Spring is one of my favorite seasons. The weather is warmer, flowers are blooming, days are getting longer. Everything seems just a bit more hopeful. And I don’t know about you but with everything going on in the world, I’ll take feeling hopeful every chance I get!

Spring is also when I launch new collections. People have asked how I choose partners for these seasonal collaborations and how the process comes together. So with springtime newness all around, this feels like the right time to tell you all about my first pattern, the Channing Collection .

When I got back into riding about 7 years ago, I was still working at a full-time job. It happened that my colleague Sarah had just purchased a horse. She was eventing with him and I asked if I could come see her ride sometime.

Well, that was the kiss of death. (Or was it life?) Because shortly thereafter, I started taking riding lessons, leasing different horses. I soon fell hook, line, and sinker for these animals in a way that far eclipsed my love for them as a child – which is saying something because I really loved them then, too!

But back to the Channing Collection. Channing’s owner, my coworker Sarah, is who I truly credit for leading me back to horses. She was so generous with Channing—she even let me take lessons on him! I was a total stranger she just worked with! (I mean, who does that?)

During the course of our working together, Sarah’s father died unexpectedly. He had been her rock. Her dad was also the person who introduced her to horses and nurtured her love of them. In the months after his death, Channing was the one thing that gave Sarah a sense of purpose and hope. As she so eloquently put it:

Sitting next to Sarah at the office, bearing witness to her pain, her strength and her faith during this time really stayed with me. When I started Mare, I knew her story was an important part of mine and had to be woven into the story of my brand.

And so it goes. Partnering on these seasonal collaborations is a very organic process. If I had to lay out step-by-step directions, I don’t think I could. And even though I don’t typically go looking for stories, they sure seem to find me! I think that’s why I love going to shows so much; I always meet someone who shares something about their experience with horses that moves, inspires, or surprises me. Every time, it reinforces the significance of these creatures in our lives.

If you have a story to share, I’d love to hear it. You never know what’s going to inspire the next season’s design. Just email me – I’m all ears!