Menu

Uncategorized

17 May

Posted at 16:30h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

FOMO is delighted to have recently brought on board Hoofprints Innovations as a supplier of our award-winning body protector FAZE. Donal O’Beirne, the brains behind Hoofprints Innovations, along with his dog Scruffy Joe, has been in the business for many years.  Originally an equestrian photographer and then, after a short spell in project management for Horsewear Ireland, he was forced to take his business in a different direction following a serious accident while out hunting. There’s nothing like a life changing incident to make you take stock and appreciate what you have in life.  Donal decided to ensure that the focus of his new business would be to provide safety advice and products to riders and is now the preferred supplier of safety and performance equipment to Eventing Ireland competitors throughout Ireland. When our MD, Carmen first made contact with Donal, they hit it off with their shared passion for safety and dogs; Scruffy is Donal’s co-pilot and Whisky is Carmen’s second in command.  Following Carmen’s own serious fall from riding, she has created our body protector, FAZE, that is built on the science behind the safety without compromising on comfort or the look.     FOMO is delighted that Donal understands the technology behind our product making it an easier product to sell to his customers.  Having a BETA Level 3 body protector with innovative foam panelling, using our own DION technology, which exceeds the industry standard by up to 65%, and a unique adjustment mechanism providing a comfortable solution without inhibiting movement, ensures that Hoofprint’s customers will not only get the safety they are after but the comfort too. Hoofprints Innovations have only been selling FAZE for a month or so but already has seen great interest with the demand for FAZE increasing week by week.  Attending every show nationwide, we hope that more of the Irish riding community meet up with Donal and hear all about why riding in a FOMO FAZE body protector is the safest way to go. ...

17 May

Posted at 11:02h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

Here at FOMO, we’ve been committed to being more sustainable and reaching our net zero goals, for our planet and our 4-legged friends. THE BACKGROUND In this blog post, we want to share with you the carbon footprint of one of our FAZE body protectors and how we did it. Carbon footprinting is the process of measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product or service throughout its life cycle. It helps us understand the environmental impact of our products and identify opportunities for improvement. THE CALCULATIONS To calculate the carbon footprint of one FAZE body protector, we followed these steps: - We weighed all the components of the body protector, such as the foam, fabric, zipper, velcro, etc - We identified the materials and their location of manufacture for each component - We used 'The 2030 Calculator', which is an online tool that calculates the carbon footprint of different materials and processes based on industry data and conversion factors - We added the energy required for the manufacturing processes of FAZE - We added up the carbon footprint of each component to get the total carbon footprint of one FAZE body protector Our scope was from material extraction and manufacture to assembly of the finished product.  We did not include the transportation, distribution, use,  and end-of-life stages of the product life cycle (yet). THE RESULT One FAZE body protector has a carbon footprint of 13.82 kgCO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). To put this into perspective, here are some examples of the carbon footprint of other products: - One pair of Levi 501 jeans has a carbon footprint of  33.4 kg CO2e - One iPhone 13 has a carbon footprint of  64 kg CO2e We want to reduce our carbon footprint further and make our product more sustainable. That's why we are committed to improving our design, materials, and processes to lower our environmental impact. We also want to be transparent about our carbon footprinting process and share our data and methods with anyone who is interested.  We hope by doing this, we can inspire other companies and consumers to join us in stepping up to net zero and fighting climate change. Thank you for reading this blog post and stay tuned for more updates on our journey to net zero. #TeamFOMO   *Sources: https://www.2030calculator.com https://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Full-LCA-Results-Deck-FINAL.pdf https://8billiontrees.com/carbon-offsets-credits/carbon-footprint-of-iphone/#:~:text=The%20carbon%20footprint%20of%20iPhone%20is%20estimated%20to%20be%2064,with%20onboard%20storage%20of%20128GB.  ...

