Four years ago, Larissa Tweedie started the Lara Tweedie brand with $10,000 and a baby. Fast forward to today and the Lara Tweedie brand has not only garnered attention from international dressage stars but is now going to be the very first equestrian brand in the world to bring the wonder of Disney’s Frozen to Australian riders, with the upcoming Lara Tweedie Disney’s Frozen collection!
The Ashlie Floral top and Rose Velvet Luxe saddle pad.
Ever since she was a child, Larissa Tweedie has always loved horses. It’s a passion that developed if its own accord, and horses have been a part of her life ever since. “I have a non-horsey family, so horses were my discovery and my passion from a young age,” explains Larissa, who first picked up the reins at age 10. “I knew that I always wanted to make horses my life; I started off my career as a veterinarian, graduating from Sydney University in 2007.”
Larissa began in clinical work and ultimately married another veterinarian, Dr Mike Tweedie. They worked together for many years and Mike continues to run their sport horse veterinary practice from their property at Moorooduc on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Larissa explains that while she has very warm feelings towards the veterinary profession, she eventually came to the realisation that it wasn’t a career that could give her what she craved.
“What I fundamentally need – and what vet science doesn’t have – is a creative aspect. It’s been a real journey of personal growth to come to an understanding that I’m not a healer; I’m a creative and a merchant. I love making products and I love the joy that you can bring to people with products.”
“I’m very grateful for my veterinary education; I’d never give it back, as I still use it every day. I don’t miss it either, because so much of my life still revolves around it. However, I think that I’m at the point now where everyone’s forgotten that I did vet science because I’ve built this other business,” she laughs. That other business is of course Lara Tweedie Equestrian.
The Katie Camo Flora saddle pad, a new Lara Tweedie print that is just about to launch. The equine model is Larissa’s horse, Jaybee Blenheim.
$10,000 & A BABY
“I started this business in a really small way… with $10,000 and a baby,” explains Larissa. Four years in, and she says it’s been an incredible journey.
“I definitely learned that starting a business, when you don’t have an enormous number of resources behind you, things take longer. You have to wait, you have to be patient, and you have to be really willing to make tough business decisions. A lot of the growth in the business has come from the things that I’ve said no to, rather than the things that I’ve done because I thought that I should be doing them.”
Larissa’s very first product was a pair of riding socks. “I made a pair of riding socks… and then I made a bridle. There was a time where Lara Tweedie had two products in the range, and it didn’t look like it does today!”
Larissa explains that each time she developed a new product in the early days, she always tried to make it as good as she possibly could, and it grew from there. “I had this small child, and I didn’t have enormous resources to put into this brand. It’s always had to stand on its own two feet right from the very beginning.
“In 2020 I designed our first saddle pad. It was interesting because I put a bow on it; that had never been done before and it got lots of traction. That was the first time I had anything that looked like a range!”
The Ashlie Floral top and saddle pad.
“My advice to anyone in business is don’t ever make apologies for where you start. People don’t always start from the same barrier; there’s always going to be someone who starts with more resources than you have, or more time than you have. Or less resources and less time. Wherever you start, that’s the beginning of your journey and however long it takes you to get to a place where your business looks the way you want it to look, is however long it’s going to take.”
Larissa feels her business has now reached a placed where her vision is finally becoming reality. “It’s nice to have built the relationships and have the resources needed to make the products that I want to make and to tell the brand story that I want to tell. It’s great to be in a place where I can now be a little brave and do things like incredible prints for spring and summer; there’s definitely some risk associated with making products that don’t look like anything else on the market, but for me, that’s where the joy comes from. When you get the feedback from riders saying, ‘I love this, it makes me happy every day that I wear it’, that’s really satisfying.”
FOLLOWED BY CATHERINE
Part of Larissa’s brand journey has been a long-term working relationship with Lebanese-American dressage star, Catherine Haddad.
“I feel like I manifested her into my life,” explains Lara. “In 2008 I went to the Beijing Olympics and worked in the FEI vet clinic as a new graduate. I really fell in love with dressage; I watched training behind the scenes, and I’d never had that opportunity before. Not long after I came back from the Olympics, I discovered Catherine Haddad.”
“She was this really clear communicator. I had just finished university, and I had never heard anyone lecture about horse riding the way this woman did. I just was blown away by her and I watched every single video I could find that she’d ever made. I followed her career and at the time she had her Grand Prix horses Cadillac and later Winyamaro.”
Larissa had been a fan of Catherine’s long before Lara Tweedie was born, so you can imagine her excitement when the dressage star followed her new brand on Instagram. “I only had 2000 followers at the time; we didn’t have a lot of traction. I couldn’t believe it, so I sent her a message and said, ‘I have been an admirer of yours for the longest time, and I’ve followed your career and the journey you’ve gone on with your horses – can I send you some products?’”
