Kathy's Show Equipment

What Kathy's Show Equipment does

Kathy's Show Equipment is a privately held, family-owned custom manufacturer of premium silver show tack and equestrian awards, founded in 2000 by Bob and Kathy Mezin and headquartered in Vista, California. The company produces made-to-order silver show halters (Regular Cut and Congress Cut styles), silver bridles, headstalls, spurs and spur straps, custom saddles (under the Sterling Custom Saddles sub-brand), and a full line of custom awards including trophy buckles, silver stirrups, silver knives, engraved key chains, hand-painted items, and embroidery items. Its core technical differentiators are a proprietary Sterling Overlay process (25% solid sterling silver bonded to a metal base) and a Santana Silver Plate process (5-micron electroplated silver with lacquer coating), supported by hand-engraving and custom saddle construction expertise developed over more than 20 years.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model through an e-commerce storefront at kathysshowequipment.com, with custom orders taking 4-8 weeks and saddles requiring 10-12 weeks; pricing is quote-based for custom pieces and the Vista, CA headquarters is by appointment only. GTM is hybrid: online direct sales combined with event-driven presence at major U.S. horse show circuits (Silver Dollar, Arizona Sun, Pinnacle, AQHA, APHA, Pinto World Championships, EMO Celebration) and international shipping via USPS and UPS. Customer segments include competitive horse show participants across AQHA, APHA, NSBA, Pinto, and Appaloosa circuits, horse show organizations and clubs purchasing awards, and professional trainers and breeders. Brand visibility is reinforced by the Official Halter designation with the WCHA and a Team Sterling Trainers endorsement network featuring high-profile competitors with 100-400+ world titles. Leadership transitioned in 2017 from the founders to their daughters, sisters Stacy Dial and Michele Dancey, with third-generation family members also active in operations.

Name

Kathy's Show Equipment

Legal name

Kathy's Show Equipment

Website

https://kathysshowequipment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kathy's Show Equipment is a family-owned, Vista, California-based custom manufacturer of made-to-order silver show halters, bridles, headstalls, custom saddles (Sterling Custom Saddles sub-brand), and trophy awards serving competitive horse show participants, show organizations, and professional trainers across U.S. and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Equestrian Show Tack

NAICS

Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (3169), Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (316)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Leather Goods Components & Subassemblies Manufacturing (Straps/Handles/Hardware Assemblies) (IMAOAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Small Leather Accessories Manufacturing (Belts/Straps/Watch Bands) (IMAOAFAG)

Keywords

• Custom horse tack
• Silver show halters
• Equestrian show equipment
• Custom western saddles
• Trophy buckles and awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Vista

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Tack Products: Made-to-order custom show halters, bridles, headstalls, spurs, and spur straps. Orders are manufactured only after receipt of order. In-stock items ship within 3-4 days, custom orders within 4-8 weeks.
2. Custom Saddles: Fully custom saddle manufacturing with extensive options for tooling, silver, and materials. Saddles typically take 10-12 weeks for production. Premium pricing reflecting craftsmanship and materials.
3. Custom Awards: Custom trophy buckles, spur straps, silver stirrups, silver knives, engraved key chains, hand painted items, and embroidery items for horse shows and clubs. Minimum 8 weeks lead time before events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kathy's Show Equipment is a family-owned custom manufacturer of silver show equipment for competitive western horse show participants, producing made-to-order show halters (Regular Cut and Congress Cut), silver bridles, custom headstalls, personalized spurs and spur straps, trophy buckles, and a full line of custom awards. Under its Sterling Custom Saddles extension, it builds hand-crafted custom western saddles with premium U.S. leather, sterling overlay silver, and hand-engraved elements. All items are made to order using proprietary Sterling Overlay or Santana Silver Plate silver finishes.

Product overview

Kathy's Show Equipment is a family-owned custom tack manufacturer offering silver show halters (in Regular Cut and Congress Cut styles), silver bridles, custom saddles (under the Sterling Custom Saddles brand), trophy buckles, custom awards, spurs and spur straps, and headstalls. The company provides two silver options: Sterling Overlay (25% solid sterling bonded to metal, lifetime warranty) and Santana Silver Plate (5-micron electroplated silver with lacquer coating, 1-year warranty). All items are made to order with extensive customization options for leather colors, tooling patterns, and silver designs. The company also operates an affiliated brand, Sterling Custom Saddles, focused on premium custom saddles and headstalls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sterling Custom Saddles: An extension of Kathy's Show Equipment offering custom saddles and headstalls representing a fusion of tradition, craftsmanship, and modern aesthetics. Uses premium U.S. leather, detailed sterling overlay silver, and hand-engraved sterling elements.

