BOY-O-BOY BRIDLEWORKS is the story of a woman that created a business using adversity, education, experience, travel and a love for horses. The founder of the company, Amanda Hood, has always had an affinity for the equestrian way of life, even while living in different countries abroad, and she also has a passion for studying and documenting history.
Her education started at the Spence School in New York City and in high school she studied at both the Notre Dame de Sion in Paris and Charterhouse in Godalming, Surrey, England. She returned to the U.S. to study at Harvard College for both undergraduate and graduate school. As you will later read, her application for history evolved into the craft of fine leatherwork, but first she published "Hostage to Fortune: The Letters of Joseph P. Kennedy" (Viking) in 2001 and the "Newspaper Titan: The Infamous Life and Monumental Times of Cissy Patterson" (Knopf), about America’s first female publisher of a major metropolitan daily newspaper, in 2012.
In 2013, Amanda was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, but she did not allow this illness and debilitating side effects to curtail her love for history. Encouraged by the support of her husband, she traveled to England to study under the tutelage of master saddle maker, David May, where she applied the same serious acumen she used in academia to learn the nuances of the craft. Lyme disease may have shut a door, but it was the precipitous to creating an opportunity to use her talent of bridging tradition and history to create exceptional quality accessories for horse and rider. The Boy-O-Boy brand upholds the highest level of traditional craftsmanship, yet exhibits Amanda's vision of a more contemporary look in color and style.
While I am a fan of Boy-Oh-Boy's products, it is Amanda's fortitude of treating an obstacle as an opportunity to innovate. Ultimately, her perpetuation of a traditional equestrian craft and the creation of items that appeal to the modern day equestrian that make me a believer in the Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks brand.
Salut!
MEET: AMANDA HOOD, OWNER OF BOY-O-BOY BRIDLEWORKS
Where did you first learn about the use of ribbon as an equestrian accessory for both the horse and rider?
Growing up as a horse-crazy little girl in New York City, I think I first saw pictures of horses and ponies wearing ribbon browbands in books (they’ve been in use in Europe, particularly the British Isles for centuries, as the history of equestrian painting shows (see image below) and probably once in a while at the various barns where I rode when I was little.
Soon after I graduated from college, my father died and my mother took a diplomatic posting in Dublin, Ireland. As usual, when I was there I tried to spend as much time as I could around horses -- hunting, galloping polo ponies, and jumping friends’ horses. I was reminded of how much I’d always loved the look of ribbon browbands when I saw them again on Irish ponies, draught horses, jumpers, race horses and polo ponies at horse shows, events, race meetings and stable yards, but I never knew where to buy them.
So, back in the States (now in the Virginia Hunt Country) I started making them for my own jumpers. Seeing them on my horses at shows, people kept stopping me to say, “I’ve always loved those old ribbon browbands! You never see them in this country. Where did you get them?” So, I started making them for other people’s horses too.One Christmas, I made matching belts for friends and soon I began getting requests from their friends and eventually from stores too.
GROWING BOY-O-BOY BRIDLEWORKS
In 2016, the first year I had a booth at Upperville, Susan Benson of Somerset Equestrian Trading (SET) , came in, took a good long look around, and eventually asked if I had a sales rep. Since I’d been a working historian and writer before starting Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks, I had no background in business or sales and marketing. Working with Susan has really helped take Boy-O-Boy to the next level as a company. Until we met, I’d been selling mostly on Etsy and at the occasional horse show or event where I secured a vendor’s booth.
Susan has really expanded the Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks wholesale program. I still take a booth at a few select shows every year, but since working with SET the line is now in a growing number of tack shops and mobile horse show units nationwide (including SET’s own). Susan has also done great work in expanding Boy-O-Boy’s name recognition, especially with her development of the Boy-O-Boy First Class Award at hunter/jumper shows on the East Coast (so far) of special edition horse show prize belts (at, say, Devon, WIHS, Capital Challenge, and other shows) to the winners of the first class of various divisions at each show.
It’s been invaluable in getting my belts on good riders and trendsetters, and really expanding awareness of the brand generally. Most importantly, working with SET has also freed up more of my time to work and focus on making and developing the items themselves. I’m in my booth at WIHS as I write this and I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve come in to say that they see my belts/browbands/collars everywhere and that they can’t believe how much Boy-O-Boy has grown over the past three years. Much of that is due to Susan.
Where did you study traditional bridlework skills and wrapping ribbon? What prompted you to become an expert in these arts?
Around the time that I started making ribbon browbands and belts for friends, I found out that I have Lyme Disease. Until then, I’d been a working writer and historian. In the months before I was diagnosed, aside from the crippling fatigue and joint pain, I started having trouble remembering words, which made it more and more difficult to write – and really scary. I took a break while I was recovering and my husband encouraged me to go to Cumbria, England to study with master saddler David May.
From David I learned not only how to cut and sew leather, but crucial details like what distinguishes a good hide from a bad one and which hardware and stitching are correct for which applications. He also taught me a great deal about the history saddlery and the saddler’s craft. I’m the kind of person who’s always making something (crocheting, needlepointing, sewing, goldsmithing – you name it). I’d always been curious about learning to work with leather and make and repair tack, especially since more and more people had been asking me to make ribbon browbands (which I’d just been buying and wrapping in ribbons until then). Funnily enough, having Lyme gave me the opportunity to go ahead and do it.
What makes the processes used to create Boy-O-Boy products unique?
