Horse supplies with a New England mentality

TILTON — When Russell Silverman and his daughter, Shira, purchased The Trainer’s Loft from equestrian Sue Douglass last year, Shira knew she wanted to focus on a line of natural and holistic supplements, but having a thriving horse supply consignment store made the decision to go into business that much easier.

“I was not starting from scratch,” she said, “and consignments are so needed.”

Douglass had opened her consignment shop in 2000, in the loft of her boarding facility. She later moved the shop to Boscawen, but when Russell and Shira took over, they relocated it again, to downtown Tilton.

Shira has a 40-year history with horses, having started riding when she was five years old. She grew up doing hunter-jumper activities and, at age 13, became National Large Pony Hunter Champion.

There was a 10-year break from horses — “not my choice,” she said — but, when she was attending graduate school at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, she joined the equestrian team and bought a two-year-old Anglo-Trakehner.

“I planned to do dressage until she was old enough to jump, but fell in love with dressage, so I never did,” Shira said.

She has had other horses since then and currently owns a 27-year-old mare. For a time, she worked as a farrier, but a back injury ended that career and steered her to her current role as proprietor of a consignment shop.

All about local

The Trainer’s Loft offers “gently used items in sellable condition” and Shira said she inspects the consignments to make sure they are in good condition.

Having owned a throroughbred that could not handle processed grains, Shira said she learned a lot about natural and holistic feeds and supplements, as well as hoof products. She buys from local suppliers as much as possible.

If a customer asks for something she does not carry, she will do her best to get it in stock, she said.

The Trainer’s Loft is not trying to compete with large chain stores, instead offering products that are not readily available elsewhere, along with offering personal service. That includes a generous return policy: Hoof boots and saddles can be returned for full refunds, as long as they’re in the same condition as when they left the store. Other purchases can be returned within seven days for a refund of all but a 20 percent restocking fee.

Having worked as a farrier, Shira recognizes that the hoof size does not always correspond to the shoe size, so she will work with people to help figure out what they need for hoof boots. She stocks boots as small as those for miniature horses, all the way to large hoof sizes.

“We’re the only place offering hoof boot trials,” she said.

They do their best to stock something for everyone, selling both English and western saddles, blankets, and tack, helmets, hats, and other needs.

The store also offers unusual items, not only for horses, but also for their owners. There is a selection of salves and ointments, made locally in New England, as well as the Free Ride Western Safety Stirrup that releases a rider’s boot if thrown from the horse. The Campton man who makes the stirrups will customize them with monograms.

Shira said they have continued to grow and improve since opening in June 2018, and word of their unique combination of consignments and holistic products is spreading.

She maintains that, by using local suppliers as much as possible, “when you support me, you’re supporting them, and putting money back into your local economy. It makes your town or your state a better place to live. … We buy from companies that support small business.”

While The Trainer’s Loft also sells online through its website https://thetrainersloft.com, having a bricks-and-mortar location allows people to come in and touch and feel the products they are buying — a very important advantage, she said.

Besides the equine and rider supplies, The Trainer’s Loft sells local honey from Miss Bee Haven and displays horse portraits by Heidi Lorenz.

The Trainer’s Loft is located at 307 Main St., Tilton, by the traffic light.