Trackers in saddles?

[RebeccaWoodall]

Would anyone be interested in having a tracker inside their saddle in case it gets stolen? It depends on whether the tracker could be hidden in the saddle, maybe in the panel area? I would love to know your thoughts on this.

The business I work with also has a theft recovery service, so if the saddle was stolen they would be able to trace it and secure it (then the police help with recovery)

 

[sbloom]

As a fitter I'd be very concerned about it not causing fitting issues, inserting in the panel would generally be a no-no as it would be impossible to avoid a pressure point unless it's paper-thin.

 

[cobgoblin]

Plus it may move about in the panel, so would have to be fixed.
In the lining of the gullet could be better... But either could be removed quite easily.

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

As a fitter I'd be very concerned about it not causing fitting issues, inserting in the panel would generally be a no-no as it would be impossible to avoid a pressure point unless it's paper-thin.

Thank you for your input, I was concerned about that as well! It sounds like it would be too heavy for that then. Do you think there would be any other location that would work from the perspective of a fitter?

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

Plus it may move about in the panel, so would have to be fixed.
In the lining of the gullet could be better... But either could be removed quite easily.

Yes, there is a balance between trying to hide it well enough so that any tack thief can't easily find it!

 

[cobgoblin]

How big is the tracker?

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

How big is the tracker?

So it's a box shape 7cm length and width, 2.5cm depth

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

How big is the tracker?

So it's a box shape 7cm length and width, 2.5cm depth

You can get smaller than that, which we have on the 4 race bikes, size of a 50p coin and about 8mm deep. Not at all cheap, but cheaper than replacing each bike.

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

You can get smaller than that, which we have on the 4 race bikes, size of a 50p coin and about 8mm deep. Not at all cheap, but cheaper than replacing each bike.

Yes there are lots of options available out there for sure. Ours was intended initially for protecting vehicles and plant equipment and as a result is quite sturdy but damage resistant! The design of the tracker might not be the perfect solution for something like a saddle, but the theft recovery service we have is brilliant. So if we were able to make this work, it would hopefully mean lots of stolen tack recovered for owners

 

[cobgoblin]

So it's a box shape 7cm length and width, 2.5cm depth

That is far too big to be put anywhere inside a saddle and would be totally obvious inside or out.
Your company needs a big rethink.
.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Yes there are lots of options available out there for sure. Ours was intended initially for protecting vehicles and plant equipment and as a result is quite sturdy but damage resistant! The design of the tracker might not be the perfect solution for something like a saddle, but the theft recovery service we have is brilliant. So if we were able to make this work, it would hopefully mean lots of stolen tack recovered for owners

Look at the Chipolo and Tile ones, even these would probably be too big.
The Tile smallest one could possibly be fitted just above and in front of the stirrup bar, but it would need careful fitting.

 

[cobgoblin]

The Tile only tracks to 400ft max and has a battery that would require replacing. So it would have to be easily accessible and therefore easy to find and remove.

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

That is far too big to be put anywhere inside a saddle and would be totally obvious inside or out.
Your company needs a big rethink.
.

That's fair enough, I did think that would be the case but thank you for your feedback I really appreciate it. That's why I wanted to seek out opinions before trying to go any further! From my perspective I was trying to see whether the product we already have could possibly help in the area of tack theft because I hear about it happening so much.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

The Tile only tracks to 400ft max and has a battery that would require replacing. So it would have to be easily accessible and therefore easy to find and remove.

No, there are models in the range that track further, but still only 7 day battery life.
I threw them in for size comparison.
The bike ones we have are quite small but still too large for saddles.

 

[RebeccaWoodall]

No, there are models in the range that track further, but still only 7 day battery life.
I threw them in for size comparison.
The bike ones we have are quite small but still too large for saddles.

Thanks as well for your input, really appreciate it. I think there is a challenge here in making a battery small enough that isn't rechargeable or not long lasting enough - that is small enough to fit in the saddle without compromising the performance of the saddle itself?

 

[phizz4]

I know it's not the same thing in that it doesn't allow tracking, but would planting a microchip in the saddle be worthwhile? It wouldn't help to track it but it would help to identify it if it was found, or for sale on ebay or similar places.

 

[Shay]

Local police will attend your yard and "Stamp" saddles free of charge. A sort of embosser which marks each saddle inside the flap with a unique code and the police force ID. You also get a specific form should you need to sell the saddle on legitimately to transfer the owner details. You can also paint saddles (underneath ideally) with smart water which is also unique to you.

