Equestrian Blog

News and thoughts from around the equestrian community

If it's new and it's happening at Robinsons, you'll find it here. Keep checking here to stay fully up-to-date with the latest developments at the UK's biggest and best equestrian provider!

Black Friday Flash Sale Now Online!

 29. November 2013  Jillian.Deane@robinsonsequestrian.com  News  (0)
Grab yourself a bargain in our Black Friday Flash Sale. Today only, between Noon and Midnight you can get 20% off EVERYTHING online! Black Friday is a US retail phenomenon following their national holiday of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Retailers offer great discounts in time-limited deals. After spreading across the Atlantic to the UK it is now celebrated in both the US and UK and seen as a starting gun for the peak Christmas shopping period. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a great time for a sale and give you the opportunity to grab some discounted early Christmas presents! How to Save 20% Online Insert the code FLSH20 into the ‘Promotional Codes’ box at the bottom of your ‘shopping trolley’ page once you’ve selected all of the products you wish to purchase. There’s no minimum spend and the discount will be applied to both full priced items and those that have already been reduced! Plus we’re currently running a FREE delivery promotion, so you won’t even have to pay for your standard delivery! Click ‘Apply’ and you will see the discount appear on the right hand side of the page. For the free delivery offer you will need to calculate your ‘shipping & delivery’ and the postage charge will then automatically be reduced. Once you’re happy that the promotional code has been applied to your order, you can continue by clicking on ‘Proceed to Checkout’. If Your Promotional Code Doesn’t Work If your discount is not being applied after you have inserted the code FLSH20,  please contact our friendly customer service team on 0844 573 1001 and they’ll look into the problem for you. Expiry Dates & Exclusions Our Flash Sale ends at Midnight tonight (29th November). Please note that this promotional code cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional code and it cannot be applied retrospectively to previous orders. Happy Shopping!  

Love Being Rewarded?

 13. November 2013  Jillian.Deane@robinsonsequestrian.com  News  (0)
Since we first launched ‘Rider Rewards’ nearly twelve months ago, more than 32,000 customers have taken advantage and have been saving themselves money by collecting and spending their  ‘Rider Reward’ points online. Rider Rewards are our way to thank you for making your equestrian purchases with us. For every £1 you spend via our website, you’ll earn 5 points which can be redeemed against future purchases on our site. It’s easy to convert: 1 point = 1p. How It Works Unlike other points programmes, you have the choice to either pay for the value of your items using only your points, or you can split your payment between your points and conventional methods. You have the ability to view and manage your points through your customer account. Here you’ll be able to view how many points you have and how much they’re worth, when your points will expire and historic records of how points have been acquired, redeemed and lost. Can You Use Rider Rewards To Pay For The Whole Order? Rider Rewards can only be redeemed against the value of the items in your order. Any delivery charges that your order incurs need to be paid by your Paypal or credit/debit card as usual. Points are awarded for every pound you spend so even the VAT on your order will earn you points to redeem against future purchases. How Long Do Points Last? Rider Reward points expire one year after the date they were earned. If you have points that are about to expire, you’ll be sent an email before their expiry date so that you don’t miss the chance to use them! If you have any queries regarding Rider Reward points, please email our friendly customer service team on customer.service@robinsonsequestrian.com or use our ‘Live Chat’ facility online.  

Need It In A Hurry?

 23. July 2013  Jillian.Deane@robinsonsequestrian.com  News  (0)
Express UK Mainland Delivery - Next Day Orders received before 1:00pm, Monday to Thursday, will be delivered the following day. Unfortunately we don’t deliver on a Saturday and any Express orders received before 1:00pm on a Friday will only be delivered on the Monday of the following week and orders received after 1:00pm on Friday will only be delivered on the Tuesday of the following week. Express Small Parcel - Up to 15kgs - £6.99 These orders are sent on a next-day delivery service with YODEL. A signature is always required for an express delivery, so if you aren’t at home during the delivery attempt the delivery driver will post a card through your door informing you that a delivery attempt had been made. The parcel will not be left without a signature and the driver will take the parcel away with them and attempt to re-deliver at another time. These orders can be tracked throughout their journey. You can check to see what delivery options are available for your parcel by clicking on ‘Calculate your shipping & delivery’ at the bottom of your online shopping trolley and then once you’ve filled in your postcode click on  ‘Get A Quote’ and a list of the delivery options available to you will show. Express Large Parcel - 15kgs and over - £7.99 These orders are sent on a next-day delivery service with YODEL. A signature is always required for an express delivery, so if you aren’t at home during the delivery attempt the delivery driver will post a card through your door informing you that a delivery attempt had been made. The parcel will not be left without a signature and the driver will take the parcel away with them and attempt to re-deliver at another time. These orders can be tracked throughout their journey. You can check to see what delivery options are available for your parcel by clicking on ‘Calculate your shipping & delivery’ at the bottom of your online shopping trolley and then once you’ve filled in your postcode click on  ‘Get A Quote’ and a list of the delivery options available to you will show. The Small Print… Our Express delivery service is a guaranteed Next-Day service for most UK Mainland addresses. However, unfortunately this does not include a number of Scottish Highland areas and offshore addresses. Please contact our customer service team before ordering on 0844 573 1001 for more details if your delivery address is in one of these areas.

