BRIDL: The Essential Digital Equine Marketplace
There are many ways to get prepared on becoming an entrepreneur – from studies, family support, a strong background, the smarts and determination to succeed – Marie Marks, Founder & CEO of Bridl – has all that and a vision to prove it. The Tech Equestrian had the chance to connect with Marie to find out how her new buying and selling app has plans on becoming a robust equine marketplace that will become a go-to on the international stage.
In the Bloodline
Marie was born in the UK. “My father was a jockey and racehorse trainer. My grandfather was also a very skilled and talented horseman,” shared Marie. “I’ve been riding since I was a child. I’m not the typical girl who just focused on one discipline - I’ve ridden all types of horses which allowed me to obtain a strong perspective and an overall view of equestrian sports.” She did not grow up in a very wealthy family but she was always encouraged to work hard to ride quality horses and surround herself with really good people. “It wasn’t easy – I’m emotionally attached to horses and I’ve always connected strongly with animals – I have a strong connection with them.” She was very young when her parents separated which forced her to travel from France to the UK and Dubai to see her father. “I was connected to him by spending time with horses and it shaped my personality.” Horses were her chance to be strong and helped her build an ambitious and goal-driven personality.
When Marie turned 14, she studied equine management and sports coaching – the perfect combination to become immersed in the world of equestrian sports. “I left 3 years after, spent a season living in South Africa playing some polocrosse, riding jumpers and training racehorses. At 18 I moved to Barcelona leaving the equestrian world to jump into the startups and venture capital, which was ideal for launching Bridl – allowing me to focus on innovation and technology.”
The Other Side of the Industry
“I saw early on that equestrian sports and the market needed change; I’ve seen many things in the horse world that are unfair – we take these animals for granted,” stated Marie. Being exposed to the biggest auctions in the world for racehorses, working in a dealing stable, Marie has seen her share of mistreatment and scamming. “I know there are problems and I know the amount of people who have been scammed or who faced shallowness when buying or selling a horse.” Her goal is to offer a solution that allows for a safe, effective, easy and transparent exchange of horse ownership. “I want to ensure that riders, dealers trainers and those who enjoy equestrian sports – competition horses and horses in general – purchase and sell in such an easy way,” she said. “I don’t want people to have to deal with the problems that still exist, that is one of my motivations for Bridl. Plus, and most important,” she added, “I do it for the horse, it is for them before anything else – they are such incredible creatures.”
Bridl Features
“It is very important for me that Bridl becomes the leading tool on the market for equine transactions whether it is for the direct sales or the lease of a high quality sport horse, the transaction of semen or the investment in horses – I want it to be secure, easy and transparent,” Marie outlined. As an online tool, Bridl will not only offer the benefits of a secure and transparent purchase, there will also be the option to implement the entire trade ecosystem in one place (vets, transport, trials, expert networks etc.), which should come to life in the course of 2021 and 2022.
“We want every type of exclusive and high-quality equine transactions to pass through Bridl. ”
“We want every type of exclusive and high-quality equine transactions to pass through Bridl. It’s an aggressive goal – but we think we have what it takes to solve these issues and we have a high-quality network.” We are working with an exclusive and highly expecting clientele, so it is extremely important to maintain a high standard profile, including partnering with top vet clinics who have an impeccable reputation, the best transport companies or the best dealers.” Bridl will be your one-stop-shop - an automated purchasing process on one platform – which will take time, but this will make them a unique service offering. “Think of Bridl as a digitized agency - we are a new channel of sales which allows you to showcase your horse to a larger market while being able to make money,” said Marie.
Official Launch on February 1
Bridl officially launched on February 1st of this year, they are launching their mobile app on the 8th of March. Marie discussed that she and her team sat down with some of the best dealers and riders to get as much feedback as possible and the reactions were extremely positive. “People love the concept and in reality, it will take time to digitize and educate people on what we have to offer. I think as we become an app – taking us on the go will make it easier for everyone. We were very happy to see that the market is ready for change. It’s a huge challenge but market players are ready to see innovation, they know that working with us they will be taken care of.”
Benefits of Bridl
“We bring transparency and ease into the buying and selling of sport horses, backed by experts who have years of experience. Our aim is truly to make the entire process of buying and selling horses simple and secure,” said Marie. Their target audience are people who have big stables and who move a lot of horses or riders who have great horses from owners or potential dealers who have great horses to sell. For buyers it is typically an amateur wanting a great horse, a professional wanting to buy a great youngster or an investor who is looking to invest in horses – We’re looking at the upper class market especially with a catalog of horses starting at approximately €50K, going all the way up to €400K. Their team also deals exclusively and behind the scenes with a range of Grand Prix horses and are able to take care of very specific operations.
New Enhancements and Future Projects
“When it comes to new enhancements our aim is to make Bridl the biggest equine trade marketplace in the world so at the moment we are focused on show jumping but in the future we are looking to add other disciplines and other important segments of the market.”
The Team Behind Bridl – Main Partner
“I want to mention that my main partner is Ignacio who is the Chief Operation of the project and was also a great Junior Show Jumper for Spain,” said Marie. “He is very connected, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him – he has played a strong role in helping me create this business. - I’m also very lucky to count on the experience of Julian Willner. The brain behind the product. He is an awesome entrepreneur from Germany who is kind of the tech lead behind the entire operation.” Marie feels strongly that their partnership offers an expertise and an international perspective between them both blending equestrian sports and business together.
Visit and follow Bridl
Website
Instagram: bridl_
Facebook: @tradewithbridl