Neither prevent theft - although we also have signs confirming the tack is marked and smart water in use which is hopefully a deterrant. And of course neither offer a theft recovery service which is what OP was really advertising. But both do help ID your saddle in the event it is either recovered or sold on.

 

[OldNag]

I have stamped my postcode on the underside of the saddle flap.
The set of metal stamps cost about a tenner and I mark all my tack this way.

 

[cremedemonthe]

As Sbloom has said, it will compromise the fitting, I was toying with this idea about 10 years ago but trackers then (and mostly now it seems) were simply too large to use. I have used trackers with batteries inside Locatas that I have made for horses and humans to wear and the size put me off trying to place one in the saddle as I have taken many microchips out of flocking for people that have had them inserted and have moved, pressing on the horse's withers from inside the panel and these were the size of a garden pea. The only thing I used to fit for security was a datachip/tag that was basically a printed circuit, I stuck it on to the tree above the panel. It was very flat , like a sticker and offered no problems to the horse or the fit of the saddle. I also stamped sweat flaps with people's postcodes for free and warning stickers on the saddle but despite all this saddles were still stolen and never recovered as no one was checking/scanning them!
Your idea is good, you just need to develop the technology to make it smaller and be able to have a very long life battery.
Oz

 

[sbloom]

Slightly lumpy flocking can cause pressure points, it's not about the weight, or even the size really, you could have it a mm thick and it could be inserted right at the top, and that would be okay, it could be as large an area as you like, but anything else is potentially pressure. There is nowhere except in the panel, that is easily accessible after manufacture, that isn't easily accessible for a crook, anything else would be better inserted at manufacture stage, which is perhaps where you need to think, as Oz says it can be done if it's the right shape.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Thanks sbloom, it's hard to put it anywehre really as there's the weight of the rider and other stresses and strains on it of course. I worked with a company who makes them, they approached me to make Locatas specifically to house their trackers, that worked but they did say at the time it was the smallest they could do and I have just been back on their site and the trackers still look too large, I feel technology is a long way off making them small and thin enough with long lasting batteries to be able to be housed within a saddle. The smallest (thinnest) I have seen is 1.5 mm thick.
Oz

 

[D66]

Just asking - could it be put somewhere visible (ie the cantle) fixed so that if removed it would make a mess of the leather (ie lots of pins).

 

[sbloom]

I think it would devalue the saddle, not for any intrinsic reason but because buyers won't like it.

 

[Mynstrel]

Hubby tried offering saddle microchipping for a while when he started his business, which were then registered on a property website. We thought people would go for it but i don't think he ever got to the end of his first batch of chips (20).

 

[Mynstrel]

That's not really been a problem with the chips. He put them in the thin padding on the underside of the flap so even if they did move they couldn't go far. Just checked mine and it seems to have stayed put though

 

[singhharry12]

I think there is a challenge here in making a battery small enough that isn't rechargeable or not long lasting enough - that is small enough to fit in the saddle without compromising the performance of the saddle itself?

 

[Mynstrel]

We used microchips the same as they use to chip animals, then they went on a database called immobilise (with appropriate immobilise tag on the saddle too) so batteries weren't an issue.

 

[singhharry12]

Slightly lumpy flocking can cause pressure points, it's not about the weight, or even the size really, you could have it a mm thick and it could be inserted right at the top, and that would be okay, it could be as large an area as you like, but anything else is potentially pressure. There is nowhere except in the panel, that is easily accessible after manufacture, that isn't easily accessible for a crook, anything else would be better inserted at manufacture stage, which is perhaps where you need to think, as Oz says it can be done if it's the right shape. 9apps cartoonhd

 

[Baywonder]

Years ago, my DH used to put tiny microchip 'tags' into his saddles if the customers wanted them. They had a unique code, very similar to the animal microchips used now. He used to put them within the layers of seat foam - that way they could not easily be removed.

Tack theft has always been a problem. It is awful that your most expensive bit of kit (apart from your horse) can be taken within minutes, usually never to be seen again. Whilst tack marking is a great deterrent, it is possible, if you know how, for any stamps to be 'boned out', making the original stamp unreadable.

I think there is a definite gap in the market for tack security. However, getting the product right, to ensure it is durable, has a long range, long battery life, and does not impinge on the fit of the saddle, or comfort for the horse and rider is what ultimately needs to be achieved.

 

[HazuraJane]

That is far too big to be put anywhere inside a saddle and would be totally obvious inside or out.
Your company needs a big rethink.
.

Sounds like they're trying to figure out how to design or 'rethink' already.