Profile Riders – Team EquoIQ
Maria Åkerström
Maria is a show jumper and has been riding ever since she learned to walk and she got her first pony when she was 5 years old. Since then, Maria has been in the stables every day and horses and competition are her great passion in life. She has won the elite series twice on a pony and has also ridden various championships in Sweden. Now Maria has a horse that she competes with in 130 classes. Maria is very keen to give her horses the best conditions to be able to perform at their peak. Her horse Gaga is a very modern sports horse with long legs and a slender body, and it has always been difficult to find suitable blankets for it. In covers Gaga has had in the past, she has not only been restricted in her mobility, but has also had chafing on the bow and clearly showed with the grinding of her teeth and backwards ears that she disliked her covers when she had them on. Since Gaga started using quilts from EquoIQ, she has completely stopped disapproving and thinks it is much better to fasten the quilt on the side instead of on the chest. Maria thinks that the design of the blankets is very nice, while the fit is very good and gives her horse great freedom of movement. It is also important that the quilts are of high quality so they last a long time and that we can contribute to a smaller environmental impact and avoid buying new quilts more often than necessary. Maria believes that EquoIQ’s blankets meet all the requirements a horse owner can have for a blanket!
Anna Bredberg
Anna Bredberg is an experienced rider in both eventing and jumping. Anna has ridden in the 4* field competition, won YRSM gold and rode in the European Championship in 2011. Has been in the Swedish national team both on pony and on horse for several years. Competed up to 140 jumping with several different horses and aims even higher. Anna thinks that EquoIQ’s quilts are good because it gives them great freedom of movement and that they avoid book chafing. They can run freely in the pasture without the blanket holding back and the fabric holds up well for play and mischief in the pasture. The ridges along the mane on the neck cover are great as the mane stays healthy after all the cold months of winter and she can bud nicely before the dressage program of the eventing.
Jessica Jacobsson
Jessica Jacobsson is a girl who we have seen with her northern Swedish working horses at, among others, Friends Arena at the Sweden International Horse Show, Falsterbo Horse Show and Eurohorse at the Gothenburg Horse Show. They show off tricks and freedom dressage for the audience and the horses can do tricks such as lying down, rearing, waving, kissing etc.
Jessica also competes in dressage, and with Nitro as one of the horses, she has started up to and including Easy B:3 with many placings and wins over the years. Their personal best is 71.8%. Together with Nitro, Jessica has opened her eyes to dressage and felt that she wanted to train even more to develop as a rider. So in 2019 she bought her first half-breed, Harlequin Pride. They even managed to start Easy A:3 with wins and placings and a personal best of 78%. Harley tragically passed away due to a diaphragmatic hernia in the fall of 2020 and eventually Jessica is looking for a new star to continue her venture with. Jessica thinks the EquoIQ blankets are fantastic, mainly because of their fit which offers a lot of freedom of movement for the horses. As Jessica’s horses are of the rougher model, she has had difficulty finding blankets that fit well in their bows, but the EquoIQ are very adjustable and fit perfectly on her Northern Swedes. In addition, the blankets are durable and last for all the play out in the yard.
Malin Malmling
Malin is a western rider and lives on a farm in Dalarna. Malin has had her own pony/horse, competed and trained in western riding since she was 5-6 years old. Malin has, among other things, started SM, qualified for EC, won agria western cup, district championship, KM, highpoint rider, etc., etc. Over the years she has started horsemanship, pleasure, trail, showmanship, trail to hand, western riding, ranch riding and reining. The latter, reining, is now the discipline she invests wholeheartedly in with her quarter stallion, Qalm’s Red Hot Chili. Malin bought Chili as a 1-year-old, and has ridden in and trains him herself. Last year they debuted at A competition – ie international level, at the High Chaparral Horse Show. Malin’s philosophy in horse training is good communication, varied training, good cooperation, softness, concession and genuine horsemanship, she says “work your horse with love – and he will love to do his work.”
Malin always wants the horse’s best, and has a holistic view, of course that also includes the equipment that she has high demands on. Malin says that she is super satisfied with EquoIQ’s quilts and that they are the best quilts she has tried. Chili is very muscular, and she has had a hard time finding suitable covers that are not too tight in the bow, or that can even be buttoned together in the front. But EquoIQ’s quilts with adjustable yoke fit Chili perfectly and give him fantastic freedom of movement. In reining, you don’t cut the mane and Malin likes to keep it long and nice. That’s why she also thinks that EquoIQ’s neck warmers with lifting rubber bands that prevent chafing on the mane are absolutely superb. She also describes EquoIQ’s quilts as really stylish, good material and very durable. She also wants to say hello to you who are reading this: “Where focus goes – energy flows, If you can dream it – you can do it”.
In the future, we will cooperate with several riders in different disciplines at different levels. They will soon also appear on this page as soon as everything is ready 🙂