At a time when tack and equestrian attire is increasingly produced in factories in the Third World, I use tried-and-true English bridlemaking techniques with modern materials to create items that have a traditional look with a new twist. While I work with top-quality, traditionally tanned British and American hides, the ribbons and webbing I use are manmade. This allows for the belts, browbands and collars (and now hatbands and bracelets!) I make to be as vibrant, durable, stain-resistant, and colorfast as possible. It also gives their owners confidence that the items will be in use for many years to come, whether they wear them through a water element, in the blazing sun, or just walking around town. I make all the items myself by hand, start to finish, from weaving the ribbons to sewing on the leather and hardware. I don’t simply dictate or oversee the quality, I create it.
What inspires you to create new designs, create new styles, and/or expand your product line up?
As a historian, I’ve always been fascinated and moved by the ancient partnership between people and their horses. As a maker, I love being part of a longstanding tradition of crafting items for horses and their riders. As a rider myself, well, I just love horses. My work speaks to the age-old tradition of using colors in association with equestrian pursuits. Medieval knights (along with their horses and even their dogs and falcons) would have worn the colors of their liege lord while in his service. Modern versions of the same tradition persist in racing silks and eventers’ cross-country colors, as well as barn, hunt, and polo team colors. While I create a line of belts, browbands, collars, and leashes every year in stock colorways, about two-thirds of my business involves making up these same items in custom color combinations.
I certainly use plenty of the muted, earthy tones that have been the mainstay of the conventional equestrian palate since the Victorian age, but I also work with much more vibrant, modern color combinations, especially in my custom work. Hence Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks’ tagline, “Show your true colors.”
Can you tell us about the importance of the name Boy-O-Boy and your signature “green label?”
There’s that old horsemen’s proverb that goes something like, “Every rider gets one great horse.” If that’s true, then tiny, smart, catlike Boy-O-Boy was my great horse. By the time I started the company in 2014, “Bob” himself was semi-retired but he was still as ferocious a competitor with my daughter in the short stirrup ring at the age of twenty as he was for me in the jumper ring at the age of six – or sixteen. Each one of the main Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks ribbon weave patterns (like many of the stock colorways) is named for the first horse to wear it. Boy-O-Boy was the first horse I made a ribbon browband for; because he started it all, I named the company after him.
I deliberately chose a bright, spring green for the Boy-O-Boy Brideworks logo and tags. The color green has very old equestrian associations, of course, but since many of the things I make are modern interpretations of classic equestrian items, I chose to use a brighter, non-traditional shade – especially since it really pops against the vibrant colors I often use, especially in my custom work.
What is your connection to the equestrian lifestyle?
When I was growing up in New York, I rode in the pony hunters and also did some hunting and eventing in Dutchess County, where we had a country house at the time. When I was about twelve my family started spending our weekends and summers in Bridgehampton, Long Island instead. Throughout my junior years I rode with Anne Aspinall at the Topping Riding Club, first on my large pony, Farnley Acorn, and then on my junior hunter, Lexington Green. After my mom moved to Ireland, I gave up the hunters for showjumping and never looked back.
Now I ride in Upperville, Virginia every minute I can and show my horse Dealbreaker (the namesake to my most popular weave pattern) in the Amateur Owner Jumpers. Boy-O-Boy is retired and lives on the same farm with a mini named Izzy. I also have another jumper named Vavoom, whom I bought as a high A/O prospect for myself. He ended up exceeding our hopes is now an FEI horse with my trainer, Tiffany Cambria. Being an active rider myself gives me the perspective of knowing what’s traditionally correct while understanding how to adapt the look or color scheme of an item to the demands of and particular color preferences of different equestrian disciplines.
Final Words...
It’s such a thrill and an honor to see people – and horses and dogs – wearing the items I make! Whenever I see someone riding at horse show with one of my belts on or walking their dog with one of my leashes, or whenever someone describes bright green to me as “Boy-O-Boy Green,” it’s a great reminder of how far the company has come in three years. It’s such a privilege and a joy to make beautiful things every day that make people happy.
GALLERY
PURCHASE/FOLLOW/LEARN
PURCHASE:
RETAIL
- Ready-to-Wear: Visit the Boy-O-Boy Bridelworks Etsy Store.
- Custom: Visit the Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks Etsy Store. PLEASE NOTE: From January to October, lead times are two to three weeks (closer to three for embroidered orders). November and December are THE busiest times of year. THE DEADLINE FOR CUSTOM HOLIDAY ORDERS IS NOV. 3.
WHOLESALE
- Susan Benson at Somerset Equestrian Trading handles wholesale orders. She can be reached at Ssportart1@mac.com or (352) 529-7409.
EVENTS:
Available at the Following Horse Shows:
- Upperville (VA),early June
- Hampton Classic (NY) in late August/early September
- Washington International Horse Show (DC) in October
Additionally, the full range of Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks items is available at horse shows across the East Coast at Somerset Equestrian Trading Company’s mobile unit, and in select tack shops nationwide.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS:
- INSTAGRAM @boyoboybridleworks
- FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/boyoboybridleworks/
CONTEST
ENTER TO WIN A BOY-O-BOY READY TO SHIP GROSGRAIN RIBBON BELT, SQAURE LOOP CLOSURE
A PERFECT ACCESSORY FROM STREET TO STABLE! Each Double Square Loop Belt is handcrafted by weaving colorful, heavy poly grosgrain ribbon around a flexible webbing base, and then finished with the finest American bridle leather and stainless or brass square tension loops. Unlined, our Double Square Loop Belts are quick drying and colorfast in case you’re riding through a water element or get caught in a rain shower.
APPROXIMATE VALUE: $75.00 plus shipping in the continental United States
For details, visit the StreettoStable.com contest tab or enter on the Street to Stable Facebook Page.