10 May

Posted at 10:21h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

I would be lying if I said I had done extensive market research for body protectors before I bought my FAZE. After an 18-year break from eventing, thanks to medical school and anaesthetic training, I have had the great fortune of being paired with a friend’s horse who is significantly more experienced in the sport than I am, and with some very light persuasion, I grabbed a last minute space at Lindores’ Eventing Camp. I vaguely remembered an email from BRC about new body protector standards and thought it prudent to check my trusty old Pony Club number, it would be fine right? Oh god no, it’s not been allowed on a cross-country course since the mid-noughties, oops! So, in a blind panic with 5 days’ notice, I messaged FOMO and Carmen was able to bring one in my size along to camp for me to try/ buy immediately so I could go out on the course. My initial impressions were “jeez that’s heavy” and “god that’s going to make me look massive”, but I didn’t have much choice. I arrived at camp immediately after a 12h ICU night shift and met Carmen as I arrived in the car park. I had an extremely efficient fitting beside my trailer, and once she was happy it fitted well, I leapt on and trotted off to join my XC lesson, leaving Carmen in a cloud of dust and arriving on the course with ten minutes spare to warm up. I honestly have never been so comfortable in a body protector, I kind of forgot I was wearing it if I’m honest, to the point I nearly got caught on my stirrup when I dismounted as I didn’t jump off with the extra wee bit of clearance I normally would with a body protector on. It fits like a glove; I’m quite tall with boobs out of proportion to my waist, so have struggled in the past to find body protectors to fit well. I’m a size 12 but my height is mostly legs, so FOMO’s range of sizes being the same as ladies’ clothing sizes made it really easy to pick and the 12 regular was perfect for me. The extra bit of security from the adjuster was great as well, meaning there was a bit of room to play with the next day when I was back on the course straight after lunch. It’s so secure but not restricting in any way, to the point I’m pretty sure I could go bra-less, and with big boobs and a horse that jogs 98% of the time that is a very significant statement! As an anaesthetist, I have seen a fair amount of horse-riding related injuries in my work in Intensive Care.  The vast majority that end up in critical care are rib fractures or spinal injuries, usually in people who weren’t wearing body protectors. I felt so safe in my FAZE, it has good coverage over all my ribs, no defects in the zip areas, is reinforced over the spine at the back and definitely has better collarbone coverage than my last one. Off the course the fact you can remove the cover to wash it is brilliant (my old one still has gross sweat marks on it), and FOMO will repair damaged covers for free which I love for reducing waste. I feel proud to wear it, especially since it has been designed, engineered and made in Glasgow. So proud in fact that I forgot to take any photos, but here is Captain showing me how it’s done, jacket over my FAZE unfortunately, but I promise it’s there. I hope to never actually part ways with Captain over a course of jumps, but I’m confident that my chest and back will be safe even if I do thanks to FOMO 😊. ...

05 Apr

Posted at 14:03h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

6 months ago, I tried on a FOMO body protector for the first time. My horse Maisey is a very enthusiastic 15hh coloured sports cob, and despite her forward-thinking nature making her perfect for the activities we participate in (riding club, cross country, and endurance), it also means I refuse to ride her without a body protector. My first impression of the FOMO body protector was how comfortable it is. The foam is much thicker than previous brands of body protectors I have worn however it still felt lightweight and easy to ride in. I was particularly impressed with the dial feature which adjusts the size depending on what you are wearing. For cross country, I usually just wear a thin base layer but for endurance, I can wear a jumper if it’s a bit colder so this flexibility means I can have the perfect fit all the time.   My first test with the FOMO body protector was how it felt jumping and I was delighted to find that its comfortable and lightweight design meant it was very easy to jump in and I actually forgot I had it on! The security I feel with it means I now won’t jump without it as I feel much safer in the event that I do have a fall. The next test was my first endurance ride as that required having it on for much longer periods of time. Despite it being a warm day, I felt very comfortable and forgot I was wearing it for the couple of hours I was riding. This weekend we completed our first 30k ride and it made a huge difference wearing something that was so comfortable for such a long period of time. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting a safe, secure, and comfortable body protector as I absolutely love mine Helena ...

05 Apr

Posted at 13:59h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

My name is Grace Botterell and I am an 18-year-old event rider based in the Borders.  I started riding when I was around 5 and instantly loved it.  I had some very cheeky ponies through my pony club years but they didn’t put me off, if anything it made me keener. My interest has always been towards eventing despite my mum being a dressage rider and I competed in my first event when I was 13, on my horse Winston, and after that, I had my goal set for the 100u18 team. Winston was an absolute XC machine, we had so much fun and he gave me so much confidence, taking me around the 100u18 championships at Frikley in 2019.  After that, I wanted to step up to novice and felt that Winston had taught me all he could and it was time for him to go and teach someone else the ropes.  During the summer of 2019, my sister kindly gave me the ride of Pip and I spent the summer getting to know her.  My aim with her was to step up to novice and eventually compete in the 2* u18 team. In 2021 we stepped up to novice and in 2022 we were part of the 2*u18 team at Bishop Burton and were 3rd individually, we also competed in the 2* at Blair. My plans for Pip this year is to start our season at Breckenbrough in the open novice.  Later in the season, I am planning on stepping her up to intermediate.  Last summer I also got to ride on Cameron Crawford’s Up Up and Away (Russell) which was really exciting and we spent the end of last season getting to know one another and competed in a couple of novices.  This season we are starting at Forgandenny in the open novice and then step him up to Intermediate this year. I am looking forward to a busy and successful season ahead. Grace...

