The Future of Equestrian Gear- Dallas Trade Show Recap W 25

Folks, everything is bigger in Texas and the winter 2025 American Equestrian Trade Association (AETA) trade show was absolutely no exception. There is SO much to gush about from this year’s show, so let’s get right into it.

We started off with a long day of travel from Greenville, SC to Atlanta, GA, then finally to Dallas. Luckily we were able to take some time to enjoy the view! I (Michelle) have to tiny hand it to my travel companions, store owner Noreen Lehner, and our Chief Revenue Officer, Sara, for making this whole trip a blast.

After grabbing some dinner and settling into our hotel on Tuesday evening, we took a much-needed rest with visions of shiny new bridles, breeches, show shirts, jackets, and more dancing in our heads. And before we knew it, it was time for all the magic to begin!

Wednesday

As usual I simply can not sleep the night before the trade show. It’s like Christmas eve for an 8 year old. After catching a few hours of sleep I was up and ready to roll at 7:30. The doors don’t even open until 8:30 so Sara and I took an Uber to Starbucks for an eye opener before heading to the venue. Once we popped out of the Uber we Sara and I went to registration, picked up our security tags and made our way up to the tenth floor.

Once we stepped off the escalator it was clear some major changes had taken place since August! Instead of the manufacturers being set up in little pop up shops, several had set up shop in the new permanent shops right off the escalator. The perm’s definitely give the manufacturers and buyers a more intimate feel since the shops are enclosed. Ariat, Lemieux, Shires, ERS, AP Hassinger and others really wowed the retailers with their displays and collections for Fall Winter 2025! More about that later!

First on the agenda for the day is one of our favorite brands. Ego 7 never disappoints! Farm House got the first look of the new 2025 collection. If you’ve been watching your email, you may have already seen the unboxing.

Ego 7’s reveal was truly stunning. We love the attention to detail seen in the new show shirts, the show jackets are always so beautifully tailored and of course the breeches in fun new colors! Ego 7 shares a corner with Dubois Cheval, Sixteen Cypress and Veltri Sport and we fell in love with so many things! Dubois Cheval has fun new schooling spurs on the horizon that have interchangeable snap-on bling with complimenting spur straps of course, along with new crop and bridle charms. You will find most of these at our brick and mortar locations. They update very frequently, so they have not hit the website just yet.

Veltri Sport gives us some fun new colors in their equestrian gear collection including a lovely blue. We love how Veltri keeps the environment in mind when creating their goods. Their pieces are very durable and made with recycled water bottles. – Who knew you could repurpose plastics into essential pieces of equestrian gear that you can’t live without?

Sixteen Cypress also showed us some amazing new patterns that will be released later this year. Sixteen Cypress has a unique collection of unusual patterns for saddle pads, half pads and other horse gear that has really taken off in the last 12 months. If you haven’t seen their grooming tote, it’s definitely worth a look! The collection gives off a European country side vibe that carries across to rider gear as well.

We then checked in with our friends at Kismet Equestrian Apparel. If you know Kismet, you know they are always thinking outside the box, so we were super excited to check out their new offerings. Their new schooling shirts were an instant hit. They’re made out of a super lightweight athletic fabric that’s woven in a chevron knit pattern, just like your favorite Henley.

We’re also obsessed with the colors from this new group, including picante, periwinkle, spruce, and mist. We took a poll from our social media followers to see which was their favorite and they chose mist loud and clear. The best part of the new shirts from Kismet? We’re about to have them in stores and online for you!

Then we headed over to the Tailored Sportsman booth to talk to Susan and Van Issacs about their TOP SECRET plans for upcoming products. We can’t say much, but just know that we are thrilled and we know you will be too. Just keep that suspense building and know that we’ll be the first to break it to you when we can finally share.

One thing we do know is we have some stunning new colors headed our way. These pieces were ordered at the August trade show and are starting to make their arrival now. Breeches in Pinkberry and Bluest Blue are already here for ladies and girls! Shadow and Blue Heaven are on the way! The season’s latest colors are arriving weekly! Keep an eye on your email for the latest! Belts are already arriving as well, and sun shirts will be shipping shortly. I don’t know about you but I’m ready for Spring!