Does your Bates or Wintec Saddle Fit the Bill? Find Out at a Robinsons Store This Weekend!

 11. June 2013  paul.bentham@robinsons-uk.com  News  (0)
Our Bates and Wintec ranges are easily the most popular saddles we offer. Over the years, thousands of our customers have been impressed by their versatility and capability. This week, any Bates or Wintec saddle owner will be able to bring their saddle into three of our four stores* to get a free health-check from our supplier to ensure that it's still perfect for their requirements. One of the main assets of these saddles is the unique Easy-Change™ fit solution they feature. Simply by removing two screws, it's possible to alter both the gullet plate and the riser pads inside to change the fit of the saddle entirely. This allows you to ensure the continued perfect fit of your saddle to your horse over time – or even transfer your saddle between horses of different shapes. While the technology to make these changes is very simple, we've noticed that it's quite common that owners of these saddles may not be using it to get the full advantage of the system. Of course, it's quite understandable that many people may not be too keen to start taking apart their saddle – even if that's what it's designed for! On the other hand, horses can and do change shape as they get older and, obviously, anyone using the same saddle on new horses may find their new horse is a totally different shape. This all means that today, your saddle may not fit as well as you think it does. The free health-check will include an assessment of your fitting requirements, a check of the Cair panels, the tree, the gullet and the general condition of the saddle and also some general advice on caring for your saddle. There'll also be some Goody Bags available which will include information the Bates and Wintec Saddles, Cair and the Easy Change Fit Solution and some Bates/Wintec giveaways! If you're not yet the proud owner of a Bates or a Wintec Saddle, now might be a good time to become one! We're also offering a free Easy-Change™ Promo Gullet pack (RRP £59.99) and a free Easy-Change™ Riser Pack (RRP £74.99) with every purchase of a qualifying Bates or a Wintec Saddle! This offer is available at the three participating stores until Sunday 30th June or while stocks last. Where and When are the Health-Checks Available? *Health-checks are available at the following stores on the following dates. Times are estimated and may be subject to alteration. Friday 14th June, 4pm-8pm        Robinsons Cannock Superstore Saturday 15th June, 9am-1pm   Robinsons Ashton Megastore Sunday 16th June, 11am-3pm    Robinsons Basingstoke Megastore We regret that we are unable to extend this service or the offer at our Cardiff Store this time.

There’s 3 Ways to Save at our Massive Spring Sale!

