About
Alex Maclean, Managing Director
The equestrian industry has never been the easiest to navigate.
Fuelled by the desire to avoid learning anymore hard and expensive lessons; I’ve put myself in a functional position to help others.
After a brief six weeks at university, I fell into sourcing horses for my close friends in 2016. Given that I’d grown up surrounded by my parents managing their own businesses, it was a clear and natural progression for me to grow my service on a more commercial basis.
I have experience in working with a wide range of clients globally including high-profile individuals and celebrities, and I am proud that my team and I have proven that we are capable of meeting expectations consistently. Between July 2016 and July 2021, the total value of horses sourced through me exceeded £2m. These horses compete in eight different countries, and eleven of them are competing at CSI3* and above.
Necessity drives invention; Frequently seeing the stress of purchasing a horse take away any enjoyable part of the process for so many people made me determined to change that. I incorporated Macleans of London in September 2020 to implement the feedback and ideas given by previous clients in order to provide an effortless and enjoyable purchasing experience.
I have a notable American client base, mostly consisting of professional-amateurs competing to a high level around their day job. Many of these clients have influenced the service we now provide as they wanted much more from their experience of coming to England than just trying horses.
I consider myself a ‘forever student’ and my continual personal and professional development is my overriding objective.
This allows my business to keep providing the best service for my clients. Competing nationally and internationally as an amateur rider and training with, and previously working for both Grand Prix dressage riders and show jumpers has helped me gain an in-depth understanding of the qualities to look for in a quality horse. Travelling to as many competitions and auctions as I can, often with other industry professionals, allows me to refine and grow my knowledge whilst keeping up to date with the market and ahead of the latest trends in sales.
My personal expectations are high when choosing a horse for myself and I wouldn’t expect anything less for or from my clients. I am meticulous and thorough in my approach and satisfying high expectations whilst remaining entirely professional and honest is the foundation upon which I have built my business and reputation.