Equestrian retail is a niche with unusually complex product data requirements. Products span horse-sized items (rugs, saddles, bits) with measurements specific to equine anatomy, rider safety equipment with mandatory safety standards, feed and supplements with veterinary compliance requirements, and highly passionate customers who are deeply knowledgeable about their purchases. WooCommerce equestrian stores typically accumulated layers of custom fields for horse sizing and safety certification data. Shopify handles this well through structured metafields, but the migration requires careful mapping of horse-specific data.

Equestrian product categories

Riding hats and helmets: Safety-certified — PAS 015, VG1, ASTM — must display standard and certification clearly
Body protectors: Horse riding body protectors — BETA 2018 certified, Level 1/2/3 classification
Saddles: Dressage, jumping, general purpose, Western — fitted to horse width
Bridles and headcollars: Sized to pony, cob, full, extra-full horse sizes
Bits: Sized by bit width in mm (100–160mm range) and ring size
Horse rugs: Turnout, stable, cooler, fly — sized in feet (4'6", 5'0", 5'3" through 7'3"+)
Horse boots: Brushing, tendon, polo — sized XS/S/M/L or by measurement
Riding clothing: Jodhpurs, breeches, riding boots, base layers — human-sized
Feed and forage: Horse feeds, hay nets, supplements — regulated food product
Horse healthcare: Veterinary-adjacent products — supplements, wound care, joint support
Stable equipment: Hay racks, water buckets, stable mats, grooming kits

Horse sizing metafields

Rug sizing

product.metafields.equestrian.rug_size_guide (url) — link to rug measuring guide (measure from centre of chest to tail)
product.metafields.equestrian.rug_sizes_available (list.single_line_text) — "4'6"", "5'0"", "5'3"", "5'6"", "5'9"", "6'0"", "6'3"", "6'6"", "6'9"", "7'0"", "7'3""
Rug size as variant: each size is a separate variant (standard Shopify variant). Include measurement guide in product description.

Bridle and headcollar sizing

product.metafields.equestrian.horse_sizes (list.single_line_text) — "Miniature", "Pony", "Cob", "Full", "X-Full", "XX-Full"
Size chart: include head measurement guide on product page — nose to poll measurement determines bridle fit

Bit sizing

product.metafields.equestrian.bit_width_options_mm (list.single_line_text) — "100mm", "105mm", "108mm", "110mm", "115mm", "120mm", "125mm"
Bit width as variant: configure bit width in mm as the main variant option
Bit measuring guide: how to measure the horse's mouth for bit width — include on product page or link to a guide

Saddle fitting

product.metafields.equestrian.saddle_tree_width (single_line_text) — "Narrow (2""/5cm)", "Medium (3""/7.5cm)", "Wide (3.5""/9cm)", "X-Wide (4""/10cm)"
product.metafields.equestrian.saddle_seat_size (single_line_text) — "15.5""", "16""", "16.5""", "17""", "17.5""", "18""" — rider seat size
Saddle fitting service: saddles should ideally be fitted to the horse by a qualified saddle fitter. Add a prominent note recommending professional fitting before purchase. Include a "Book a Saddle Fitting" link if you offer this service.
Saddle trial: some equestrian retailers offer 7-day at-home saddle trials. Configure as a standard product with a returns window; include trial instructions in the order confirmation email.

Riding hat safety standards

Riding hats must meet specific safety standards, and the correct standard varies by discipline and jurisdiction:

product.metafields.equestrian.hat_standard (list.single_line_text) — approved standards this hat meets: "PAS 015:2011", "VG1 01.040:2014-12", "ASTM F1163", "EN 1384:2017", "SNELL E2016"
product.metafields.equestrian.beta_approved (boolean) — BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) approval
product.metafields.equestrian.hat_level (single_line_text) — "Level 1 (BETA)", "Level 2 (BETA)", "Level 3 (BETA)" — BETA performance levels
Standards warning: display standards prominently on product pages. Many riders are required by their riding school or insurance to wear a specific standard. Include a standards comparison table on a dedicated page.
Replacement after fall: include a note that riding hats should be replaced after any significant fall, even if no visible damage. This is critical safety information.

Body protector compliance

product.metafields.equestrian.beta_body_protector_level (single_line_text) — "Level 3 (previously Purple)", "Level 2 (previously Brown)" — BETA 2018 levels
product.metafields.equestrian.iana_certified (boolean) — BETA/IANA certified under BETA 2018 standard
Level explanation: display what each level protects against — Level 3 is the highest and required for cross-country eventing at most levels
Fit note: body protectors must be fitted correctly to provide protection. Recommend trying in-store or using a qualified fitter measurement guide.

Feed and supplements

Horse feed and supplements are subject to feed regulations and require specific labelling:

product.metafields.feed.feeding_rate_per_100kg (single_line_text) — recommended daily feeding rate per 100kg bodyweight
product.metafields.feed.suitable_for (list.single_line_text) — "Horses", "Ponies", "Donkeys" — species suitability
product.metafields.feed.fei_compliant (boolean) — free from FEI prohibited substances — important for competition horses
product.metafields.feed.ufas_certified (boolean) — UFAS (Universal Feed Assurance Scheme) certification for feed manufacturers
Analysed values: display guaranteed analytical constituents (crude protein, crude oils/fats, crude fibre, crude ash) as required by EU/UK feed regulations
Storage instructions: all feeds require storage information — "Store in a cool, dry place. Keep away from rodents."

Equestrian migration checklist

Create equestrian metafield namespace: rug_sizes_available, horse_sizes, bit_width_options_mm, saddle_tree_width, saddle_seat_size, hat_standard, beta_approved, hat_level, beta_body_protector_level
Create feed metafield namespace: feeding_rate_per_100kg, suitable_for, fei_compliant, ufas_certified
Migrate WooCommerce ACF equestrian fields to Shopify metafields
Build rug size variant options (in feet) for all turnout and stable rug products
Build bit width variant options (in mm) for all bit products
Build saddle tree width + seat size variants for saddle products
Display hat safety standards prominently on all riding hat product pages
Add body protector BETA level display to all body protector pages
Create sizing guide pages: rug measuring guide, bridle measuring guide, bit measuring guide
Link size guides from relevant products via metafield
Add saddle fitting service recommendation and booking link to saddle product pages
Display FEI compliance status on competition supplement products
Create collections: Safety Equipment (hat + body protector), Rugs (by type), Saddles, Feed and Supplements
Test: rug size selection → correct size added to cart → order confirmation shows size

The riding hat safety standard display is the most legally and ethically significant element of an equestrian migration. UK riders often select hats based on what their riding school or insurance policy requires — and requirements differ between disciplines (show jumping, eventing, dressage) and competition levels. A hat page that doesn't clearly display which standards it meets forces the customer to research elsewhere — and they likely won't come back. More critically, a customer who purchases a hat because it looked appropriate on your site, but which doesn't meet their school's required standard, creates a genuine safety risk. Display every approved safety standard clearly on every hat product page, and create a dedicated standards comparison page explaining what each standard covers and which disciplines require it.

Migrating an equestrian & horse supplies store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)