But, let’s not forget about our shirts and belts! You already know Tailored has some great colors coming out for both. Check it out!

We took a quick lunch break before heading off to visit with AJR Sport and see his latest collection of leather goods. Let me tell you, the leather goods – OMG! SWOON! Beautiful soft leather bridles, reins, and martingales with tight stitching and outstanding craftsmanship! We’ve already started receiving some pieces at our Ocala location, and can’t keep them in stock! The quality of these pieces is simply astounding! We can’t wait to be fully stocked at all 3 of our locations with these pieces! I don’t NEED a new show bridle but I may have to find an excuse to need one of these in my tack room!

If you’ve been tuning in to our podcast, Bit By Bit, you know we’ve had the chance to talk with owner Adam Rittenberg about several of his most popular and innovative bitsBe sure to subscribe to the podcast and join our email list so you can be the first to know!


We cram SO much into 48 hours it’s really crazy. From AJR we went over to visit with LeMieux in their new permanent location. The upcoming collection for Fall Winter 25 offers a beautiful color story focusing on warm fleece, cozy base layers and toasty outerwear, all with POCKETS!!! Y’all know how I feel about thumb holes on base layers and POCKETS for all the little things you need or pick up around the barn!

It wouldn’t be a visit with LeMieux without TOY PONIES!!! There are SO many now we know them all by name! We understand that the display box that doubles as a stall or trailer is undergoing an overhaul to make these special toys easier to ship. We didn’t get to see the new shipping container but as soon as we see it we will share it with you! So many new accessories we can’t wait to show you!

Stick ponies for Hobby Horse competitions are getting a carry case to keep them safe and tidy, they are also getting neck covers, and slinky’s to keep those coats nice and smooth. The full size toy ponies are getting new colors for their accessory collections (we love the purple!). The full size ponies are also adding a carry bag to their collection of accessories. This sturdy nylon case keeps your pony contained and ready for play!

These little guys are huge favorites for our riders, kids and adults alike. They’re so soft, squishy, and cuddly and we love the new colors, especially the strawberry roan (sure to be a hit with the Pink Pony Club). There’s also a whole herd of mini ponies to treasure!

From Lemieux we headed off across the venue to find German Equestrian – distributors of Effol/Effax, Sprenger, Passier, Fleck and Cavallo apparel. We are thrilled to get a sneak peek at a new foaming air vest cleaner! – Stay tuned to see what it does for my 2 year old never cleaned air vest! (Just waiting for mother nature to cooperate!) I’m eager to show you guys the before and after! Effol had some fun new horse coats and skin care products that smell amazing and promise to leave coats soft and shiny. We picked up some samples for the girls at home to try before we decide which pieces to order – the foaming vest cleaner is a no brainer, so that should be here soon!

33,000 steps later – no lie, lots of walking if you want to see everything! We wrapped up our first day of the winter trade show with a fun dinner with Ego 7. We dined at one of our favorite spots in Dallas – The Meddlesome Moth. We were incredibly disappointed to hear this iconic restaurant with its unique artwork and stained glass decor is struggling to find a place to relocate when their lease is up in May. We hope in August we find them thriving in a new location in the Dallas area!

Needless to say we all slept well Wednesday night! Sara and I got up a little bit early to hit up an eclectic little cafe nearby in the Dallas design district called The Meteor. 10/10 recommend! The atmosphere is classic vintage Dallas cowboy, the horseshoe-shaped bar serves as a great breakfast and lunch spot during the day with amazing selections of coffee, lattes, and treats. Cookies and cinnamon rolls as big as the palm of your hand! We met some of the local pups since the cafe is pup-friendly, grabbed a quick breakfast, and off we went for day two of the trade show.

