Robinsons Blog

As seasoned readers of this blog may attest, much of my information from the outside world comes from the BBC website.  On one of my many forays there recently, I came across a story which made me grimace.

The story was (believe it or not) ‘Riot Fears Absent Ahead of IKEA Sale‘, which on the face of it seems quite a departure from the concept of news.  Aside from the quite blatant (for the BBC) commercial nature of the story, this story tells you not what has happened, but what was unlikely to happen.  Of course, the reason why the absence of riot fears was news is that in 2005, that’s precisely what happened when IKEA opened a store in Edmonton, North London.  It was this story that was the reason for my cold sweat as it reminded me of the day we re-opened our Superstore on Sunday 3rd November 2003…

As you may or may not know, in September 2002, we lost our retail store in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire after it was destroyed by a fire.  Happily no-one was injured, but it meant that we had to take over a year to clear the site and custom-build a brand new Superstore as a replacement.

By November the following year, the anticipation amongst local riders had been building for weeks and at our Sunday opening time of 11am that day, hundreds of people were there to witness the official opening of the new Superstore which was then, as now, the largest of its kind in the UK and beyond.   As we were sponsors of The Pony Club‘s Prince Philip Cup at the time, we decided to invite the holders of the Cup (Wylye Valley) to open the Superstore.  A stretch limousine, red carpets and a big ribbon were laid on, especially for the event.  As a finishing touch, we even arranged for two mounted police from the Merseyside Constabulary to escort the limo, a gesture we were very grateful to accept as it helped make our opening such a great spectacle.

After such a long time of being unable to serve our retail customers, we had been concerned that we needed to win this custom back as quickly as possible, so the fact that we’d managed to generate so much interest was, I remember, a great relief.  I also recall that weeks beforehand, we had decided after a fair degree of deliberation not to advertise the grand opening, just in case too many people turned up.  In retrospect, that was quite a wise move. 

Put simply, the day turned very quickly from being a dream to a nightmare.  Once the doors opened, more and more people continued to pour in, so that by late lunchtime, the Nosebag café was gridlocked, queuing time at the main tills had risen to 45 minutes and at least one customer had fainted while waiting to be served.  With so many people inside, we had begun to adopt a nightclub-style ‘one out, one in’ policy of admittance.  Everything we tried to do to maintain the safety of the situation seemed to have a knock-on effect elsewhere.

Outside, things were if anything even worse.  For at least half a mile in each direction along the A49, cars were parked both sides, nose-to-tail - many on yellow lines.  With only enough room for two cars to pass slowly in the space between, every time a bus or a lorry came along, they had to wait for a gap in the traffic coming the other way before they could pick their way through.  Very quickly, tailbacks began to snake back both north and south.  There was nothing else for me to do but to jump into the road and hold back the traffic in one direction every time a bus or a lorry was trying to get through in the other.  My abiding memory in all the gathering chaos was of standing on one of the Queen’s highways, directing the traffic, holding it back so the Police horsebox could pick its way out through the congestion!  I couldn’t help thinking that things were the wrong way round!!

Worse still, there was a Collectables Fair on at Haydock Racecourse that day.  Again, you may or may not know that the entrance to Haydock Park is approximately 400 yards south of our Superstore, along the A49 Warrington Road.  Their traffic was becoming caught up in our traffic and tailing back still further another mile south along the A49…    …where it crosses the M6 motorway!  It was, I believe at this point, where queues were affecting cars attempting to leave the M6 at Junction 23, that the police helicopter was mobilised!

Once you realise that you’ve lost control of a situation to that extent, you have to begin to worry about the consequences.  All I could think was how much more scary the day could have been if we’d advertised our opening properly.  Looking back now, I’m staggered and eternally grateful that it wasn’t worse.  With the ‘benefit’ of that experience, I now have every sympathy for all concerned when stories such as the IKEA opening happen.

The moral of the story?  In business, the vast majority of the time, you’re constantly guarding against failure.  It can become second nature to try to maximise every opportunity because if anything doesn’t work as well as one had hoped, the costs can be high, financially, to one’s reputation and – dare I say it - one’s ego.  With shop openings and high-profile promotions, it can often pay to spend a little time guarding against success.  Too much of it can be even worse than not enough.

The cold sweat’s gone now I’ve shared that with you. 

Thanks,

Paul.

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There is an amazing selection of equestrian clothing available now, however if you are a more novice rider how do you know what to buy? I often get asked why can’t I buy a cheap second hand hat, why do my legs slide on the saddle as I ride, why can’t I ride in wellies they look like riding boots, why do the reins hurt my hands? This and many other questions may seem extremely silly and have an obvious answer to the seasoned horse owner or experienced rider. For someone new to riding though, the equestrian world is daunting and often appears unfriendly. The obvious person to ask for advice is your Instructor, unfortunately it is often the case especially with children, that you are slightly scared of that person who stands in the middle of the school shouting at you at the top of their voice! Don’t be, they are only being loud so their instructions are clear and easy to understand. Try speaking to them after your lesson to get any extra tips or advice you feel you need, whatever problem your having, someone else will have had it too. Any good Instructor should be able to give you advice on equipment and clothing that will help your riding.

