Press

Building a Brand: Sterling Essentials

By Equine America, July 2021

A behind the scenes feature in Equine America Magazine.

Explore and get the things you’ve always wondered about us answered here: https://eq-am.com/building-a-brand-sterling-essentials/

Ponies Across the Pond | Teal Shoop

By The Pony Podcast, May 12, 2021

This week we chat to Teal Shoop all about what it's like to have horses in the USA! ⁠
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Teal contacted us to tell us how much she enjoyed listening and we were so excited we have international listeners that we had to have her on. We talk about extreme weather (ice storms are a thing), the local show being just a couple of hours drive away and what hunter jumper really is. ⁠
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Teal has developed her own range of natural leather care products after her horse reacted to all other ones on the market. Make sure you go and check them out at Sterling Essentials or for Boudica Equestrian in the UK.

Follow the link to listen: https://www.theponypodcast.com/episodes/episode/1dd71658/ponies-across-the-pond-or-teal-shoop

Five mistakes your making in your leather care routine

By Andrea Parker, The Sand Arena Ballerina, September 13, 2020

You know that saddle sitting in your barn that’s worth thousands of dollars. You are protecting that investment with your tip top leather care routine, right? You wipe it down after each ride. You store it carefully. You soap it up to get rid of all that dirt and grim before you condition it after each ride.

What if those things you are doing that you think are good for your saddle are actually inadvertently causing harm to your saddle? In today’s post I’m talking about five of the big mistakes you are probably making when it comes to caring for your leather.

Follow the link to read the full article: https://thesandarenaballerina.com/2020/09/five-mistakes-leather-care

Saddle and Sage 2020 Equine Gift Guide

By Tamara Gonsor, Saddle and Sage, January 2020

Does your leather care routine actually contribute to your horse? Mine does :)

Follow the link to read the full article and get a peak at the hottest must-haves: https://www.saddleandsage.com/2020equinegiftguide

Women in Equestrian Business - Teal Shoop and Sterling Essentials Leather Care

By Laura Rayne, Blanket Safe, January 24, 2020

After a quick, yet busy holiday season, we are excited to get back to some of these amazing women behind the equestrian brands. The first woman we will be focusing on in 2020 is Teal Shoop, the business owner of a line of leather care products. Her products are made in the Pacific Northwest near Portland Oregon, and can be found on the complete other side of the US, in our personal barn. We started using her products before I knew or insta-met Teal…so even we were excited to learn a little more about the amazing person behind a brand that we use!

So without further ado, let’s introduce you to Teal Shoop, the amazing lady boss behind the Sterling Essentials Leather Care Brand. I personally love her merchandise, because just like the Blanket Safe products, they avoid the use of harmful skin irritating chemicals. They are both gentle and non-toxic. Plus both of us created our products because of an issue with our OWN horses! While I have not met her in person, I could feel that very familiar energy from Teal that I have. I love the fact that she also believes that there can be a high end super-effective, quality product, without the use of harsh, irritating, or unsafe ingredients.

Follow the link to read the full article: www.blanketsafe.com/blogs/blanket-safe-blog/women-in-equestrian-business-teal-shoop

Top 4 Favorite Tack Cleaners Of All Time

By Justine Griffin, Heels Down Magazine, November 29, 2019

Remember the days when tack cleaning used to consist of that plain-smelling orange glycerine bar of saddle soap and a small container of neatsfoot oil? Boy, times have changed.

There are so many options out there these days to clean and condition riding tack. But some products are better than others. Here are my favorites to keep my saddle, bridle and boots looking (and smelling) their best.

Spoiler Alert - We’re #1!!!!

Follow the link to read the full article! Link: https://heelsdownmag.com/top-4-favorite-tack-cleaners-of-all-time/

Photo Credit: Heels Down Magazine

Equine Entrepreneurship and Leather Care with Teal Shoop of Sterling Essentials

By Equestrian Pulse Podcast, November 17, 2019

In this episode of the Equestrian Pulse Podcast, Heather Wallace interviews Teal Shoop, the entrepreneur behind Sterling Essentials Leather Care products. They discuss running an equestrian small business, the hunters, leather care and more. Thanks for listening!

