American Equus: Equine Ingenuity
Fine materials, exacting requirements and technical mastery are the foundations of American Equus’ quality. Our master machinists craft the finest materials to create unique and exceptional equestrian products.
INSPIRED BY FAMILY
David Shano, founder of American Equus, drew his inspiration for his first stirrup from his daughter, Chloe. At the time, 14-year-old Chloe had trouble keeping her stirrups, and as she began jumping and riding horses over ponies, David set about applying his background in design, machining, and problem-solving to help his daughter keep her stirrups.
After browsing European stirrups available at the time and analyzing his daughter’s every lesson, Shano was convinced he could improve on existing stirrups. He set about to create a product that would no only keep Chloe’s foot solidly in the stirrup, but also make sure that her leg stayed in line with her shoulders and hips.
After an early version and several iterations, David and Chloe decided that they had built the perfect stirrup.
INTO THE RACING WORLD
Slowly but surely demand for David’s stirrups grew as word began to spread. A young jockey apprentice contacted Shano and suggested that he make a stirrup for racing. Following some initial conversations and discoveries, Shano develop their first Thoroughbred Racing Icon with traction pins. Word spread like wildfire through social media, and after connecting with Ricardo Santana Jr., the business took off.
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith was particularly impressed with Shano’s handiwork. “Jockeys are in a unique position where we are doing something incredibly physical with very little gear. Everything has to be as light as possible, so I was really impressed by how light the American Equus irons were and how large the footbed was.”
