Brand Spotlight: Ariat

Love Ariat? How much do you know about this huge global brand. Read this week’s brand spotlight to find out more…

How did Ariat get its name?

Ariat’s name stems from the latter half of the name of an American race horse called Secretariat.  Born on March 30, 1970,  and nicknamed Big Red, he was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who, in 1973, became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. He then went on to win the Triple Crown three times.

Secretariat was 16.2hands & weighed 533kg. His record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he won by 31 lengths in 2 minutes and 24 seconds, is widely regarded as one of the greatest races of all time.

Two things made him very special: firstly his stride was 20% longer than most race horses and secondly his heart was almost three times larger than that of most horses.

He features well in the List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century and is second only to Man o' War.

About Ariat

The Ariat brand was founded in 1993 by two resourceful women, Beth Cross and Pam Parker, who wanted to revolutionize riding boots for English and western riders to make them more comfortable because the “traditional boots were stiff, heavy and hard on the feet.”

The first Ariat boots were shipped in 1993 to rave reviews. Performance riding apparel launched in 2004 and today, Ariat offers a full assortment of English and western riding boots and apparel, work boots and work wear, and fashion footwear for active outdoor lifestyles.

With retail outlets in 42 countries, Ariat is the largest brand of riding footwear and apparel in the world.

Where are they based?

Union City in California.

What’s the story behind the Ariat logo?

The logo, made up of three horseshoes, was Our logo designed by Jay Vigon. When he showed the owners the logo he had designed, they felt that the three horseshoes in the shield would give them the luck they’d need to survive the many challenges they were likely to face along the way!