I cannot help but wonder about the longevity of these products.
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Not only that, but I doubt it is biodegradableâŠ
I truly donât understand the logic in producing more plastic stuff as it will cause way more animal suffering in the long term.
Iâm all for way stricter laws regarding animals, recycling/reusing and not wasting bi-products of the food industry.
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Why are these items so expensive???
The paddock boots are very pretty. Everything looks nice, but the price is pretty high here. Nobody even knows yet how they will stand the test of time. Seems a little presumptuous.
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I have a suggestion regarding those with question about how and where they products are made, pricing, sustainability, etcâŠhas anyone actually contacted the company or Robert Dover to ask? Heâs pretty accessible on his fb page and that might be a more reliable way of getting answers rather than debating back and forth on COTH.
As to why they are priced so high? The how / where / by whom they are made may help answer that question but consider also they are advertised as a âluxuryâ line and marketed to a demographic for whom price isnât much of a concern.
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As much as Iâm sympathetic to the project and its intentions, and as much as I think itâs silly to assume the worst and complain about things that are yet unknownâŠ
I also think itâs the job of whoever is marketing a product as âeco-friendlyâ to at least disclose what those âeco-friendlyâ materials are, and the job of the high end tack company to provide details about the elements of their product that justify premium pricing. Not the job of the casually interested hypothetical future customer (or definite non-customer) to pry for that information.
So it seems entirely reasonable to be curious enough to follow this thread and peruse the product pages, but not interested enough to contact Robert Dover to interrogate him about these products. Iâm willing to defend the principle of the project (I do think itâs a good idea), but really the onus is on Robert Squared to provide info about execution, including the basic information that customers expect to have about these kinds of products. I expect the company will provide those details in time without anyone here having to goad them.
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If the intent of the product is to truly be at the forefront of alternate materials to reduce animal suffering, then
it would be priced and marketed to all income levels.
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Not at all.
They want to offer an alternative to higher end tack, which you cannot find in non-leather.
Matt and Nat vegan handbags arenât for every budget.
Stella McCartneyâs clothing are far out of my budget.
Plastic is not just for the poor anymore!
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Matt and Natt are way better with their info about their philosophy⊠https://mattandnat.com/info/ethics-sustainability/
Developing a saddle is a lot of work and takes a lot of money. If you want to charge $5,500 for a plastic one, okay I guess.
BUT a large part of why high end bridles cost $800 is simply because the leather used to make them is very, very expensive. I donât understand why they couldnât include a bridle in the line for $200-300? It would still be viewed as high end.
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But itâs not leather. :uhoh:
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That was CFMWâs point, I believe.
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The saddle, I was like, ok fair enough. The paddock boots, a bit muchâŠI would say $200-$250. The bridles $300-$500. Obviously their prices are much higher then this. I suppose I wasnât thinking about what true luxury cost. I also have not touched any of these products and donât know how much it cost or how complex it is to create a product such as vegan leather.
I think those lower price ranges that I mentioned would still keep the products in the luxury and high end of the synthetic tack market. Some people will buy at these high prices for status reasons, possibly moral reasons, and just for spending money sake. However, if the cost was less, I think youâd get more items sold as it would appeal to more people, but maybe not the ~elite~ market that youâre after.
As Iâve said in my earlier posts, I donât see this taking off astronomically or having much longevity in comparison to âluxuryâ leather products.
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It really does seem at this point in time, to be plastic/synthetic tack marketed at an exorbitant price without reason.
I doubt that âvegan leatherâ and âeco-friendly-take-our-word-for-itâ tack marketed by Mr. Dover will be as successful in the long term as they hope. Again, itâs a good marketing scheme for some products but I donât think saddlery is one of them.
I agree that Mr.Dover should be seen riding in this tack and no other, if he is claiming the moral vegan high ground.
The very high price must be reflected in the quality of the tack. Otherwise it is just a commercial angle that will not succeed. The odds are already against it, as good leather, especially for bridles, has no equal in the opinion of most horsey people.
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As handbag prices go, Mat and Nat is absolutely bargain basement, âcontemporary designerâ price, right in there with the Tory Burch and even less than Coach.
in this case we have something made like Mar and Nat, but priced like Chanel. That doesnât usually fly with luxury buyers.
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Go to the web site and click on the saddles and hover your mouse over the close ups of the saddles, especially the jumping saddle. The jumping saddle flap is wrinkled and folds up as you look to the cantle, stirrup leathers are cut off at the end and unfinished looking. Dressage saddle looks better but if you really look but really look at the stitching etc.
Everything is preorder except the paddock boots. They show tall boots on the opening page but if you click on it you get an error page doesnât exist message. I wouldnât preorder anything, especially saddles without seeing one. Nothing about trial periods either on the saddles. Why start a shop if you have no inventory?
I just looked at the Tekna saddles on the German web page as a comparison, they look just as nice. Probably just as eco friendly and a whole lot cheaper.
I hope we will be seeing RD riding his vegan line of equipment.
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Matt and Nat is indeed not that expensive, but my point was that it is still aimed at luxury buyers and that vegan doesnât mean « cheaper for everyone because industries want to reduce animal suffering »
Some top designers, like Stella McCartney, are starting to go vegan with very expensive items because the riches want ecofriendly luxury items. They donât want to wear « Toms » on the red carpet.
The RobertSquared saddle looks like a Hennig, which it not surprising since Charles Tota is associated with this.
There is the design, the material and the craftmanship behind this. The tree is adjustable, so I guess they went with the same tree as Hennig.
The saddle is also custom made (Lectron 5 500$)
We are far from the Thoroughgood and Wintec saddles, which some models are priced at around +1k.
ETA: I will go have another closer look after reading
js post.
The jumping saddle doesnât look that great⊠but the pictures arenât good either.
I was excited about this because although Iâm not vegan, I do enjoy the thought of new technology and animal friendly products.
the website is insufficient for the products. Little description, not many photos. The jumping saddle has no info. What sizes flaps trees etc are available.
why so expensive? The prices are ridiculous.
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I am extremly interested because my family is vegan and so I tried to call today to get some more informationâŠunfortunately the number posted on the website as a contact ended up at an insurance company⊠I guess the website was not put together with a lot of accuracy. And there are some other things which concern me. The word vegan is used all the time, But obviously they did not think for all this money to connect to a registered trademark which gives at least some reliability⊠and For me there is more information missing⊠i was very enthusiastic in the beginning but somehow I am loosing this feelingâŠ,
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And there you have it. Itâs not about offering high quality non-leather products to the equestrian world, while spreading the message about their vegan value.
Itâs about offering the products to buyers who will pay a sizeable markup, which will help the owners earn profits. Thereâs nothing wrong with that.
However,if the intent is to truly educate the public on the benefits of vegan tack, theyâd cast a wider net, and lower the price.
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A little update, I spoke to them today and it actually sounded really good! They are certified for being eco friendly and vegan and they answered all my questions. So now I only have to get to Wellington to see them in reality
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