Halters, bridles, reins, pads, boots and everything else that touches your horse. What the materials actually are, who really makes them, and which pieces earn their price.
Eighty-nine major saddle pad suppliers, mostly in Asia, produce for thousands of labels at once. At factory level a well-made pad costs $20 to $30. At retail it can carry a four to five times markup. Here is how white labelling works in the equestrian trade.
The best tack in the industry is not always hiding behind the biggest price tags. Sometimes it is hiding behind the smallest marketing budgets. Five brands riders routinely scroll past, and an honest account of what each one actually offers.
Tariffs on Indian and Chinese leather and hardware have pushed a $99 paddock boot to $150 at retail. Five family-run American workshops are still making tack the hard way — and here is what separates each of them.