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Monday, December 14 2020 / Published in Sidelines Feature

From Creating Shampoo in the Kitchen to Becoming a World Wide Brand

Devon B. Katzev 

President of Straight Arrow Products, Inc. 

Mane ‘n Tail, Cowboy Magic, Exhibitor’s

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

How long have you have been a part of the horse world?

I’ve been a part of the horse world from the moment I was born. I was named after the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania where my family showed their prize Arabians. Horses have always played a huge role in my life from childhood until now.

What’s your first memory with horses as a child?

I had a Shetland pony named Louie C. Steiner, aka Little Louie. He used to walk with me and my brothers to our bus stop in the morning and meet us at the bus when we got home. I think he was actually looking for an apple or some other treat, possibly leftover lunch we may not have eaten! One time, before my dad came home from work, I brought Little Louie into the house. That didn’t really go over well with my dad when he discovered me and the horse eating cheerios while sitting in front of the TV watching after-school cartoons.  

What part do you play in the horse world?

As the president and owner of Straight Arrow Products, Inc., I’ve become an ambassador for helping to keep horses clean and looking their best. We create unique horse grooming products that perform. We make all our products in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, including Mane ‘n Tail, Cowboy Magic and Exhibitor’s.  

What’s your favorite part about what you do?

The creativity is what I love most about what I do. Hands down! I enjoy problem solving, especially when making products. I’m always creating and striving to achieve a particular feel and/or a desired effect that becomes a solution for what our customers’ horses need.

How do you feel when you run into someone who has used your products for most of their life and they say there’s nothing like it?

It makes what I do every day all worth it! I love to hear that. I appreciate the affinity that people feel for our brands. For many, just the name of one of our brands brings them back to a nostalgic time in their past when they first discovered our products. With other people, it sparks a recent connection that they may have just made with our brand from seeing it somewhere online, in print or even through sampling. I’m thankful for our customers who have been relying on our products for many years and continue to do so, as well as new people discovering our brands every day.

What’s your biggest achievement inside or outside of the horse world?

That we have made Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo one of the leading shampoos in the horse grooming industry, and not only has it become popular in the horse world, but all over the world for people. No one else has ever done that in the horse world and truly had a successful crossover with their products being used by people. It shows that we’re making something good, something of quality. One of the key factors in our success is that we’re willing to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves, not just paying contract fillers to make it somewhere else for us. 

The company turned 50 years old in 2020 — that alone says something about my parents, who initially rolled up their sleeves and started Straight Arrow in our kitchen! We’ve come a long way since then. I can remember all the hard work and countless hours that my parents put in when I was a kid. In the beginning, making shampoo and conditioner was a family project. When I was about 5 years old, my dad would put a bunch of caps down in front of me on the living room floor and I would tighten the caps and put labels on bottles. I helped stir shampoo in the sink and we traveled all over to do store deliveries. 

I’m so grateful that my mom got to see my vision for Straight Arrow come to fruition before passing away this summer. She lived long enough to see the new phase of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. She couldn’t believe that we built such a thing, from starting the business out of their home and to seeing how far we’ve come.  

What’s the best-kept secret about what you do? 

Listening! It’s something I learned from my horses, that’s the best secret. I listen to everything and take it all in, think about it and react to few things. At times, we think we have to immediately respond, but I’ve learned to listen and take it all in first. 

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Tagged under: brand, grooming, mane n tail, shampoo, worldwide

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Gre Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N strike gold in Great American $300,000 Grand Prix at HITS Ocala!! 🏆🥇

Crowds filled the stands at the HITS Ocala Grand Prix Ring on Sunday afternoon to watch the world’s top athletes compete in the Great American $300,000 Grand Prix. The day concluded with a thrilling five-horse jump-off featuring athletes 
representing four countries. In the end, it was Lisa Goldman-Smolen (USA) and Ivaro N who produced the only double clear effort of the day, claiming one of the biggest wins of her career. Scott Keach (AUS) and Noble De La Chapelle earned the second-place prize with the fastest 4-fault jump-off, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Obi Wan placed third as the day’s pathfinders.

“I'm still on cloud nine, I still can't believe it – I’ve used up all my luck for the year,” smiled Goldman-Smolen after her win. “I've been knocking on the door a long time in these bigger classes. I am so proud of my horse – he gave every ounce of effort.”

Sunday’s Great American $300,000 Grand Prix marked the conclusion of the 2023 HITS Ocala circuit. HITS CCO Joe Norick concluded, “We are so excited about the new HITS, with 2023 as the launch. New footing, many new arenas here, and a lot of our facilities across America are getting a lot of love and new footing. Our partnerships with Worldly Martin and others across America including our footing leader Bart Poles overseeing our operations – it really makes a big difference for us. Today is about Ocala and these three riders sitting next to me who supported us this entire winter. We want to be a proud destination for our exhibitors and our friends. We know we have to provide them a beautiful showplace to work from that's horseman friendly, and that's our go goal. 

Congratulations to all of the riders, horses, owners, and groom who participated in this prestigious class!!! 🎉
📸 @esi_photography 
#horseshow #horses #horse #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #horselove #horsestagram #instagram #showjumping #equestrianlife #equine  #horsebackriding #dressage #horselife #pony #of #horserider #horseshoe #horsemanship #horseshowlife #riding #instahorse #horseaddict #horseofinstagram #sidelinesmagazine
It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is. It's #STUDSunday and today's featured stallion is...

 ✨PF'S DIAMO BLUE✨
Diarado-Diamant de Semilly- Chacco Blue
17.0hh, Oldenburg International Hunter Derby/ Jumper Stallion
An outstanding Pedigree- Chacco Blue and Diamant de Semilly
WBFSH/ Rolex top ranking Jumping Sires 2017 thru 2022
Standing at Ryan Pedigo Sport Horses, in California

For more information, you can contact 
🖥Ryanpedigosporthorses.com
🖥Ryan.p.f@hotmail.com
☎️(714) 357-2714

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

@ryanpedigosporthorsespf_

#stallion #horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #equine #dressage #pferd #equestrianlife #mare #hengst #horseriding #instahorse #cheval #pferde #equinephotography #horselove #dressagehorse #pony #horselover #caballo #foal #quarterhorse #aqha #arabianhorse #sidelinesmagazine
Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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