Custom Saddle Pads

[Baysn_Blondes]

I’m a seamstress and I’ve been trying to put together some ideas of things I can make that are horse related. Is there a market for fully custom saddle pads, and if so, what price range would you consider realistic?

I’m assuming I’d have a better market and/or profit range with show pads, but I also know there’s a market for saddle pads outside of typical size ranges. As an example of a dressage show pad I might make for my current horse, I’d start with a relatively matte navy as my show coat is fairly matte and I want to offset my horses coat and make him look shinier in comparison. I would do purple and gold piping, with navy binding and oral accents to match my coat. I use an EQ saddle so I’d do a split pad design, but if it were a traditional pad I’d do an extra high wither, and I’d do a cut away behind the flap like the professional choice event pads. My horse likes a more solid pad but hates cool max fabric so I’d do a wool felt interior with a flannel bottom.

Basically I’m thinking of creating a fully customizable pad. Maybe 3 different wither higher, 4-5 different lengths, 3-4 flap lengths, 4 different shapes (rounded back, square back, cutaway, or swallowtail), 3 different fillers, 3 different undersides (like cool max or cotton), fabric, piping, binding, embellishment of choice. I could see on patches and I have a source for embroidery, but the goal would be to add an embroidery machine in 6-9 months.

Is there a market for this? If so, what would you consider a reasonable price range?

Just so I don’t get in trouble with the mods, I am not selling anything on this post or taking any orders, I’m talking in purely hypotheticals.

[Scribbler]

@Baysn_Blondes

I’m a seamstress and I’ve been trying to put together some ideas of things I can make that are horse related. Is there a market for fully custom saddle pads, and if so, what price range would you consider realistic?

I’m assuming I’d have a better market and/or profit range with show pads, but I also know there’s a market for saddle pads outside of typical size ranges. As an example of a dressage show pad I might make for my current horse, I’d start with a relatively matte navy as my show coat is fairly matte and I want to offset my horses coat and make him look shinier in comparison. I would do purple and gold piping, with navy binding and oral accents to match my coat. I use an EQ saddle so I’d do a split pad design, but if it were a traditional pad I’d do an extra high wither, and I’d do a cut away behind the flap like the professional choice event pads. My horse likes a more solid pad but hates cool max fabric so I’d do a wool felt interior with a flannel bottom.

Basically I’m thinking of creating a fully customizable pad. Maybe 3 different wither higher, 4-5 different lengths, 3-4 flap lengths, 4 different shapes (rounded back, square back, cutaway, or swallowtail), 3 different fillers, 3 different undersides (like cool max or cotton), fabric, piping, binding, embellishment of choice. I could see on patches and I have a source for embroidery, but the goal would be to add an embroidery machine in 6-9 months.

Is there a market for this? If so, what would you consider a reasonable price range?

Just so I don’t get in trouble with the mods, I am not selling anything on this post or taking any orders, I’m talking in purely hypotheticals.

For your business model, you need to first look at what’s out there in terms of colors and sizes and then decide if you can compete on time and effort. Ogilvy, Mattes/Hufglocken and I think Wilkes? All do custom color options in the $75 to $110 range (Canadian). The splurgy Lemieux PS of Sweden etc. Aren’t custom but have very unique colors and matchy matchy sets.

When I’ve gone to buy nicer pads, I’m really looking at the fit and functionality, high withers and useful keepers, the right density, as well as the colors I need for a Chestnut Paint. I have Ogilvy and LeMieux and am currently thinking about one of the LeMieux self cooling pads.

Could you dupe the Ogilvy pad, say, for $60 and feel it was worth your while to do all the quilting and the piping and etc?

In English competition there actually isn’t that much leeway for show pads. Hunters are white, dressage was white until last year. Jumpers can have colors. Maybe your market is eventers because they love having racing colors for cross country phase? But I don’t know if they have technical requirements for their pads

[Pico_Banana]

I also have an EQ saddle and would consider one but probably only if it were less expensive than the Toklat ones. Also, if you could get rid of the little swirly up piece on the back part where it velcros that would be a huge selling point. That part makes it difficult to Velcro and lay smoothly and doesn’t seem to affect the fit. So actually, maybe I’ve convinced myself that I would buy one for more than the Toklat ones if you changed that part of the design!

[Xanthoria]

Agree on the EQ pad comment above!

Also on the matchy - for me I’m not buying a pad unless I can get matching ears and potentially wraps or boots and a top for me.

There used to be a company who made what they called the High Point Advantage pad in custom colors but the cut was really cool - sharp back corner but curved cutaway, like a Mattes euro cut but better. I would love more of those.

[kaya842]

Agreed that looking at existing custom pad sellers (Ogilvy, Wilkers, and Mattes) is a good idea. I’ve had an Ogilvy (or 4) and loved how soft the horse side of the pad was + the wither shaping. My Wilkers pad was cheaper IIRC, a bit thinner than the Ogilvy (which works for me as it’s only for showing) but the wither wasn’t as generous. I haven’t tried a Mattes yet - I’ve been looking at getting one with sheepskin n it but haven’t pulled the trigger due to cost.

I’ll add something you maybe haven’t thought of - customizing existing pads. I really love my Back on Track pads (especially now with 2 senior horses), but can’t stand how bland they are. I’d love to get them customized with different colored piping/ binding but cannot for the life of me find someone who will actually do that.

[trubandloki]

I know many people who have had custom fun (not show) pads made from one of the online vendors. Those seem to be popular.

This is an example of one of the current online places.

Padded Ponies

[TheJenners]

I have a friend who does this. Not sure she’s rolling in the dough but she does well enough. I’m a steady customer, other than one Beval pad that won’t die, all my pads are made by her now. I like that in addition to colors, piping, etc, I can order extra long so there is enough pad to tuck up in the pommel and still hang off the back without my saddle sitting on a seam edge (pet peeve of mine) and I get them without the stupid billet strap, if that’s what it’s called. The one you are supposed to tuck under the flap and run a billet through, not the one down at the girth. They are never long enough, but cutting them looks dumb.

I advertise for her on my page and I know others do too, but again, not sure how much business she gets. She makes fleece coolers and a few other custom items too.

[Baysn_Blondes]

What padded ponies offers is most along the lines of what I’m thinking of, but I’m wanting to offer materials and an aesthetic more like lemieux, PS of Sweden, or Equestrian Stockholm. Adding wraps and bonnets would be easy, my machines could handle boots, but given market price I don’t think the profit margin is enough for me to make them, but it might work out if I only offered them as part of a set. I would be interested to try making a sunshirt to see if I could make them quickly enough to be worth it, but it’s not something I’d offer right away.

I agree with everyone’s comments on the EQ pads. I believe they have their design patented with Toklat so I’d have to make enough changes to the design to stay out of trouble with that, but I have some ideas about how to do that.

[Scribbler]

LeMieux et al have some pretty fancy fabric that is both shiny and durable. It may be proprietary to each brand

[Foxglove]

I had a pad made for my Dressage horse by Padded Ponies --fully custom! Love it!