeq pony boots. Pony riders can feature their favorite colors and pony’s name on their new boots.
Along with boots, EquiFit offers saddlepads with ImpacTeq technology. The foam inside of the pad firms to a protective shield for the horse’s back. The pads are manufactured with a cooling air mesh fabric and are antimicrobial and washable. The AgSilver products are enormously successful in the equestrian community. Silver has been used since ancient times because of its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. The AgSilver products have proven to be very successful in preventing the ubiquitous skin scratches that plague may horses. From shampoo to balms to protective socks, AgSilver is the first line of defense for horses’ skin.
Alexandra Cherubini has successfully fulfilled her wish to find a career in the horse industry. In EquiFit, she has created an iconic brand of boots and a time proven line of effective equine skin products. Look for the next big innovation from EquiFit as they continue to create better products for horse and horseman alike.
Read this article and more HERE, inside the 2017 Equitation Issue of TPH
About the Author: Sissy is a Princeton University graduate, a lifelong rider and trainer, a USEF R rated judge, a freelance journalist and an autism advocate. Her illustrious resume includes extensive show hunter and jumper experience. She lives with her family in Unionville, PA and Wellington, FL.
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