Tack cleaning service idea....thoughts please.

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turnbuckle

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Now, I do hope this sort of "testing an idea" post is allowed here - do take it down if it's not!

I've been playing around with the idea of starting a mobile tack-cleaning service (to a very high standard).

NB.....I wouldn't be doing the cleaning!

It would be great to get a sense of whether people like the idea in principle, and whether it's the sort of thing they might use regularly or only for special occasions. Far too early to have had detailed thoughts on price.....

All and any feedback very welcome indeed.

Whole roast ox if you've read this far!
 
I like cleaning tack, and will happily spend a rainy afternoon cleaning all the tack (ie. Everyone else's as well as mine) In the tack room!

For that reason I wouldn't use a tack cleaning service - and the pro riders usually have grooms to do that for them, amateurs probably wouldn't spend the money so the most likely market would be a riding school imo :)
 
A horsey lady in my area who also runs a cleaning business does from time to time offer a tack cleaning service at a local show centre when they run multiple day high level competitions on site. I believe she targets the amateur rather than the pro with groom! In other words, the cash rich/time poor who would rather be supping in the bar than scraping tack! :D
 
I'm not a great fan of tack cleaning so in principle I'd be keen for the service, however I have 2 observations....1, can you make it affordable if you're having to factor in travelling costs? you'd probably have to have several clients at one place to make each trip worthwhile.
2. In my particular case I'm in a small private yard so security wise you wouldn't be able to have access unless one of the liveries is there (which is when we're generally using our tack or would have time to do it ourselves!)
Reasonable size riding schools/livery yards are going to have staff so not exactly sure where your would market be (very happy to be proved wrong though!!)
 
if you wish to start the business but will not be doing the cleaning I think you would really struggle to pay two people's wages on tack cleaning money. Its really the sort of business where someone needs to start it with a little van, very low overheads and and throw themselves in to lots of hours for a small return rather than employing anyone else (at least short term)
 
I agree travel costs cld make this unviable on a small scale but doing it on a larger scale may be better eg a large yard or Show centre where you cld clean lots in one go. I knew someone who used to blitz a racing yards tack 1 or 2 afternoons a week.
 
I rode at a few riding schools and none of the tack ever seemed clean. The riding school I liveried at used saddle soap to clean the part of the saddle the rider sat on, the bridles whilst they were still all done up and washed the bit. 3 staff cleaned the whole yards tack this way in the time it took me to clean my tack properly. I do not think a riding school would use a tack cleaning service. Big livery yards would have people wanting it done but probably only once a year or before a show. I know loads of people who do not clean tack for shows unless it is muddy. You would need to go to a lot of yards I think.
 
I pay to have my tack cleaned every week and it has made an amazing difference to my life. 2 sets, £8 per hour and incredibly clean tack.
 
Not a service I would use as I am very particular about how my tack is cleaned and wouldn't allow anyone else to do it. I don't think such a business would earn more than a little pocket money, certainly not if I were to do it, I'd be on about a pound an hour!
 
I am very particular and mine is better than I would do, ex stud groom does it as part of a portfolio of services across a horse community.
 
I used to work for a very fastidious amateur show jumper, apparently I was the only one able to do the tack to his standards, and that was five full sets per day for him and sometimes two for his wife. I lasted a week before my back packed in, I think it took nearly three hours, I would have to charge £10 for the average tack not cleaned properly every day.
 
Thanks so far everyone, fanatastic feedback, keep thoughts coming please.

The basic idea is that we would use ex-army people, who are used to doing stuff to a seriously high standard....
 
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