THE owners of Equimix Saddlery and Feeds are toasting themselves in champagne after being crowned the UK's best equine retailer.

The Stourport-on-Severn business was nominated for the prestigious 2007 British Equestrian Trade Association Business Awards less than a year after it survived a massive blaze that gutted the premises.

The company is owned by Caroline and David Doolittle, who are delighted to have won the horse industry equivalent of the Oscars.

"This time last year we had been left devastated by the fire," explained Mr Doolittle.

"We vowed to carry on for the sake of our customers which we did within six weeks of the fire. We have risen like a Phoenix out of the ashes thanks to our customers who nominated us for the award.

"We were named the winners at a gala dinner at the NEC Beta Trade Fair where there were 500 guests.

"The whole family went, including my brother John - Caroline's husband - who started the feed business with me 30 years ago and my wife Annie. We couldn't be happier."

The Doolittles managed to keep the food side of the business open by operating from a unit next door and by making deliveries.

"Since the fire we have completely changed the business and it has helped us make decisions that we wouldn't necessarily have taken before the blaze," explained Mr Doolittle.

"Our premises are twice the size, we have a huge clothing section and we have taken on two new members of staff.

"We knew we had to get up and running as soon as possible as we did not want to let our customers down in what is the busiest time of the equestrian calendar.

"We have been rewarded with this fantastic award."

Shop fitters and electricians worked round the clock to fit out the new premises and suppliers did everything they could to restock the shop.

Now they have doubled their retail floor space and are able to kit both horse and rider out from top to bottom, with head collars and dandy brushes to the finest Italian leather riding boots and expensive riding hats. Equimix pride themselves on giving their customers top quality service and customers are invited to take as long as they want browsing round.

Staff are trained to know what is the correct clothing to wear for which discipline - from show jumping to dressage - and are qualified to fit riding hats which is an extremely important side of the business. They are also qualified saddle fitters and members of the Master Saddlers Association.

Mr Doolittle said: "We give new riders confidence because they know they will wearing exactly what they should be wearing. For some people riding and owning horses is an extension of their lifestyle.

"Many of our customers work very hard in the city all week and can afford to splash out for riding at the weekends.

"We have noticed that hunting has become even more popular since the ban and we have sold more hunting coats this winter than ever before."

Equimix has become one of the most popular feed suppliers in the Midlands with four delivery vans on the roads.

It was the first supplier ever to mix feed for horses, which was unheard of three decades ago when most people bought the raw materials and mixed them together themselves.

" A customer asked me to supply her with ready mixed feed which was unheard of then," explained Mr Doolittle. "I was only too happy to oblige and that was the birth of ready mix feeds.

"We introduced molasses into horse feed and produced the first coarse mix. We still manufacture our own chaff.

"We are very involved in the racing industry and especially proud to say that we fed the 70s Grand National winner West Tip, who was trained at Droitwich. We also sponsor point to points in the West Midlands."