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California Riding Magazine • June, 2009 Please Be Seated! |
It was joking around with barn friends that eventually led San Anderson to create Stickyseat breeches and stretch riding pants. Her now 12-year-old daughter Alia began riding in a dressage program, which helped her develop a remarkably deep and secure seat. As other mothers noticed Alia’s great position in the saddle, they asked how it had come about. “I’d joke about putting Velcro on her saddle or glue on her bottom,” Anderson recalls. “Eventually it made me realize what an advantage for a small child, and a relief to the horse’s back, it is to have a secure seat. That thought began running around my brain.” That thought evolved into a series of prototype riding pants featuring grip fabric through the seat. Anderson originally envisioned them for kids, but women riders wanted them, too, and Stickyseat now makes breeches and tights for all ages and riders in any discipline. “As riders, we think of the seat as our first aid in communication with our horses,” Anderson says. “Stickyseat gives you that extra close feel with your horse.”
Stickyseat’s patented grip seat for Equestrian Athletes on Bootcut Pant. Prototypes and test rides with existing products enabled Anderson and her daughter’s guinea pig barn friends to distinguish between a preferable non-skid surface and an adhesive surface that was too sticky. Standard athletic fabrics were too slippery and existing grip fabrics actually stuck the rider’s seat in the saddle, sometimes dangerously so. “We took it from the perspective of grip gloves,” Anderson says of the middle ground they developed for Stickyseat. “The gloves have little gripping dots, so when you’re riding the reins don’t slip, but you can still let go of the reins when you want to.” The weight, thickness and feel of the patented Stickyseat grip seat is barely distinguishable from the rest of the breech or pant. The tiny gripping dots allow the rider to freely post, maintain a two-point position and stay out of the saddle over fences. They are particularly popular with activities that require tight turns and quick moves. “They’re really great when you have a roll back between fences and you want to sit down securely then get back up again,” Anderson says. For kids, adults, jumpers and even trail riders, Stickyseat breeches and tights provide an extra bit of confidence in the saddle. The pants have been worn by a barrel racing champion in the Extreme Cowboy Challenge and just recently, a pair of boot cut pants embellished with rhinestones adorned a show rider at the Fiesta of the Spanish Horse. They are also helpful for riding programs for the physically and mentally challenged.
Alia Anderson-May and Tango, testing product at Morningstar Farm. Ideal Background Based in the Bay Area’s San Rafael, Anderson has 20 years of experience developing and manufacturing sportswear with the latest fabrics for biking, running and motorcross sports. As a recreational dressage rider and a wanna-be cross country jumper, she loved the security of full-seat breeches, but was fed up with their “soggy diaper” feel, unbreathable fabrics and high maintenance laundering requirements, not to mention their high cost. “All along, while the Stickyseat idea was brewing, I was working with highly technical athletic fabrications but wearing jodhpurs that hadn’t been updated for 30 years. I realized I could produce a better product at an accessible price and save our employees jobs by keeping production here in the USA.” Available in a variety of flattering and affordable styles, the line features the patent-pending grip seat for equestrian athletes. Winter weights utilize Polartec Powerstretch Fleece, the industry’s highest quality performance fleece. Lighter weight Tights and Boot Cut styles are a custom blend of nylon, cotton and lycra. Both fabrics are highly breathable, wick moisture away from the skin and fit great due to four-way stretch capabilities. The pants are light and comfortable enough to wear underneath chaps, yet substantial enough to wear alone. The nylon cotton blend provides full coverage and a compression stretch to slim the silhouette and alleviate muscle fatigue. In addition to a great product, Stickyseat has an admirable business model. The breeches and stretch riding pants are made in America from domestic fabrics and the company plans to donate 10 percent of its proceeds to charities helping horses in need.
Mariella Hollerbach, SAHJA SS Div Champion 2008, Anderson is grateful to the friends that were instrumental in developing the Stickyseat idea. Trainers Kevin and Vicky Byars of Morningstar Farm in Novato (www.Morningstarfarm.info) top that list. “They have a fantastic program, especially for kids, that attracts a diverse and friendly group—perfect for product development,” Anderson notes. Lauren Hinton helps spread the word to local tack shops and had Stickyseat stage a fashion show at her beautiful boarding facility and special event venue, Meadowbrook Farms in Nicasio (www.Meadowbrook-Nicasio.com). Marin Tack & Feed in Fairfax carried the pants in their early stages and gathered feedback from users that helped Anderson refine the design. They brought in several colors of the fleece tight at Thanksgiving and needed a full re-stock by mid December. Stickyseat breeches and stretch riding pants are available online at www.stickyseat.com and in a growing number of tack shops. The company will be in booth #2807-B throughout the June 12-14 Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento. Plans to roll out the product nationally begin with August (AETA) and September (WESA) appearances at two of the tack and apparel industry’s biggest trade shows.
For more information, please visit www.stickyseat.com, e-mail info@stickyseat.com or call 415-595-9042. |