Products and services

• Silver Show Halters Custom-made silver show halters for western show horses, offered in Regular Cut (straight leather and silver across nose and cheek) and Congress Cut (wider tapered cheek and nose with shorter, wider silver), with optional 1/2 moon silver accents; built to order in Sterling Overlay or Santana Silver Plate.
• Silver Bridles Custom silver bridles for show horses, made to order with sterling overlay silver or Santana silver plate options to match individual tack setups.
• Custom Saddles (Sterling Custom Saddles) Hand-crafted, fully custom western saddles built to order under the Sterling Custom Saddles brand, with personalized tooling patterns, silver options (Sterling Overlay or Santana plate), leather colors, and exotic leather options; production typically takes 10-12 weeks.
• Trophy Buckles Made-to-order custom trophy buckles for horse shows, available in hand-made silver plate, sterling overlay, or solid sterling with multiple stone color and buckle shape options; pricing varies by materials and customization.
• Custom Awards Custom awards program offering trophy buckles, spur straps, custom silver stirrups, silver knives, silver engraved key chains, specialty personal buckles, hand-painted items, engraved awards, and embroidery items, tailored to club budgets with a minimum 8-week lead time before events.
• Headstalls Custom-made headstalls (including Santana Headstalls) for show horses, available in multiple styles with sterling overlay or Santana silver plate options.
• Spurs and Spur Straps Personalized custom spurs and spur straps available for individual configuration to match a rider's show tack.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WCHA (Western Cross Horse Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKathy's is the Official Halter of the WCHA, designating the company as the preferred halter supplier for the organization. This official designation provides visibility and credibility within the horse show community.
• Silver Buckle ServicesminorOthersThird-party web design and management service provider for kathysshowequipment.com website.
• Team Sterling TrainerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of professional horse trainers and breeders who use and recommend Kathy's Show Equipment and Sterling Custom Saddles. Includes prominent trainers such as Kellie Hinely, Beth Clemons, Melissa Hardy, Anthony Leier, Dana Hokana, and others. These trainers showcase Kathy's products at competitions and provide testimonials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Weaver Leather: Large-scale leather tack and accessory manufacturer serving the broader western and show tack market, competing with Kathy's on halters, bridles, and straps through mass distribution channels.
• Reinsman Equestrian: Established western saddle and tack brand offering a broad catalog of show and performance products, overlapping with Kathy's bridles, headstalls, and saddle categories through volume distribution.
• Circle Y Saddles: Major western saddle manufacturer with broad distribution across western show and trail segments; competes with Sterling Custom Saddles in the western show category but at a much larger scale and with more standardized offerings.

Direct peers

• Bob's Custom Saddles: Custom-built western show saddles with hand-engraved silver, made to order for AQHA and APHA competitors — overlapping with Sterling Custom Saddles on premium build cycle and silver work.
• Tom Balding Bits & Spurs: Custom hand-engraved bits, spurs, and silver show accessories for the western performance market, directly competing with Kathy's spur and silver accessory category at premium price points.
• Double J Saddlery: Western performance tack, saddles, and silver show products for AQHA/APHA competitors — direct overlap with Kathy's halters, bridles, headstalls, and award buckles.
• Sierra Custom Saddles: Boutique custom western saddle maker focused on the show circuit with sterling silver options, serving a similar premium segment of AQHA and APHA exhibitors.
• Martin Saddlery: Custom western saddles and tack handcrafted in Reno with sterling silver options, serving the same AQHA/APHA show customer base that Kathy's targets with comparable made-to-order lead times.
• Dale Chavez Custom Saddles: Handcrafted custom western show saddles made to order with sterling silver detailing, directly overlapping with Sterling Custom Saddles on premium show saddle offerings and custom lead times.

Emerging players

• Bohlin Belt & Buckle: Handcrafted sterling silver and western buckles with made-to-order customization; partial overlap with Kathy's trophy buckle and sterling overlay product lines in the western awards and accessory category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KathysShowEqpmt
• Facebookfacebook.com/KathysShowEquipment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kathy's Show Equipment