Why do controversial "brands" do so well?

Way too overpriced for what is essentially a name. Also agree in not buying due to her alliances with Rollkur.

I will always go for quality over price, but for essential things like bridles, girths and that is purely for a safety point of view.

For a saddlepad, my £10 bargain off eBay does the same job as a £50 odd one and if it tore in half, my safety wouldn't be compromised.
 
you cant deny she's an excellent business woman, and has made herself a pretty penny with virually no tangible skills except taking her clothes off. I take my hat off to her, she's made a ton out of nothing so fair play to her and i think she possibly deserves a little more respect for that alone...............
the KP range i DONT find to be good quality so dont buy it, ditto JW. Mark Todd and Anky i do find to be very hard wearing and well made, its that simple and i imagine most people buy based on the same, logical, thought process...........................
 
tallyho! said:
I'm asking as a matchy-matchy thread prompted me... sorry to the poster, nothing personal! :)

I am curious, after the controversy that surrounds rollkur and Anky Van Grunsven, as to why her technical clothing & horsewear range is advocated so widely.

Personally, I boycott the brand because of the personality behind it. Not everyone is of this opinion I am sure as she has a huge fanbase :rolleyes: but it does make me wonder how people can part with money to buy her particular brand and continue to support her in this way and be against rollkur.

Maybe some people agree with rollkur, I don't know but I just wondered...
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I love matchy matchy but I wouldn't buy anky stuff for the same reason as you. Much as some of the colours are lovely.

It's a question that has struck me before too though.

eta, I have loads of MT rugs because they're the only ones to fit all my horses well. I've found the pretty hard wearing and decent over the 15 years or so I've been using them.
 
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I love matchy matchy :D
But wouldn't buy Anky even if it was reasonably priced.
Most my matchy stuff is HKM - their saddlecloths come in a huiugggeee range of colours with nice bindings ect. - with Jumpers Polo Bandages - again huge range of colours & very hard wearing :)
 
Agree with everything ps and rte have said. I buy it because it is such good quality and lasts a life time. My polypad is so thin and Mankey from regular washes I would never put it on my horses back again! My horse is my life (I really need to get out more) and deserves the best of the best and to be as comfy and happy as possible, obviously he doesn't know he has 'anky' written on his pad but the coolmax lining etc sure help him to not be sweaty and stuffy under the saddle. And he looks pretty too :p :p :D
 
I bought an anky pad because I know they are very good quality and lovely colours, certainly not because of the brand name. I actually find Mark Todd very good, I have 2 bridles and several rugs and they are good quality and reasonable. Quality is quality, couldn't give a stuff about the 'name'.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
agreed that she has, sometimes, pushed horses too hard and too far, but we all make mistakes and id bet some of your horses have been made uncomfortable at your expense at some point, you just arent succesful enough to warrent people videoing it and posting it on youtube!
She (along with Sjeff) developed a system that has subsequently developed a lot of very beneficial exercises and systems world wide (when not taken to the absolute extreme), its given a lot of people more tools in their boxes to develop hot headed and over sharp horses.
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With some deep consideration and honesty with myself, I feel that I can proudly say "no I have never pushed my horses too hard, too far". It's just not what I have been taught... once after my gelding bolted with me on the beach, I made him gallop the full length of it but even then, I don't think it was on the same level.

Regarding developing "systems", I'm afraid I don't subscribe to any system that even HAS an extreme! As a dressage enthusiast of many years, I have obviously seen Anky et al and these systems in effect, it only consolidated my desire to get as far away as possible from it.

That's just me though :)
 
No matchy-matchy here. We do patchy-patchy with old stuff.

I like to think that my horse and I are extremely Fashion-Forward - we have black saddle cloths - which just must be next season's must-haves:D
 
Nope I can colour coordinate my horses that's boots, bandages, saddle cloth, overreach's, skull cover and headcollar + leadrope for the cost of a pad and some bandages!!

Wouldn't give the money for them. However I do like their colour ranges :)
 
Wouldn't dare buy something with the name 'anky' on. OH would die laughing as got his permanant marker and put a neat little W in front of said very expensive name.
 
mperson01 said:
Wouldn't dare buy something with the name 'anky' on. OH would die laughing as got his permanant marker and put a neat little W in front of said very expensive name.
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Lmao!!!

:D:D brilliant... Never even thought of that and perfect name for the personality in question...
 
I have a hot pink poly pad that's lasted years and still looks great. I wouldn't buy the Anky stuff even without the connections I could find millions of other things to buy. But on principle no I wouldn't although I do love the colours.

So I indulge the matchy matchy side with snuggy hood stuff, pony has the full set of leopard print snuggys with boots and I have the snood and gloves :o sounds really tacky but I love snuggy hoods. Ok it probably does look tacky :D

I also have a mark Todd headcoller which is super smart but I didn't buy it. The other ponies just have whatever bargain I coud find :D
 
Fwiw, I have an ancient poly pad which I bought for my first horse when he was on working livery at an RS about 16 years ago... And it's been washed millions of times, used and abused, and it's still fine and dandy. Slightly faded, now french navy and red rather than dark navy, but still in good nick. I also have one which is about 4 years old that's looking fine too, other than where the mice nibbled it :cool:
 
I just buy stuff if I like it so I have 4 anky sets and will probably but 2 more at the end of the month!

I don't see a big deal I have lots of matchy and lots of stupidly expensive stuff even though I will never be an amazing competition rider I just like to have nice stuff!

Anky is really nice stuff so i don't really care what she has done: hasn't done
 
I would not buy this stuff due to the rollkur connection, i wont buy coca-cola either due to their bottling company involvement in sponsoring rodeos and the levels of cruelty involved
 
JFTD said:
Fwiw, I have an ancient poly pad which I bought for my first horse when he was on working livery at an RS about 16 years ago... And it's been washed millions of times, used and abused, and it's still fine and dandy. Slightly faded, now french navy and red rather than dark navy, but still in good nick. I also have one which is about 4 years old that's looking fine too, other than where the mice nibbled it :cool:
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I'm the same... I have a polypad I bought must be 10years ago now, it's burgundy on one side and soft pink on the other. It's faded but does a fab job. Never slips and is still as fluffy as it was when I bought it.

flump said:
I just buy stuff if I like it so I have 4 anky sets and will probably but 2 more at the end of the month!

I don't see a big deal I have lots of matchy and lots of stupidly expensive stuff even though I will never be an amazing competition rider I just like to have nice stuff!

Anky is really nice stuff so i don't really care what she has done: hasn't done
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Each to their own. I know I couldn't live live with knowing I supported someone who is less than humane towards animals in her care. Just doesn't sit right. It would nibble away at my conscience as I know full well there are similar items I could buy without endorsement of that name.
 
Jools2345 said:
I would not buy this stuff due to the rollkur connection, i wont buy coca-cola either due to their bottling company involvement in sponsoring rodeos and the levels of cruelty involved
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I don't drink any soft drinks but avoided coke for the same reasons. I am really conscious of being a hypocrite as I have been accused of being one before so I pay attention to what I am subscribing to more and more these days.

There is so much choice, its easy to avoid making bad ones.
 
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