 23. May 2013  paul.bentham@robinsons-uk.com  News  (0)
It's Sale time again at Robinsons and this time, we're giving you three ways to save loads of money on your equestrian purchases! 20 Unbeatable Deals You may already be familiar with the fantastic offer we're making on the Harry Hall Legend riding hat for £39.99 (£33.99 for kids' sizes). Not only is it such a great price that nobody else is able to match it but we've found another 19 deals like it – that we think are unbeatable. Have a look – we think you'll agree! 20% OFF Hundreds of Current Lines We're all used to seeing out-of-season items being reduced to clear at Sale time – that's why Sales existed in the first place – but we've decided to go a step further and reduce a large chunk of our current Spring/Summer 2013 range by 20% for the duration of the Sale. It means you can make a serious saving on hundreds of items that aren't from a few seasons ago. AT LEAST 50% OFF Hundreds of Clearance Lines The whole point of a Sale is to clear our stocks of older items to make way for newer, more up-to-date products. The best way to do that is to reduce the price – by a lot! We've reduced these Clearance items by at least 50% to help you find a bargain and to help us prepare for next season! The Spring Sale Instore This Sale isn't just happening online, you can find many of the best deals at any of our four Robinsons stores! Add to that the experience and commitment to service of our sales staff, who can advise you about your requirements or ensure the correct fit of safety wear like riding hats or body protectors. If you require something very specific, it may be a good idea to call before you set off to check stock and even reserve it. If not, a browse through any of our stores is a great way to spend an hour – or more! Here's more information about each of our stores. Which is the nearest one to you? Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire – at over 20,000 sq ft, it's the UK's biggest equestrian store! Cannock, Staffordshire – over 10,000 sq ft and within 30 minutes' drive of over two million people! Basingstoke, Hampshire – also over 20,000 sq ft, possibly the busiest equestrian store in the South! Radyr, Cardiff, Glamorgan – around 4,000 sq ft and easily the largest equestrian store in Wales! Rider Rewards Don't forget that, even though it's a Sale and there a many chance to save money on hundreds of items, you can still claim even more value! All online purchases during the Sale will still be eligible to earn Rider Reward points at the rate of 5 points per £1 spent. These points can then be redeemed at 1p per point against a future online order. Thousands of people have earned points already. What will you buy from the points you can earn?

10% Off Rugs (Online & Instore, 15th – 28th April 2013)

 16. April 2013  paul.bentham@robinsons-uk.com  News  (0)
Do you have a rug addiction? If we've learned one thing in the 29 years we've been involved in Mail Order, it's that horse owners just can't have enough rugs! It's a comment that's often been repeated by many a bemused partner of a horse owner – and even admitted to by a large number of equestrians themselves! If you're one of those people – or if you just find that there's nothing better than a great bargain, we've decided to salute you by offering 10% off our entire rug range, online, for the next two weeks! Every item in the Rugs section of our website – even those which are new to our range this season and even our cheapest-ever turnout, the £29 Requisite Classic 600 Lite – will be priced at 10% Off until Sunday 28th April! To take advantage of this great offer, simply shop online, as normal. The items will appear at their regular prices when you're browsing but the 10% discount will be applied to all qualifying items as soon as you've added them to your trolley!  Or just visit one of our stores! What could be simpler than that?  Click here to view our Rug range! Customers in the 1980s would surely have laughed at the thought of a horse rug as a 'fashion item' and yet, while function remains the most important aspect of a rug's value, it would be naïve for anyone to suggest that fashion plays no part in the development of the rugs on offer today. Looking through the pages of our 1987 Winter Catalogue, the first 'proper' catalogue we ever produced, it wasn't always that way. There was the 'huge range' of 24 choices of rug to be found. That includes all the types of rug you were expected to need in those days, from the hardy 'New Zealand'-type canvas turnouts, via stable 'quilts' through to good old Jute rugs, early nylon turnouts and the 'string vest'-type Anti-Sweat rug. In addition, there were a full 11 'Rug Accessories', mostly made up of rollers and separate surcingles. Ten years later, our 1997 offering had devoted a whole section to this emerging fashion. There were, even then, 74 choices of rug available, comprising styles that could be considered to be 'modern', even today, side-by-side with the odd 'New Zealand', Jute and 'string vest'-type anti-sweats for the traditionalists. Pony rugs, foal rugs and even rug-style dog jackets had appeared, as had liner rugs, rugs designed as part of a travel set and even a transparent rug for using over tack on a rainy showground! It all proved that over the last ten years, customers were less bothered about the versatility of their rugs but most expected to own a greater selection of rugs that all served a different, specific function. There were, by then, dozens of additional 'Accessories', with matching neck covers, matching tail guards and leg wraps and a bewildering choice of fillet strings, repair kits, replacement breast straps and proofing treatments. Today, that trend continues. Many variations of the Fly sheet have been developed in recent years and have since become a valuable addition to many horses' wardrobes. Closure systems, action darts, necklines and detachable parts are all features of today's rug that have evolved over the time since we published our first catalogue. Who knows what the traditionalists of 1987 would have made of today's bewildering array of options, but the opinions that really count should be those of the horses who wear these items. With all the millions of pounds the rug manufacturers spend on research, development and the minute concentration on designing every detail to improve the horse's comfort, you'd have to conclude that horses today are probably a lot happier wearing their rugs now than their parents and grandparents ever used to be!