Ros Fraser from The Resplendent Rider & I got talking at the East Coast Arabian Championships at SIEC last month, and she asked me if I was interested in participating in a Photo Shoot at the Kings Park Estate Friesian Stud. Ros collaborates with a Sydney-based photographer named Ffiona Erskine of Ffire Photography. More from this Photo Shoot Opportunity soon…
The Resplendent Rider (TRR) was launched by Ros Fraser in 2018. With a family history jammed with horse breeders, dairy farmers, tailors & milliners, TRR is a fusion of a horse-centric life and decades spent in clothing design & manufacturing.
Ros was blessed with a Dad that put her on the back of a horse as a little kid, & like all of us has ridden pretty much ever since. Her love of horses & riding reflected against a career that kicked off with designing technical sportswear for extreme athletes. Equestrians being athletes themselves meant the launch of equestrian apparel was probably inevitable. Through her working life Ros has worked on sportswear made of Gore-Tex™ & other technical fabrics, underwear, suiting & couture bridal gowns – an equestrian range is a logical merger of 30 years diverse experience.
However; in keeping with her technical background, the development process before product was launched, involved plenty of stocks being tested by a broad range of riders of assorted heights, builds, ages & disciplines to partner the fit & function with the aesthetic of the stocks.
The premise of The Resplendent Rider is pairing “elegance with expression, & passion with purpose”. Her stocks are fitted, following the shape of the rider & make use of antique, vintage & handmade accessories such as lace trims, diamantes, buttons & brooches. Trims are sourced globally, as well as being fossicked from antique stores & auctions here in Australia. She has used authentic Edwardian, Art Nouveau & Art Deco buttons & brooches, French jet from the 1920s, & lots of mid-century hand made glass buttons.
Most stocks are one-off, with couture & bespoke stocks available. Many TRR stocks are made after consultation with the rider – collar details are matched to a highlight trim on tails, a bling browband, the rider’s eye colour, or to complement the colour of the horse & tack. All stocks are made here in Sydney.
TRR has a number of sponsored riders across Dressage, Showjumping, Eventing & Show Horse Disciplines that compete here in Australia as well as in Italy, Spain, the UK & Denmark.
It has been as absolute pleasure so far for Living Equine to collaborate with Ros and The Resplendent Rider. Stocks can be purchased through this Website www.theresplendentrider.com.au and enquiries regarding bespoke stocks can be made by calling Ros on 0403 939 870. The Resplendent Rider Tradestand can also be found at Horse Events in the local area, so keep an eye out, and enjoy some stock shopping at those also.
-Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management.
