California Riding Magazine • June, 2010

Bit of Britain
Ultra No Slip Pad and Tack Up Grip Spray are latest additions to an established and trusted line.

The time demands of competitive riding and horse ownership don’t leave much time for luxuries like lengthy research on which product offers the best quality at the fairest price. Bit of Britain owner John Nunn knows that first hand.

An amateur event rider who shares the sport with his 12-year-old daughter, Nunn built a small tack store and its mobile counterpart into what is now one of the industry’s biggest equestrian retailers. At this fall’s World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, Bit of Britain’s inventory will occupy 6,000 square feet of vendor space. On display there will be everything from rider and horse apparel to tack and stable supplies, books and DVDs to horse-oriented gifts.

Nunn is known for only selling products that he can vouch for as a horseman and he counts on his customers to hold him accountable for that. He welcomes feedback on existing products and suggestions for new items both when he’s in the company’s Oxford, PA headquarters and when he’s visiting equestrian events or competing himself.
Bit of Britain’s newest item is a twist on an old favorite, the Ultra No Slip pad. Manufactured by Bit of Britain’s sister company, Nunn Finer, the Ultra No Slip pad has been a best seller for 16 years. “Over the course of the last couple of years, the pad has been copied,” Nunn explains of the new pad’s evolution. “Not many of the copies have been as good, but a few have, and that made me go back to the drawing board to recreate it and make something superior to our original.” The Ultra No Slip Pad is perforated throughout to keep it cooler and increase its ability to conform to the horse’s back. It also has bound edges in order to increase durability. Soft, flexible and durable, the pad helps saddles stay put. The Ultra No Slip Pads are particularly popular with show jumping, event and dressage riders and on the racetrack. They are available for all western and english saddle styles.

Tack Up Grip Spray is another newcomer to Bit of Britain’s 82-page print and online catalog. Formulated to add additional grip, this spray goes directly onto the rider’s boot or saddle to help them keep their position. Compared to products designed to do the same, Tack Up Grip Spray lasts longer and is invisible on the surface of the boot or saddle flap, Nunn reports.

Raised in a family of horsemen, Nunn worked briefly for Bit of Britain’s founder, a veterinarian. He said yes to the chance to buy the company in 1991 when it was just a small tack shop with one mobile unit that catered to the local racetracks. Nunn has been in the irons for what has since been significant growth. Print catalogs are mailed three times a year and Bit of Britain has a big online presence through its website. The site features “Weekly e-savers,” which recently offered 15 percent off all horse books.

Throughout that growth, the retailer’s inventory has changed considerably but its mission has not: “To treat people the way you want to be treated,” Nunn says. “Nothing less, nothing more. We are fair and forthright.” That mission is well served by a staff comprised of active horse owners and riders. “They can’t just be ‘horse people,’” Nunn notes. “They have to be in the know because they are actively riding in their free time.”

Together Bit of Britain and Nunn Finer are big supporters of horse sports at all levels. That encompasses the United States Pony Club to the Rolex Kentucky Four Star, where Bit of Britain has been a major vendor for the past 15 years. Nunn Finer sponsors several event riders and together the two companies help support approximately
70 equestrian events every year.

For more information about Bit of Britain, visit www.bitofbritain.com.