Thursday morning we had some free time before meeting with R.J. Classics to see their fall collection. The three of us split up to check out some new brands and peek at some new things coming from smaller brands. I stopped in at Deinhardt Designs to see she has some beautiful new prints coming, she is so talented, I can’t believe she hand-draws all the prints herself! Ace Equestrian also had some super convenient things for competitive equestrians. Like number sleeves, halter/bridle numbers, elastic number strings, and several other innovative things that riders will find themselves unable to live without in their trunks. Equine and Design had some LOVELY new engraved home goods like etched glassware, and engraved slate coasters as well as some new apparel designs for equestrians everywhere.

My favorite find was meeting Rose from The Brave Pants Company. She made the trip from New Zealand to Dallas to introduce her brand to the United States. I have been following her on social media for a year or two because she’s hilarious, creative and her apparel is so unique with an epic vibe! The brand centers around encouraging riders to be courageous and brave. Put your brave pants on, it’s a vibe you can feel in her entire collection. From breeches with her strong feminine logo to her tops and show coats, the message is clear, be brave, you’ve got this! I am in love with this brand and am totally here for it!

Her high-tech breeches come in two styles, a lightweight summer fabric, and a slightly more structured fabric for traditional breeches. These breeches are TOUGH and comfortable with her classic logo on the rear center belt loop and small logo verbiage on the thigh, these breeches look great on and feel amazing! Available in full seat and knee patch both with silicone grips in core and seasonal schooling colors.

She also has 4 button show coats and is working on a 3 button version for the U.S. market. The show coats are laser drilled perforation for superior breathability, and comes in several beautiful colors including a beautiful deep dark hunter green, complete with logo on the left shoulder and button over zipper closure for a no-gap tailored look.

I’m a little excited about this brand ( just a little!), keep an eye out for this brand to make a debut on the website soon!

I met back up with Sara and we met up with Noreen to visit with R.J. Classics. We are in love with their latest addition to the ever popular Monterey show coat. If you aren’t familiar this jacket is beautifully tailored and has top level add ons like reinforced holes in the coat for your number string for a seamless look and detachable white cuffs on the sleeves. If you’re in the market for a new coat, put this one at the top of your list!

Colors for sweaters, vests and schooling breeches this fall were beautiful and stylish, plus the new color block show shirts are going to be a must have for competitive riders this fall!

After grabbing a quick lunch we then ducked into A.P. Hassinger to see her line of riding helmets, we were super impressed with the styling and details. We also got a good look at her collection that is already shipping for spring including her new Heritage collection of riding jods and breeches. The gold accenting on this collection is absolutely stunning

Then we took a brief stop at Tucker Tweed. Jill from Tucker Tweed rocked our world with the newest bag in the stablemate series. A beautiful backpack in that lovely British green canvas with leather accenting. So roomy and full of pockets! I love that you can snap up the wide opening to secure it before securing the flap, and the exterior cell pocket is perfect for keeping essentials in easy reach!

Just across the aisle is Penelope and FreeJump, Penelope is going hard on blush pink this fall adding a show coat, show shirt and schooling gear in this fun pigment with their fabulous jumping horse logo, Freejump has some really innovative training equipment including these neat rubber reins with bump stops. These look like they’d be great for riding on sloppy days, or when riding a spicy jumper that pulls!

Around the corner we popped in to check out the latest from Antares. You have all loved the bridle work we brought in from them this past fall, they have introduced another hunter bridle with lovely stitching and no padding but a wide style noseband, as well as some dressage bridles. You should see new additions from them late spring early summer online and in all three of our locations as well.

We spent a few minutes with Helite checking out their new safety irons and their new toddler sized air vests. Unfortunately toddlers have to weigh at least 45 pounds to deploy the vest, the technology still needs some refinement I think before it will be really ready for toddlers and little riders. Most of the under 6 year old set of riders I know either don’t or just barely meet that 45 pound minimum for deployment. I bet in another year or two one of the brands will have one ready for my small pony jockeys! I’ll be the first to let you know who has it when it finally hits the market!

