Riding in Style

Her roots are in Massachusetts and her home in beautiful Walking Horse Country – Shelbyville, Tennessee. But Marsha Shepard’s heart is in Colombia. During her visits to that country, she dines with friends in the restaurants of Bogota’ and rides horses in the cool countryside. Most of her time, though, is spent at her company’s factory, where expert tailors and seamstresses turn her clothing designs into extraordinary creations her clients expect.

Marsha loves to work at her factory, to be at the cutting table or draping mannequins. Her company, M. de Arriaga, produces a commercial line of equestrian clothing as well as custom designs for individual riders. Her factory in Santa’ Fe’ de Bogota’, Colombia, was founded in 1987.
M. de Arriaga is known throughout the equestrian world, and Marsha has customers all over the United States as well as in London, Canada and other countries. Even before her line of equestrian clothes she was a familiar face in the horse world. Her family owned a successful horse farm in Massachusetts, and she was an American Horse Show Association judge for 30 years.

Fabrics are chosen from the United States as well as abroad. They are selected to fit the show ring and to give a unique presence of each individual. Fine fabrics require excellent craftsmen, and luckily she has the finest working for her. Many other equestrian clothiers’ contract out their sewing, but Marsha believes that hands on and well dedicated craftsmen make for better products and more flexibility in the market place. Therefore, she can easily deal with alterations and guarantee delivery dates.

The equestrian clothing is cut to be beautiful in the saddle. The detail and the fit have to be perfect. She has to pay particular attention to the way clothes fit across the shoulders and to the rotation of the sleeves. Being the perfectionist that Marsha is, that is where she shines in the equestrian clothing industry.