About the Founder

Grace Day

Founder of MPL Equestrian

I’m Grace Day, the founder of MPL Equestrian, an equestrian clothing brand created from my love of horses, my pony Lily, and a dream that started when I was just 14 years old.

I’m from East Cork, Ireland, and I’m a student at Midleton College in Cork. I started MPL Equestrian in 2024, while I was in Second Year, and I’m now in Fifth Year, continuing to build the business alongside school, riding and everyday life.

What began as an idea to support my pony and give us the best opportunities we could has grown into a business that has become a huge part of my life.

But the story of MPL Equestrian actually began long before I knew I would become an entrepreneur.

Where It All Started

My love of horses was strongly influenced by my late father, who had a huge passion for them. That passion became part of my own life, and eventually led me to Lily — my piebald pony and the inspiration behind everything I have built.

When Lily came into my life, I wasn't thinking about creating a clothing brand or becoming an entrepreneur. My priority was simply Lily: keeping her safe, cared for and loved.

As Lily grew, so did my dream of finding a way to support her care and give us the best opportunities we could have.

That dream eventually became MPL Equestrian.

MPL stands for My Piebald Lily — a tribute to the pony who started it all and who will always be at the heart of the brand.

My First Experience of Business

Interestingly, MPL Equestrian wasn't my first experience of running a small business.

When I was younger, I kept hens and set up a tiny honesty-box business, selling fresh eggs and homemade brown breadto people locally.

I remember checking it every day to see if anything had sold. I loved seeing people choose to buy something I had made or collected.

Although it was only a very small business, it taught me some of my first lessons about entrepreneurship — trust, consistency, responsibility and the satisfaction of creating something that other people valued.

Those early experiences stayed with me.

When I eventually began thinking about creating something bigger, I knew I wanted to build something around something I genuinely loved.

Building MPL Equestrian

I wanted to create equestrian clothing that was functional, comfortable, good quality and affordable.

As a rider myself, I knew what I wanted from riding clothes. They needed to work in the saddle, cope with the weather and the jobs around the yard, while still looking good and being affordable.

That's the idea behind MPL Equestrian: clothing designed by a rider, for riders.

One of the things I'm most proud of is how much of the business I have built and manage myself.

From designing products and choosing colours, fabrics and fits, to building and managing the website, creating content, running social media, advertising, customer service, stock management and packing orders — MPL Equestrian has given me the opportunity to learn about almost every side of running a business.

I test the products myself because I want every piece to be something I would genuinely choose to wear in the yard.

Growing Up Alongside My Business

Starting a business at 14 has been a huge learning experience.

I've had to balance running MPL Equestrian with school, riding and everything else that comes with being a teenager. It hasn't always been easy, and there have definitely been moments when I've doubted myself.

But believing in what I was creating helped me keep going.

I have learned that entrepreneurship isn't about knowing everything from the beginning. It's about being willing to learn, make mistakes, solve problems and keep moving forward.

I've learned about everything from managing money and stock to marketing, customer service, problem-solving and making decisions when things don't go according to plan.

I don't want to rush MPL Equestrian just for the sake of growth. I want to build it carefully, keep the quality high and continue improving the products and the brand.

Lily, Ivy & My Journey With Horses

While Lily inspired MPL, my journey with horses has continued to grow alongside the business.

In 2025, I got my own ex-racehorse, Ivy, whose show name is Fate by Ivy.

The name feels especially fitting because I truly believe finding her was fate. I found Ivy at a time when she needed me most, and somehow, I felt that I needed her too.

Bringing Ivy into my life has given me a completely different experience of horses. She has taught me even more about patience, trust, training and giving a horse the time and understanding they need.

Both Lily and Ivy are a huge part of my life, and they continue to remind me why I started MPL in the first place.

A Milestone I Never Thought I'd Reach

One of the biggest highlights of my journey so far was attending the RDS Dublin Horse Show in 2026.

Being there was a huge milestone for me — one that, when I first started MPL Equestrian at 14, I never imagined I would reach.

The RDS has always represented something special within the equestrian world, so being part of it and seeing how far MPL Equestrian had come was an incredibly proud moment for me.

Running my own stand meant experiencing another side of business too — from preparing stock and organising the stand to meeting customers face-to-face, managing sales and making decisions throughout the event.

It reminded me just how much can happen when you take an idea seriously and keep working at it.

Inspiring Other Young People

Something I never expected when I started MPL Equestrian was that my own journey would inspire other young people.

I've had enquiries from students who wanted to learn about my experience and use my story as part of their own school entrepreneurship and business projects.

That means a huge amount to me.

If another young person can look at my journey and think, “Maybe I could do that too,” then I feel incredibly proud.

I want other young people to understand that you don't necessarily have to wait until you're older to start something.

You can start small.

You can learn as you go.

And you don't need to have everything figured out before you take the first step.

Knowing Your Why

If there's one thing I've learned from building MPL Equestrian, it's the importance of knowing why you're doing something.

For me, it was always Lily.

It wasn't simply about making money or creating a business because someone else was doing it. I had a reason that was personal to me: I wanted to create something that would support my pony and give us the best opportunities we could.

That gave me something to hold onto when things became difficult.

Having a strong reason behind what you're doing can give you the motivation to keep going when things don't happen as quickly as you hoped.