“That was four years ago… I sent her these products and she started making videos and sending them to me and giving me her insights and perspectives on developing bridles. The bridle range was developed alongside Catherine, and she uses them with her team. She’s always been incredibly generous with her knowledge, and I’ve been over and visited her. I still sponsor her.”
Hope Beerling competing for Australia at an FEI Nations Cup event in Wellington, Florida with Uno Elando. Image by Susan Stickle.
MOST PHOTOGRAPHED HORSE IN AUSTRALIA
An amateur rider, Larissa has two dressage horses of her own and is loving every bit of the journey with them. “My horses are there for me to enjoy; they’re part of our life and they live with us at home,” she says.
“My horse that I’ve had now for three and a half years is 10-year-old Jaybee Blenheim. He’s gone from Novice level to be training the Advanced work, which is incredibly satisfying for me as an amateur rider. I bought him from Caroline Coleby and he is by Beluga, Helen Chugg’s stallion, and out of a Jaybee Alabaster mare; I’m a huge fan of Australian-bred horses. He’s a beautiful chestnut with a blaze and four white socks. He’s the horse that you see in all the Lara Tweedie campaigns; I say he’s the most photographed horse in Australia!”
Larissa reveals that these days she trains with Hope Beerling, a talented young Australian rider who is based in America and is assistant trainer to Catherine Haddad.
“It’s great to be in
a place where I can
now be a little brave.”
Van Eyk Tutu, owned in partnership by Chris and Nat Wilkinson and Carmen Leigh, models The Champion saddle pad.
“I have remote lessons weekly with Hope. She has me in Catherine’s system and it’s been incredible. My horse has done nothing but improve since I’ve been involved with that stable, even if it’s from a distance. I’ve never had more enjoyment riding; I’ve never found more harmony in the partnership with my horse and it’s very cool.”
Larissa’s second horse is a Small Tour schoolmaster named GV Ryan’s Rave. “He’s an older horse that I bought quite recently and he’s by Regardez Moi, so another super solid Australian-bred horse who’s still busting out all the moves.”
In addition, Larissa also has a filly bred by David Shoobridge. “Her name is Valencia DS, and she’s by David’s stallion, Vittorio DS, and out of Holly Stansfield-Smith’s Grand Prix mare Diva Royale.” Being out of Diva Royale and due on Christmas eve, there was only one stable name this filly was ever going to have: Mariah.
“Mariah is rising one now, so she’s my next-generation Australian-bred horse. I’m very patriotic when it comes to buying horses. I’ll always support Australian.”
SUPPORT AUSTRALIAN
Lara Tweedie is a name often seen around events, especially in Victoria. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction to have the business in a place where we can support Australian shows through sponsorships,” says Larissa.
“We can all be guilty of having a very Eurocentric view of the world when it comes to the equestrian industry, but I think it’s really important to support Australian businesses and Australian riders wherever you can; that’s part of my value system.”
“Lara Tweedie sells at a price point alongside the European brands, and we make the same quality products in all the same factories. Our products are designed in Australia; we employ within Australia.”
Larissa Tweedie is thrilled to be releasing the Lara Tweedie Disney’s Frozen collection later this month.
Larissa says understanding the ins and outs of her supply chain has always been very important to her. “I’ve spent a lot of time this year auditing my entire supply chain and as far as I know, I’m the only equestrian brand that has done this. I’ve personally been to visit the factories that make our garments and our horse products. I’ve sent independent auditors and paid for factory audits, so there’s a lot of transparency and there’s a lot of visibility for me as a business owner when it comes to my supply chain. It is part of ensuring that everyone in the supply chain is paid a living wage and it’s part of building a brand that I’m really proud of.”
A CALL FROM DISNEY
The latest chapter in the Lara Tweedie journey began with an unexpected phone call. “There was a rider who worked at Disney… she was engaged with my brand because of her interest in horses. She reached out and said, ‘I love what you’re doing with the brand, would you be interested in talking to Disney?’”
That was the end of 2023, and Lara Tweedie is set to be the first equestrian brand in the world to release a range of Disney branded products. “I have signed the first licensing deal in the world to use Disney IP,” explains Lara. “It’s been a wild ride… this year we’ve got two upcoming ranges that will be launched online and in Horseland stores nationally. The first range drops November 2024 – just in time for Christmas – and that’s the Lara Tweedie Disney’s Frozen collection!”
“It’s not going to
look like anything that
anyone else is doing.”
“The collection will include saddle pads, long-sleeve riding tops, hat silks and riding socks, with all prints created by our in-house, Melbourne-based graphic designer.”
“It doesn’t look like anything that anyone else is doing, and that’s what I love. I love that it’s uniquely part of telling my brand story. Lara Tweedie is a really joyful brand. We’re about making each day happier and more joyful… literally just loving our horses and having a good time! When we get to do a range as we’re about to do with Disney’s Frozen, it’s truly wonderful. I wish that I could have been one of those little girls, opening those gifts under the tree at Christmas… but now through Lara Tweedie, I can bring that joy to little horse riders and for me, that’s a dream come true.” EQ
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