The Mighty Thoroughbred Clique

Disclaimer: I don't personally know any of the MTC members and only met this one through my interest in the Web site. I'm happy to recognize a grass roots effort to help thoroughbreds.

Late last year, I was shopping online for beaded browbands when I stumbled on a great Web site, the Mighty Thoroughbred Clique (MTC).Yes, the site has browbands, and they're great! But I'm promoting the MTC site because it celebrates and promotes thoroughbreds as sport horses. The MTC began as part of the "clique" phenomenon on the Chronicle of the Horse (COTH) bulletin board. A clique is a group of COTH members that share a common interest.

One of the MTC members, Ellyn, created the Web site as part of a grass roots effort to promote thoroughbreds in sport. Ellyn's admiration for thoroughbreds started when she became the owner of Bold Artesian, a Bold Ruler son. "He hated dressage, loved grapes, and was the best friend a woman could ever have," she recalls. Like a lot of other thoroughbred owners, she saw warmblood "brand consciousness" in dressage and other disciplines. Warmbloods are sometimes seen as the only choice for a serious competitor. Ellyn noted that warmbloods registries market and promote their breed -- and each registry has its own brand, or logo.

Why can't thoroughbreds have a logo? Ellyn put together a basic design for a logo and commissioned a graphic artist to refine it. The resulting logo was used to create a line of thoroughbred logo patches, tie tack pins, and charms (suitable for a necklace or earrings), all of which are available on her Web site. Side note: The necklace charm would be perfect for awards banquets!

The MTC logo fundraising effort has benefited both thoroughbreds and their riders. A portion of the sales (e.g., $3 of the $8 cost for a patch) is designated for thoroughbred causes. In 2007 MTC donated $1300 to thoroughbred organizations such as the Exceller Fund, CANTER, and DreamPower Horsemanship. In the past, the MTC fund has been used to sponsor a young rider. Ellyn has not sponsored one recently, "but would send a few hundred for an entry fee or FEI passport if a young pro asked."

Speaking of Browbands
As I said, I was actually looking for browbands when I stumbled on MTC. They do make and sell browbands, and they're gorgeous. A portion of the sale of the browbands ($10-$20) also goes into the MTC fund. MTC donated browbands to the Area VI team who went to NAYRC 2005.

I'm for anything that fosters pride in thoroughbreds competing in jumping, dressage, and eventing. In those sports that suffer from warmblood worship, the MTC offers thoroughbred owners a chance to show their pride in their horse. Kudos to Ellyn, the MTC one-woman-show that created the logo and the web site! If you want to support MTC, buy a patch or charm (Paypal accepted)! The cost of shipping is included. For more info, go to the Web site, contact info@mightythoroughbredclique.com, send mail to
Mighty Thoroughbred Clique
P.O. Box 1154
Mountain View, CA 94043