The Rider’s Closet: Supporting New Equestrians, One Thrifted Pair of Breeches at a Time
By Lindsay Brock
It was a closet purge that first impressed Georgina Bloomberg to get into the clothes enterprise. However, not in the way in which one would possibly assume.
“I used to be cleansing out my closet in the home I grew up in and realized that I had a ton of present garments that had been in nice situation however had merely been outgrown,” mentioned Bloomberg. “I didn’t know what to do with all of it. I’ve quite a lot of mates who used to journey as youngsters and gave it up later in life, and I requested a number of of them what they did with their present garments. The reply was the identical; it was sitting of their closets as a result of they didn’t know what to do with all of it.”
After looking tirelessly to discover a place to donate her nonetheless show-ring worthy apparel, the query of the place to go subsequent sparked an concept that finally birthed The Rider’s Closet in 2006. It first began on the IHSA stage with Bloomberg’s alma mater equestrian group at New York College (NYU) and unfold to varsities all through the nation.
At this time, The Rider’s Closet’s mission is to make sure that driving attire is accessible to scholastic driving applications, pony golf equipment, equestrian camps, equine charities, and particular person riders in want. The attire is all donated by equestrians like Bloomberg who need to see what they as soon as wore assist another person observe their path to the competitors ring.
When requested about her response to the just about rapid success of The Rider’s Closet, Bloomberg responded with a smile, “I nonetheless bear in mind getting my first thanks letter and film of a recipient carrying garments they obtained from us. They defined how with out us they’d have been compelled to give up. It made all my onerous work value it.”
This system serves riders of all ages and at each stage of horsemanship all through the U.S. In 2019, The Rider’s Closet merged with the distinguished EQUUS Basis to additional its attain and impression.
