Tiny Tykes Aren’t the Only Ones Who Enjoy Dressing Up For Halloween…
By: Brittany Bevis
Image courtesy of The Horse Tailor.
As it turns out, tiny tykes aren’t the only ones who enjoy the time-honored tradition of dressing up in costume for Halloween. As horse-loving folks are apt to do, we love including horses in every aspect of our lives. Halloween is certainly no exception.
However, a problem arises when you discover that your local PetSmart doesn’t have that adorable angel costume in size 16 hands. Have no fear, a creative costume designer based out of Ciudad Colón, Costa Rica has provided a solution with hand-made horse costumes to fit every budget and breed.
On this, the 31st day of October, we sat down to chat with marketing coordinator for The Horse Tailor, Alice Boracchia, to find out more about their fanciful equine-sized creations.
“We make costume dreams come true,” Boracchia says. “We help our riders enjoy moments alongside their loved horses. We also make pads in any color, size, and shape as our clients need it and with a brand embroidered as needed.”
“The costume idea came up one Halloween, when our web designer wanted to dress up her horse. She advised Donatella [at The Horse Tailor] in making horse costumes for the season. One thing led to the other, and the first day the Witch costume was aired, it already had eight orders.”
Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. Image courtesy of The Horse Tailor.
From that point on, The Horse Tailor became known as the go-to design company for extravagant equine costumes. What originally began as a flight of fancy, turned into an legitimate business that provides international consumers with custom-made quality costumes.
“It started up in Costa Rica, when designer and creator, Donatella, saw a lack of custom-made products that were made of great fabrics, and that beneath all, had to be very resistant. That meant they had to be washable and very long-lasting. We know the blanket size and height of each horse, and we already have regular sizes for horses, from mini to over-sized.”
“We have no stock costumes. All of our costumes are custom-made. [Before Halloween] we were shipping out October 10th deadlines. The costumes get made and are shipped at the client’s deadlines requirements.”
Image courtesy of The Horse Tailor.
Because each equine costume is custom-made, Boracchia explains that the entire design and creation process can take up to two days. Sometimes, they receive special requests, like a design idea from a client who wanted a little more “horsepower” in his horse’s costume.
“Once, we made a Ferrari car,” she says. “The complete horse was covered as a Ferrari car, with tires and everything! The neck and head were the starting flag of the racecourse, and the rider was placed inside the car (on top of the horse)!”
Boracchia says the three most popular costumes during this time of year are Harry Potter, Rabbit, and Fairy Princess. But her personal favorite, by far, is the Pink Panther.
“I love the Pink Panther costume,” she says. “It looks great on the horses, and it’s so pink! It’s perfect for any girly rider!”
Pink Panther. Image courtesy of The Horse Tailor.
While Halloween is undoubtedly The Horse Tailor’s busiest time of year, Boracchia says they help create costumes suitable for speciality classes at horse shows, annual parades, fundraisers, birthday parties, social events, and other holidays. If you have an idea for a fabulous costume for an upcoming event, and your sewing machine just isn’t big enough, check out The Horse Tailor’s website for all of your equine costuming needs.
Be sure to snap pictures this Halloween of your horse’s costume and send the photos to b.bevis@equinechronicle.com to be included in our Horse Halloween photo gallery.
Happy Halloween!
