62 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Fred, Wilhelmina’s brother, helps show off the Blue Bamboo
cooler.
Photos courtesy of Fenwick Equestrian
Fenwick Equestrian Paves The Way
By Arianna Delin
It all began with a simple thought that many equestrians have
had: Wishing someone would invent a product that would help our
horses. Entrepreneur Wilhelmina McEwan was able to turn her
thoughts into reality, and that reality has turned into a successful
company, Fenwick Equestrian Products.
“My brother and I always said that we wished someone would
develop this, never thinking that we would be in this position,” said
Wilhelmina. This thought many years ago is what prompted the
launch of Fenwick Equestrian Products, which produces a line of
high-performance, drug-free products with therapeutic qualities
developed to help the equine athlete perform at the top levels.
In the beginning, Wilhelmina began looking for a product which
had all the qualities she was looking for and that she would
be happy using on her own horses. While looking into natural
materials for horse products, her focus narrowed into those that
were therapeutic, such as bamboo and jade.
“I don’t know if my home economics [classes] from back in
the days of high school were rubbing off, but it was fun,” said
Wilhelmina. “It was just being in the right place, at the right time
and I wanted to do something. It was exciting and it has snowballed
into an amazing company.”
Wilhelmina became involved with horses at a very young age,
riding at the military bases where her father was stationed, as well
as on her grandmother’s farm in Fenwick, Canada. During the
time her family was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, Wilhelmina
met Colonel John Russell, who kick-started her riding career,
launching her into jumpers. While competing up and down the East
Coast, Wilhelmina was also competing in Europe, moving her way
up through the grand prix levels. This superstar rider competed in
shows such as the first American Invitational in Tampa as well as
shows in Wellington, the Hamptons and Madison Square Garden
in New York.
In 1977, once she had met all of her riding goals, she bought her
father’s farm in South Carolina, where she and her brother have
raised competitive yearlings bound for the racetrack. In 2009,
Wilhelmina decided to take a step back from the competitive side
of the equine world and this is when Fenwick Equestrian was born.
Fenwick Equestrian products specialize in high performance
e
Sidelines Shout Out
fabrics that have therapeutic effects. Fabrics used have
all been employed in human items such as show shirts, but
Wilhelmina’s company is the first to utilize the technology in
an equine line. All products are first tested on Wilhelmina’s
own horses. There are various products on the market that are
natural, but Fenwick Equestrian products are drug-free and
have the lasting therapeutics effects that no others do.
“The criteria that we had in the beginning was that everything
had to be wash and dry, moisture wicking and breathable, as
well as anti-bacterial. With technology nowadays, you can
come up with anything. I also wanted it to be comfortable on
the horses so that they wouldn’t get rubbed or come off. We’re
horse people so we understand how something needs to fit,
instead of it being put on a plastic mannequin.”
The main products that Wilhelmina sees customers buying
are from the liquid titanium line, of which she has recently
received a provisional patent for the medical use of the fabric.
The liquid titanium, when in contact with the horse, calms them
down as well as relieves stress in as quickly as ten minutes.
Products from this line include: blankets, quarter sheets, ear
covers, riding shirts, saddle pads, coolers, leg wraps and more.
Other products from Fenwick equestrian include: bamboo
blankets, jade coolers, leg boots, polos and more.
Wilhelmina is currently working with hunter rider, Liza
Boyd, on manufacturing liquid titanium ear balls, to be worn
in the show ring. Liza is also partnering to help design a liquid
titanium fleece show pad. This will have an advantage over
other brands, as it will be wash-and-dry with the traditional
appearance of a fleece pad. “The horse is the ultimate athlete,
and we should have been doing this a long time ago for them,”
Wilhelmina added.
About the writer: Arianna Delin is a 24-year-old Pennsylvania State University
graduate, who is currently a news editor at a community paper in New Jersey.
She has grown up around horses her entire life, competing in ‘A’ rated shows
along the Northeast.
Wilhelmina at the Aiken Fall Festival Horse Show with Whitney
McKinley and Just My Style wearing Fenwick’s sun blocking
Bodyguard Flysheet.