Follow the link to listen! Link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/482779/1466989-equine-entrepreneurship-and-leather-care-with-teal-shoop-of-sterling-essentials

Photo Credit: Equestrian Pulse Podcast

Sterling Essentials Leather Care

By Andrea Parker, The Sand Arena Ballerina, May 29, 2019

Does anyone else ever feel like there is something therapeutic about the process of cleaning tack? Making sure you have got every last piece of hair and spec of dirt out of every nook and cranny gets you out of your head. Rubbing the leather conditioner in and watching it absorb into the leather has almost a meditative quality. And then of course there is the feeling of satisfaction when you see your saddlery clean and nourished. Now Sterling Essentials leather care products have taken that therapeutic feeling to the next level.

These exquisitely crafted products are infused with essential oils designed to leave your leather looking and feeling a million bucks. They also smell fantastic and will leave both your saddlery and hands free of any greasy residue.

Follow the link to read the full review! Link: https://thesandarenaballerina.com/2019/05/sterling-essentials-leather-care/

Photo Credit: The Sand Arena Ballerina

Leather Care Routine - Sterling Essentials

By Kaitlin Wilson, Eyes Up, Darling, April 18, 2019

Their products are made with organic ingredients and essential oils that smell amazing and doesn’t leave a greasy residue!

I used both the cleaner and conditioner, within less than ten minutes my boots looked brand new! In terms of my saddle, there was a zipper scratch on it, horrified when it happened- I was truly at a loss. The way the saddle soaked up the conditioner was amazing, now you can hardly see the scratch! When I was cleaning my tack, all the parents watching their children’s lessons were raving about how amazing it smelt when passing by. This leather cleaning duo, does the heavy lifting, all while making my life easier.

Follow the link to read the full article. Link: https://www.eyesupdarling.com/equine/2019/3/19/leather-care-routine

Photo Credit: Eyes Up, Darling

Review: Sterling Essentials Leather Care Products

By Lindsay, Paperchases & Petticoats, September 29, 2018

If Malvern Saddlery Ltd carries Sterling Essentials leather care products, then they must be good! No, seriously, these products were made to be tough yet gentle on high end tack and I am one of those people who trusts the opinions of their tack store reps. I would absolutely recommend these products to busy tack cleaning haters out there.

Follow the link to read the full review!

Link: https://paperchasesandpetticoats.com/review-sterling-essentials-leather-care/

Care for Your Leather with Sterling Essentials Leather Conditioner

By Rachel Masen, Decidedly Equestrian, September 28, 2018

I was impressed with how easy this was to use. Unlike some conditioners, it’s not sticky at all. It melts in your hands, so it’s easy to put on without clumping.

Follow the link to the full review!

Link: http://decidedlyequestrian.com/2018/09/28/care-for-your-leather-with-sterling-essentials-leather-conditioner/

Sterling Essentials: Love Your Tack

By Betsy, Bits and Bays, September 28, 2018

Okay, so enough babbling about how good it smells, you’re not shopping for perfume, the important part about Sterling Essentials is that it works. Not only will your tack smell amazing, it will be polished, conditioned, and ready to last a lifetime. Time to queue up a Netflix series to binge while you engulf yourself in amazing smells and deep clean your gear.

Follow the link to the full review!

Link: http://www.bitsandbays.com/2018/09/28/sterling-essentials-love-your-tack/

Disrupting the Traditional Leather Care Industry Using Science, Natural Ingredients and Fragrance: Sterling Essentials

By Kristin Thornton, Street to Stable, September 17, 2018

As I was researching more about the brand, I was impressed by the endorsements of notable sport horse professionals including Melanie Smith Taylor (Olympic Gold Medalist- Show Jumping), Dana and Bob Brawley, Brawley Farms Inc. (AA hunter/jumper show barn) and Matt Brown and Cecily Clark, East West Training Stables (International Eventing Competitors). It was evident that this company was offering an alternative that filled a niche and was appreciated by equestrians of all levels.

