FROM soot to success, Richmond chimney-sweep Matthew Spice has invented the world’s first animal compression suit which has taken Australia and the world by storm.
Born from the same concept as ‘Skins’ compression suits used by human athletes, ‘Hidez’ work to improve blood-flow and recovery in the animals both during exercise and when cooling down, keeping them at their peak longer.
The dream of creating these suits has been three-and-a-half years in the making for Mr Spice, who grew up on a merino stud in Mudgee as the youngest off 11 children.
That dream has now seen a buzz within the horse industry across the globe, and even sparked interest from Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates who wants to use the concept to create Hidez for camels.
“I was given a pair of skins from a friend of mine, rugby league player Rhys Wesser, and I was blown away by how well they worked,” Mr Spice said.
“The dream continued from there and before long I began research on it.”
With assistance from James Hodder at Kurrajong business Hodder Designs, and joining forces with Irwin McCabe’s family business, United Sports in South Windsor a year ago, Hidez is now being put to work on some of the country’s best competition horses.
Olympian Stuart Tinney and Australian polo champion Kelvin Johnson swear by the suits, saying they are seeing the results in their horses’ recovery.
“I have noticed the biggest difference in my older horses – their recovery rate has increased,” Mr Johnson said.
“Horses in our sport are just like rugby players, they take a lot of hits and bumps and I do believe these suits decrease bruising and improve their recovery.”
Hidez aren’t officially on the market yet, with Mr Spice hoping for a launch date some time in June or July.
But that hasn’t stopped interest from elite customers wanting the suits for their horses for the 2012 London Olympics.
Both the Australian Olympic Committee and Equestrian Australia don’t endorse the product, but both groups say they welcome equestrians to use the suits for cooling down throughout competition.
When launched, the suits will retail somewhere between $500 to $550, Mr Spice estimates.
“It has been a lot of hard work, and at times I thought about giving up, but it is great to finally see these suits made and actually being used,” Mr Spice said.
“After all, I was just a small-minded country boy with a big idea.”
With control of the international patent for all animal compression suits, Mr Spice won’t stop at horses; he said there are already talks underway for greyhounds as well.