Our eagerly anticipated appointment with Kelly from Equiline, showed us some fabulous go-to second skin training shirts with perforations to keep you cozy and warm on those cold weather rides. These shirts have a super cute mock neck and are among the first designs to feature the Equiline logo! Equiline is working on bringing a lovely chocolate brown hue into their line of fabulous breeches this fall. All across the venue it’s clear that this fall will be all about purple, rust and brown hues. I don’t know about you but I’m ready for it!

We did a quick stop at Vestrum, after much discussion with the team at Vestrum we are going to bring some select pieces of their collection back for 2025. Their Syracuse breeches were very popular with riders across the board, as well as Canberra show coats. The Canberra will arrive in 3 colors: classic black, pale olive and a pretty scuba blue. Keep an eye on your Sunday emails from us to know when they get here.

Just around the corner awaits our appointment with Samshield to check out the latest in helmets, breeches, competition apparel and outerwear. Luca and Hannah did a great job showing us ALL THE THINGS. We loved all the sparkly threaded details, hidden pockets and of course crystal accenting on the apparel. The helmets have some new customizable options that we quickly added to our orders for Tryon and Ocala. Look for this series of Farm House designed helmets at a store near you later this year!
Sunday email followers will likely be the first to see these stunning helmets when they arrive.

That about sums up day two of the trade show, we finished the evening meeting up with our friends from R.J. Classics for a lovely meal in downtown Dallas. What a fun evening with friends, and dinner was amazing! This country girl has gotten very handy with the Uber app! ( You don’t realize what you don’t have locally until you go to a big city where all the fun apps work!) Once we arrived back at the hotel, we were ready to get packed back up and head to bed.

Friday dawns another blustery chilly day in Dallas, the three of us hop on the shuttle with our bags and head straight to the venue. We lucked out with a late direct flight from Dallas on Friday so this gave us several more hours to walk the aisles and check out new brands and have some last minute chats with a few of our favorites before we headed off to the airport.

On arrival we have a quick chat with Charles Owens about helmet care and what’s on the horizon for next season and then a quick stop over at one of our new favorite equestrian jewelers to see her latest creations, V2 jewelry never disappoints! From statement necklaces to subtle equestrian undertones, her unique handmade pieces are always a hit!

Then we went upstairs to check out floor 12,( I think I’ve mentioned before the venue is 15 floors with an epic view of the Dallas skyline from the top!) where some of our vendors that cater more toward the western world have shops. Think Professionals Choice, Intrepid, etc. They serve more of the western disciplines than English, so they are on the Western Floors.

Professionals Choice treated us to lunch from Torchy’s Tacos where we enjoyed Trailer Park tacos and Fried Avocado tacos. 10/10 recommend when in Dallas! After lunch we perused the aisles for new brands took notes and pictures of interesting products to discuss with the staff (Do we want to carry?)

Then it was back down to floor 10 for one last tour of the aisles. Tucked away in a far corner we found a beverage company. They kindly gave us some samples of Ranch Fuel – unlike Ranch Water, this non alcoholic beverage is a different twist on energy drinks. Using natural caffeine and zero sugar the three of us were surprised at how much flavor it had. We were expecting La Croix but were pleasantly surprised at how delicious they were. I opted for Lime (give me all the sour things!!!) Sara the Mango Twist and Noreen tried the Kiwi Watermelon. We all quickly fell in love with the flavors. The energy hit was not overwhelming either, sometimes energy drinks make me jittery when they hit -even some with natural caffeine. We’ve got plans to loop in some of our local restaurant friends to put this on their menu and perhaps create some custom cocktails and mocktails with it!

Safe to say, we are counting down the days until we get to bring all of these fabulous products and so, so much more to our stores next season. Until then, make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get behind the scenes photos from this unforgettable trip.

We’ll also be posting our AETA walkthrough on YouTube as well as our full interview with all of the amazing vendors we spoke with. Until 2025, we’re bidding a very fond farewell to AETA. Thank you all for following us on our journey!

If anyone out there wants to sponsor me on a trip to Spoga – the Euro trade show, slide into my DM’s, and let’s talk!