After reading more about the ingredients, fragrances, and who stands the brand, I recognized that it is a better solution to my daily equipment cleaning because as their tagline states, it is “GENTLE ON YOUR LEATHER, GENTLE ON YOU.”

Follow the link to the full review!

Link: https://streettostable.com/blogs/news/sterling-essentials

No Muss, Zero Fuss: Solving the Tack Cleaning Struggle

By Sally Spickard, Horse Junkies United, July 13, 2018

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Teal Shoop, the mind behind Sterling Essentials, which is a newer cleaning and conditioning product I hadn’t previously heard of.

PS: If you appreciate bad-ass businesswomen and could use a bit of advice and motivation, check out this interview with Teal.

Let me preface by saying, I’m not usually an easy sell. I mean, I’m all for trying new things, but I usually get fairly set in my ways – I think you could truthfully say that about a lot of riders, honestly.

Let’s get to the skinny on Sterling. Teal actually experienced many of the same frustrations I voiced regarding the plethora of cleaning products on the market – which is one reason why she decided to just make her own product.

Follow the link to read the full review!

Link: https://horsejunkiesunited.com/2018/07/13/no-muss-zero-fuss-solving-the-tack-cleaning-struggle/

Sterling Essentials Leather Care Review

By Karina Harris, The Hunt Equestrian, July 9, 2018

I’m that girl who loves cleaning tack. To me, there’s nothing better than soft, clean, supple leather. I take pride in caring for my tack, so finding the best products for them is crucial.

Sterling Essentials was born in the Pacific Northwest, where wet winters and dry summers left founder Teal in the market for effective leather care. When she found that most brands contained irritating harsh chemicals, she decided to make her own line with natural, food-grade ingredients and therapeutic-grade oils. As an owner of two extremely sensitive horses, I really appreciate that this stuff is made with the animals in mind.

Follow the link to read the full review!

Link: https://thehuntequestrian.com/2018/07/09/sterling-essentials-leather-care-review/

Sterling Essentials Leather Cleaner Review

By Rachel Masen, Decidedly Equestrian, June 22, 2018

How many leather cleaners have I reviewed now?  Feels like hundreds!  I’m THE unofficial expert on leather cleaners.  I thought I’d pretty much tried them all until I saw a shiny black bottle in a tack box at a horse show and thought…”ohh…what’s THAT!”  After an email to Teal of Sterling Essentials, I had a bottle of her leather cleaner and a leather conditioner on the way (that review will come later!).

Follow the link to read the full review! 

Link: http://decidedlyequestrian.com/2018/06/22/sterling-essentials-leather-cleaner-review/

Marketing Is A Constant Effort: Teal Shoop of Sterling Essentials

By Erin Wheeler, Heels Down Media, May 11, 2018

Building a business is like entering an Ironman challenge that lasts for years: it’s fun until you hit the part where everything hurts. We all need inspiration at some point. One thing that inspires us is talking with other entrepreneurs who are passionate and driven. In this new series, Heels Down Media brings you the hard truths from entrepreneurs who are shaking up the equestrian industry. Teal Shoop saw an opportunity to create a new, improved version of a product that horsemen and women use daily: tack cleaner. Thus, Sterling Essentials was born. 

Link: https://heelsdownmedia.com/marketing-is-a-constant-effort-teal-shoop-of-sterling-essentials/

Top Eventers’ Top Products, Part 1: Around the Barn

By Lyndsey Gruber, Eventing Nation, April 17, 2018

Whatcha gonna do with that tax refund? Blow it on horse stuff, duh! Over the next few days top Athletux Equine riders will be sharing their favorite products with us, starting with part 1: grooming, tack and tack care, saddle pads, supplements and treats.

Link: http://eventingnation.com/top-eventers-top-products-part-1-grooming-tack-tack-care-saddle-pads-supplements-treats/