21 Feb

Posted at 12:30h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

Our ambassador Rachel Williamson competes successfully on the showjumping and eventing circuit.  Read below how she manages to balance them both. "I have personally found that to successfully balance both a showjumping and eventing style career,  all of my planning at home and for the show season needs to be carefully thought out and planned accordingly for each horse.  Not everything will go the way I want it to, so it's important to add in some wiggle room to allow for problems and issues that may arise. Firstly, I plan the eventing season with my 3 boys, who are all competing around the same level.  I work out where they need to be going and what the main aim is, I then decide where they’ll go to tick over or gain qualifications, and then where they’ll go if any planned events are missed due to possible cancellations, a horse being lame or if the show has genuinely not gone to plan and we haven’t gained a qualification. Next up is planning my show jumping season.  It’s a lot easier to plan the show year when all the horses are established at higher levels as I  can be more specific on where I go and plan everything they do around the big shows. I decide which showjumping shows I’m going to aim high at and which showjumping shows I’ll go to in between, which are normally qualifying classes for whichever show I am aiming for. For example, I have the Highland Show planned with the jumpers I have just now, and I have all the qualifier dates in the diary that I can go to when I’m not eventing. I like to figure out the eventing season plan first as I find it much easier to work around those. Some BSJA shows can be held on a Wednesday/Thursday too, leaving the weekend free for an event, and vice versa. Around all of this, I also need to take into account the young, competition livery horses that I will have to compete with as well. This year, I have decided to only have a couple of young ones to ride at some of the BE events and none to show jump at a lower level. Alongside all of the planning of shows, I like to plan all the training that we need to do and attend and have an individual plan on how to get each horse as fit as they need to be for their first events. This includes everything; gallop work, hacking, flatwork, and jumping. As you can imagine, it takes a long time to plan out the whole year hence why I try to do it as early in the year as possible. I'm working hard and looking forward to the season ahead."...

17 Feb

Posted at 14:33h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

Some exciting news to share! We are about to launch a new design for our FORM half-pad. The new half-pad boasts significant improvements, including an increased panel size, a larger surface area, and reduced textile material usage. The FOMO team is proud to bring these new and exciting features to our FOMOllowers. ​ ​ ​ ​The first improvement to the half-pad is the increased panel size. A larger panel size allows for more coverage and an increased surface area for pressure distribution. ​ ​The second improvement is a change in foam placement from the bottom of the pad to the top. This change removes any potential pressure points with the aim of improving comfort under saddle. ​ ​ ​The third and most exciting improvement to the half-pad design is the reduced material usage. FOMO Protection is committed to sustainable and eco-friendly practices, and the reduced material usage reflects that. We are repurposing foam offcuts from manufacturing FAZE body protectors to create the new half-pad design. This means that no new materials are needed for production, and the offcuts are being utilized instead of discarded as waste. ​ This focus on repurposing foam offcuts is just one way we are working towards a more sustainable future. ​ ​In conclusion, FOMO Protection's new half-pad design is an exciting innovation that provides increased support, comfort, and sustainability versus our previous design. The larger panel size and surface area provide additional cushioning under saddle, while the reduced material usage reflects the company's commitment to eco-friendly practices. FOMO Protection is taking a significant step towards achieving its sustainability goals, and we can't wait to show what other sustainable and innovative products we have to offer....

08 Feb

Posted at 16:53h in Uncategorized
3 Likes

Introducing Indraneil Ghosh, a.k.a. "Neil", as the Step Up to Net Zero Coordinator for FOMO Protection. At FOMO we are committed to reaching our sustainability goals. To help achieve this, FOMO has teamed up with the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce to bring on board Neil as an intern. As an MSc Product Design Engineering graduate from the Glasgow School of Art, Neil is well-equipped to bring his expertise and creativity to the FOMO team. His passion for sustainability and innovative ideas will play a key role in helping FOMO reach its net zero goals. The primary focus will be to research ways to recycle foam. This will not only help our company reduce its carbon footprint but also allow us to offer eco-friendly products to our customers. In addition, he will be conducting extensive research on alternative more sustainable materials for use in our products. He will be exploring materials that have a lower carbon footprint, are biodegradable, and can be easily recycled. Aside from his professional pursuits, Neil is also an avid guitar player and film photographer. He loves to spend his free time playing some blues and capturing life through his lens. His passion for music and photography showcases his creative side, which he intends to bring to his work at FOMO. FOMO is excited to welcome Neil to the team as its Step Up to Net Zero Coordinator. We look forward to seeing the positive impact he will have on the company and the environment....

