Our Connection to Equine Therapy

For Siegelman Stable, horses have always represented more than racing.

Long before Siegelman Stable became a fashion brand, our family’s connection to horses was built at the racetrack, in the stable, and through the relationships that formed around them. That history begins with Siegelman Racing Stable, founded in 1982 by renowned harness racing trainer Robbie Siegelman. But Robbie’s work with horses extended far beyond competition. He saw firsthand that the connection between people and horses could have an impact outside of racing, and began finding ways to share that experience with people who could benefit from it most.

That work became an important part of our family's story and, eventually, an important part of Siegelman Stable.

What Is Equine Therapy?

“Equine therapy” is a term commonly used to describe programs that incorporate horses to support people with a range of physical, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs. The work can take many forms: from licensed mental health, occupational or physical therapy incorporating horses to adaptive horsemanship and equine-assisted learning.

The specific experience varies depending on the program and the individual. It can include riding, groundwork, caring for a horse, learning horsemanship skills or interacting with horses as part of a treatment plan led by qualified professionals.

What connects these experiences is the relationship between the horse and human.

Horses require attention, patience, communication and trust. In appropriately designed programs, working with them can support goals ranging from balance, strength and coordination to confidence, communication, social interaction and emotional well-being.

Where Our Connection Began

As Robbie built his career training racehorses, he began using his time, experience and horses to give back.

Over the years, his work included programs for underserved young people, children undergoing cancer treatment, people with special needs, veterans experiencing PTSD and other communities who could benefit from working with horses. He developed his “Hands On” equine program for inner-city teenagers and “Horses with Hearts” for children undergoing cancer treatment, in addition to volunteering with other equine-assisted programs.

For Max Siegelman, growing up around that work shaped his understanding of what the family stable represented.

It wasn't only about winning races. It was about what could happen when you opened the stable to other people.

Years later, that idea would become foundational to Siegelman Stable.

Continuing the Stable's Story

When Max launched Siegelman Stable in 2020, he wasn't initially setting out to build a global fashion brand. The first pieces were created as a way to celebrate his father's racing stable and preserve the family legacy, using the original Siegelman Racing identity.

What started with pieces for family and friends quickly drew interest from a much wider audience.

That attention presented an opportunity: if the story of the stable could reach more people through fashion, so could the values behind it.

As Max has explained, the story already existed through horse racing and equine therapy, and fashion simply became a new way to tell it.

How We Continue to Support It

Today, as Siegelman Stable continues to grow, a portion of proceeds from our products continues to support equine therapy programs, helping organizations that use horses to serve individuals and communities across the country.

Our support has evolved alongside the brand, but the commitment behind it hasn't. Robbie continues to be involved in equine-assisted work, while Siegelman Stable uses its growing platform to bring more awareness to a part of the horse world that many people may never otherwise encounter. As Max has said of supporting equine therapy programs: “That's a forever thing.”

Every collection gives us another opportunity to introduce someone to the story.

A person may first discover Siegelman Stable through a hat, a collaboration, an athlete or a piece of clothing. But behind the logo is a family history that began decades before the brand existed: a racing stable, a trainer, a love of horses and a belief that their impact can reach well beyond the track.

As Siegelman Stable moves forward, that history moves with us.

Our goal has always been to honor where we come from while creating something that can continue to grow. Supporting equine-assisted programs allows us to do both: to preserve an important part of our family's legacy while helping more people experience the connection with horses that made that legacy meaningful in the first place.

Racing is where our story began. What horses can do beyond racing is an equally important part of why we continue to tell it.