How do you know what to buy when the time comes to get your first full riding kit though? The answer’s simple, request a Robinsons catalogue or browse online and buy jodhpurs, boots, and hat.

That’s all isn’t it?

If that was the case the Robinsons catalogue would be very small indeed! How on earth then can an enthusiastic new rider know what to select from the huge selection of riding gear on offer. Here’s how…

THE BASICS

Why can’t I buy a second hand hat?

Riding Hat

This is possibly the most important item of kit, but is often one of the last things a new rider will buy. Although jodhpurs and boots can make you look more like a rider I would always advise that the first item of equipment you buy is your own riding hat. When you learn that it is advisable to replace a riding hat after any fall that has involved the rider’s hat sustaining any significant impact, you start to realise that a borrowed hat from your riding school is not quite as suitable as you first thought. You don’t know anything about how many falls that hat has sustained, it is vitally important that the shell of a hat is not damaged in any way, as this can affect the protection it offers. Invest in your own hat as soon as you possibly can when you take up riding so you know its complete history. Check before buying your hat though to see what level of protection you will need as various organisations have different rules. Any hat you buy should have a three point under the chin harness with NO chin cup, it should meet at least one of the following safety standards; EN1384, PAS015, ASTM F1163/SEI and may also need to have a Kitemark.

It is worth knowing that although riding hats are a recognised piece of safety equipment they are still subject to VAT, although interestingly cycling helmets no longer are. The BHS are trying to change this, if you’d like to add your name to this campaign please write to BHS Safety Department, Stoneleigh Deer Park, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2XZ, or email S.Hardy@bhs.org.uk with VAT in the subject box.

Why do my legs slide on the saddle as I ride?

Jodhpurs/Breeches

Jodhpurs are designed to be worn with short jodhpur boots, they tend to be long in the leg and have a small turn up at the ankle which stretches over the top of your jodhpur boot. They will also often have an inbuilt elastic underfoot stirrup to help prevent the jodhpurs rising up. Jodhpur clips will also stop the leg of your jodhpurs slipping above your boot, this can be very uncomfortable, often resulting in rubbed and chafed ankles.

Breeches are shorter in the leg, normally mid to lower calf length, they should be worn with long riding boots. The shorter length means you don’t have excess material around your ankle which can be uncomfortable with long boots.

For a more novice rider I’d always recommend that they choose a pair of jods or breeches with a full clarino or ‘sticky bum’ seat. All this means is the seat area is made from a special material that does not slide on the saddle quite as much as normal material. For someone learning to ride this extra little bit of security in the saddle is invaluable.

Why can’t I ride in wellies, they look like riding boots?

Boots

Although wellies and standard boots can look very similar to riding footwear there are some fundamental differences which seriously affect their safety. The main reason why these aren’t suitable riding wear is the depth of tread on the sole, riding footwear should have a fairly thin sole, with a small amount of tread to prevent the foot getting caught in the stirrup in the event of a fall. Also avoid any boots with buckles or velcro as the same can happen with these. Although a heel is required on riding boots, it should be no more than about 1/2″ in height.

You initially need to decide between long riding boots and jodhpur boots, this is mainly your own personal preference. Long boots offer more support to your leg but some people find them uncomfortable and too restrictive. Jodhpur boots allow more ankle movement but you may find you need some extra protection from the stirrup leather.

Long riding boots are available in economical rubber or quality leather. Both have advantages and disadvantages, rubber are cheap, hard wearing and waterproof but they can be inflexible and hot. Leather are expensive and high maintenance, but they allow easy flexion of the ankle.

Jodhpur boots are particularly useful in summer months as they tend to be cooler than long boots. However the lack of support around the calf and lower leg can result in bruising and pinching from stirrup leathers. This can eased by wearing half chaps or gaiters.

Technical stirrup systems have been developed which include the SCS3 system from Mountain Horse, this is a system of grooves built into the sole of the boot and on the SCS3 stirrup tread. When these grooves interact, they prevent the foot slipping forward in the stirrup but allow the rider to pull their foot back easily. Four grooves in the sole give a choice of foot position depending on exactly where you prefer the foot to sit in the stirrup.

There are many other items of riding kit available and I’ll go into these in more detail in my next blog but I hope this has helped you in your choice of essentials. Remember to always make your equestrian purchases based on the highest protection you can afford rather than the prettiest product. Whilst horse riding is an enjoyable hobby it can also be a high risk sport. �