Flyinghorse has teamed up wit Dapple Equestrian, a super elegant and authentic Irish equestrian brand ideated smart and lovely Eoin O’ Neill. We had a little chat and this is what we brought home for you equestrian lovers. Enjoy reading our interview.
How did the desire to create Dapple Equestrian come up?
The opportunity arose to create Dapple Equestrian from another brand that I own, Country Pet. Country Pet is a pet product brand that I sell into the equestrian market. I thought if ever there was a good time to start an equestrian brand, this was it seeing as I already had my foot in the door with Country Pet! I spoke to some manufacturers and came up with some colour schemes to start a small equestrian collection.
If you had to choose one piece of the Dapple Collection, which one would it be?
Dapple Navy & Beige saddle pad. This was the first sample I received. I put it under my saddle, took a photo on my phone, set up an Instagram page and posted my first photo. Dapple Equestrian was born!
Tell us about the design process and the choice of color in your collection.
I don’t come from a fashion or design background. I’m trying to stick with strong traditional colours, keep it simple as possible with nice clean lines, creating a classic and elegant equestrian brand that will stand the test of time.
What can we expect for the Summer 2020 Dapple Equestrian collection?
We have some very exciting new products for summer ’20 including a new eventing collection, base layers, technical riding top, polos, new dressage and classic saddle pads & fly veils. I think it’s our strongest collection yet!
Eoin tell us about yourself and where are you from?
I’m from Kilkenny, Ireland. I’m very fortunate to have two wonderful brands and I’m excited to see what the future holds for both of them.
How would you describe your countries approach to equestrianism?
Ireland is steeped in horse history and culture.
The moment you knew your life was lost to horses?
Getting out of bed in the depths of winter to ride before school was never a problem. I used to look forward to it was a great feeling.
Your horse of a lifetime?
‘Papa Joe’ 15h Connemara cob. I broke him when I was 13 with my Dad and he was an absolute gem. There was nothing he couldn’t do and was in the ribbons every time we competed.
