My name is Marina Layton, and I’m the face behind the brand! I’m a jumper from a small town in Northern Ontario, and a lover of all things equestrian! My love for horses sparked at the young age of two years old, and I started taking lessons a few years later and never looked back. Ever since, I’ve been absolutely infatuated with horses and the deep emotional connection that we, as humans, share with these amazing creatures. From my career to education, right down to my mental and emotional health – horses have helped me immensely, and they never cease to continually amaze me.

I’ve been working with horses since my pre-teen years; riding and helping out with chores at the barn whenever I could. In 2017, I moved to pursue a career in equestrian fashion, travelling throughout North America and Europe to connect and work with dozens of the industry’s most renowned equestrian brands. After designing and producing equestrian apparel and accessories, I moved on to immerse myself in digital marketing, specifically specializing in graphic design, web design, and social media marketing; and the world of emotional intelligence, where I continue today.

“Positive people are not positive because they’ve skated through life. They’re positive because they’ve been through hell and decided they don’t want to live there anymore.”

– Mona Lisa Nyman

I have always wanted to do something meaningful, bigger, and better with my life, but I didn’t know where to start. One day in late 2019, after struggling with some challenges in my personal life, I decided that I wanted to start leading a more positive lifestyle. I created The Positive Equestrian as a creative and expressive outlet to hold myself accountable to this goal.

TPE has since become many things. One being my own creative outlet to share my passion about all things equestrian, talk about life, style, have fun, and so much more! Two, a safe space to hold meaningful discussions with my audience surrounding “taboo” topics; diversity, inclusivity, bullying, toxicity, and more, in hopes of creating positive change in horse sports. Three, it has grown into a network for like-minded equestrians to unite, collaborate, empower, and support one another. 

All are welcome in the TPE Herd – no matter your race, gender, religion, sexuality, discipline, experience, disability, or whether you ride, don’t ride, used to ride, or simply admire the lifestyle from afar – this is a safe space and community for all equestrians who aspire to lead a positive equestrian lifestyle.

“Positive change occurs when you do the work. Take action.”

– Unknown

My goal with TPE, from day one, has been to inspire and create a positive impact in the equestrian community. TPE is not your average life or style blog, because here we like to make waves, challenge the world of horse sports, and drive positive change. In this space, we strive for excellence not perfection. We aspire to be the best versions of ourselves. We own our bad behaviour, setbacks, mistakes, and then learn and grow from them. 

The Positive Equestrian is much greater than a life and style blog. It’s a mindset, a mentality, a lifestyle.