|
Creature Comforts
by Heather B. Hayes
for
Virginia Business
May 2003
A saddle is a saddle is a saddle,
right? Not according to Tad Coffin’s four-legged
clients. Coffin, a Ruckersville resident and former
Olympic gold medal-winning equestrian turned entrepreneur,
has managed to turn the traditional craft of saddle-making
into a real science, employing state-of-the-art materials
and engineering techniques to design a more horse-friendly
product.
After trying out Coffin’s
A-5 jumping saddle, one horse enthusiastically remarked
to an animal translator hired for the demonstration
by a skeptical owner that the new saddle was —
and we’re quoting here — “Like going
from high heels to sneakers.”
This is nonsense, of course, and Coffin laughs whenever
he repeats that particular testimonial. But there’s
no doubt that his saddles are more comfortable. In just
five years, the Tad Coffin Performance Saddle has become
the saddle of choice for the top strata of competitive
riders in show jumping, hunter classes and three-day-eventing.
The entire U.S. three-day eventing
team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, for example, purchased
and rode in Coffin’s A-5 jumping saddle, including
individual gold medalist David O’Connor. “Our
saddles are purposefully designed so they don’t
pinch backs or inhibit a horse’s movement,”
says Coffin. “The effect that they’ve had
on some horses has been quite dramatic.”
Coffin’s saddle-making shop
is housed in a stable on his Greene County farm, along
with six horses that work as testers and a crew of 14
employees, who mold and stitch 18 hours a day, seven
days a week to keep up with demand. The company sells
direct and has yet to advertise its products, building
each saddle to order. Last year, Coffin sold nearly
500 saddles, with gross revenues topping $1.5 million.
The key to success? Innovation
and intuition. Coffin, who had no prior experience making
a product or running a business, simply felt that his
horses were being adversely affected by his saddle and
decided to tear the thing down and start over. In rebuilding
it, Coffin’s experiment revolutionized the inner
mechanics of the English saddle without changing its
classic look.
“With other brands, people
talk about how much they love their saddles,” the
former rider declares. “With our product, they
talk about how much their horse loves their saddle.
The horses perform more willingly and they win more
competitions.” No horsing around — that’s
talk that doesn’t need translation.
Return
to Virginia Business - May 2003
|
