Well, Autumn is here and work inside and outside the shop has been full on.
The year has just flown past and we have a lot to be thankful for on all fronts.
RAWHIDE:
On the rawhide front, I have a bunch of hides that are ready and waiting to be cut into string. I have been experimenting with using ash to scrape hides and this winter will be getting these ready for braiding. Due to the heat here, in summer, it is impossible to braid in the summer as is extremely difficult to maintain the temper of the rawhide. I worked on many types of cores and these were all successful. So will be building on this knowledge this coming winter.
FLOOD:
In the past 12 months we suffered a flood during Cyclone Gabriel. My building and workshop roof was damaged during the cyclone and I have been working to have it repaired. The man who originally repaired it after the flood, did such a bad job that I have to have it totally removed and redone. This is one of the reasons for the "Autumn sale".
During the first weeks after the floods hit a group of my neighbours and I spent quite a bit of time helping homeowners clearing their houses. Not much horse gear was made in this period as people needed help. We could not wash for a few days as we had no water! and then when the water came on we had to boil it for some weeks. As the flood silt dried the resulting dust became unbearable and ever present in the wind.
BLACK WOOL:
This year I have a new range of mecates coming out using black Merino cross wool from Waihua Station. The owner, Rose Haynes was featured on "Country Calendar", which is on TVNZ On Demand website. I had cameo appearance on that episode. Rose has a beautiful sheep farm where she hosts events and tourists in her cottages. She has a cafe open on Sundays where she sells meat, pizza and coffee. Roses's website is www.waihuastation.co.nz
WEBSITE:
On the website front, we have changed the currency to NZD. This may throw some of you out with the prices. This change is due to the recent addition of the "After pay" platform. I hope that this will be convenient for you as clients. New stock in reins, mecates and bosals are being listed. I have been selling many pairs of reins and can see that riders love their feel, especially in the wet weather.
THROW BACK DESIGNS:
I am going to spend the next few months building up the collection of some old favourites that you all love. Also the loping hackamores just walk out the door as fast as I make them. I am currently running a survey on Facebook with my colour swatches to gather feedback information on what are your favourites. Sales data reveals part of the picture, but there are the tastes of people who do not necessarily buy, which fills in the missing part of the picture.
LEN YULE:
We all had sad news about Len Yule's passing. I spent many hours on the phone to Len and he passed on a huge amount of advice on bosal making. I sold Len quite a few mecates, which he loved. Len will be missed by many people in the California and braiding community. I have named a mecate pattern after Len. It is called the "Len Fleck". I believe that Len had a part to play in the "The Rawhide Gathering" Facebook page. He used to contribute all the time to that page and others with his deep knowledge of braiding. His love for God was infectious too. He is sadly missed. Our love has gone out to Len's family.
CUSTOM SADDLEMAKER'S EXPO:
We went across to the smaller island of Australia and attended the Custom saddle maker's expo. WOW! what a fantastic array of talent and super nice people. Met many people face to face, after knowing them through Facebook. Smelled the leather in the Toowoomba Saddlery warehouse and visited a bunch of saddlery shops on the way to the expo. Wonderfull experience. Beautiful county.
EQUIFEST:
We had a fabulous time at Equifest last year and made a large number of sales. Our stand was nice and open and we were pleased with the arrangement of products. Even though being only one week after the horrific events of October 7th, we had a great time seeing all of our favourite customers and catching up. Many of you gave such welcome and needed support.
It was hard going outside to the yellow portable bathrooms after seeing the situation at the Nova Festival. I think many of us were traumatised by these events. We pray that the hostages will be safely returned and that loss of life will be minimal for all sides.
HORSE GEAR:
We love making quality horse gear in the traditional styles. We are especially encouraged to see the demand start to increase again after what has been a hard time for all of us in the last three or four years. NZMecates has just recently joined on TikTok !! ( I can hear some sighs!) but we are trying it and certainly we are getting a large number of views. our page is called @znmecates.
SALE:
This sale is to raise funds for the roof situation I am facing. The sale started at midday today; 6th April and runs for one week and don't forget to use the promo code at checkout:
Promo code: autumn30
we look forward to a good year and new skills that will be learned.
Happy trails and enjoy your horses and God bless.