31 Jan

Posted at 10:35h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

So, I’m getting closer to a milestone birthday. And the kids have decided that they have more interesting things to focus on now, such as university, boys, exams and non-horsey life. I’ve decided that is finally my time to get out and do the things I’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of decades, and I now have a bit more time, a little more money (not a lot, I have horses after all) and less associated guilt about disappearing off for weekends. With a new equine Porsche, Darcy, aka the Golden Child, I’m finally out eventing and doing the affiliated competition thing in my late 40s. However, this has coincided with two things, both related to getting old. I’m getting chunky (menopause and a love of wine) and I’m getting windy and a little feared of falling off as it hurts more (aging in general and drinking more wine to compensate). So, getting the right kit to increase my comfort and decrease the likelihood of long term injury after not bouncing off the ground is paramount! I run the local riding club, so it’s important that I’m seen to follow the rules we are meant to uphold, so with a change in the kite for hats and back protection I needed to purchase a new body protector. Now I have to say I’m no lover of body protectors. Why? As a short-assed, chunky woman with a short body, body protection has proven to be difficult to find that fits my dimensions and is comfortable to wear, and let’s face it, I’m trying to avoid looking like the Michelin man. Younger people may need to Google that image to get the point. So, with Christmas on the way, and my husband looking for gift ideas (we are only 26 years in), it was a perfect moment to ask for that most romantic of gifts, a body protector! Well as he says himself every time I ride, ‘don’t fall off’, I think he does worry about me, or perhaps it’s more worrying about my ability to earn if I’m off my feet? I’d tried the FOMO FAZE on at a trade stand while out eventing, and knew it was produced in the UK and was passing the most stringent safety tests for body protection. It also appeared to fit well to my own unique short-bodied shape, and after trying several types I hadn’t previously found any that fitted that well. So, Santa was duly informed and I got my new FAZE before Christmas, unwrapped, Santa didn’t see the point as I knew what it was! The FAZE then had to wait and didn’t get its first run out due to the icy conditions until mid-January at an arena event. I managed to put it on all by myself, and despite it not being worn before, it quickly moulded to my body. It has been said that they look a little bulky, but I didn’t notice this at all when riding, and importantly didn’t feel the need to remove it immediately after riding like my previous protector because I couldn’t breathe in it! The foam layer is soft and malleable and is actually very easy to wear, whilst providing the ultimate protection. And whilst body protectors are by no means ever likely to be the most flattering garment you ever wear on your horse (although white jodhpurs are in my opinion the worst), my FOMO FAZE is one of the most comfortable ways to protect my aging body whilst it pretends it’s in it 20s again! Looking forward to Flying in my FAZE this season! Photography Credit to the fabulous Jamie Agnew https://www.jamieagnewphotography.co.uk/...

23 Jan

Posted at 17:15h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

It’s that time of year. The arena has been frozen for at least a week. The livery yard owner is up to their eyeballs in mud and has kicked half the yard off. Your blood turned to solid Gordon’s gin (other brands accepted) in December and you’re now on a detox.  We agree January is tough for us all. So here are some ideas on things to plan and get you going this cold wet first month of 2023. Some you may already know and some may just be a reminder to go have some fun with our four-legged friends. 1. Sign up for an online dressage test Online dressage has grown from strength to strength in recent years, taking away the need for transport to compete in monthly classes, leagues, and championships. There are several options available but we love the E-Riders Eventing using tests from BE  and Dressage Anywhere. The perfect way to improve those dressage scores over the winter months and set quantifiable goals for winter. E-Riders:- https://www.e-riders.co.uk/ Dressage Anywhere:- https://dressageanywhere.com/ 2. Join a local riding club Want discounted lessons and a fun, friendly way to train? Then investigating riding clubs in your area may be for you. British Eventing are also offering a great discount this season for British Riding Club members. There are also opportunities to compete as a team in a number of disciplines if that’s your thing! To find out more check out- https://www.bhs.org.uk/british-riding-clubs/find-a-british-riding-club/ 3. Sign up for a spring training camp Camps are so much fun. It’s a fantastic opportunity to improve your riding, meet new people and spend quality time with your horse. Some of our favourite facilities in Scotland that run weekend-long camps include Greenfields of Avondale, Auchlishie Eventing & Lindores Equestrian. 4. Go to the beach with friends Nothing better than a good gallop along the sand with a friend in tow! Please check at least one of you has brakes (ideally both of you wearing a body protector because we know what you lot are like?!) 5. Do a BHS Ride Out  The BHS’s Ride Out UK (ROUK) campaign celebrates the joys of riding out in our beautiful countryside, as well as raising awareness of the great work they do to protect and extend safe places to ride and carriage drive off-road. You can find out more about ride out dates here:- https://www.bhs.org.uk/support-us/our-campaigns/ride-out-uk/ 6. Arrange a pole work night Whether alone or with friends, having a day or two’s pole work a week is a great way to change things up. It’s useful for working on balance, control and steering.  A simple exercise for straightness can be to set three coloured poles in a row and aim for a certain colour each time up the long side of the arena....

en_GBEnglish
fr_FRFrench de_DEGerman es_ESSpanish it_ITItalian en_GBEnglish