From Walsall to the Show Ring: The Story Behind The In Gate Coronation Collection

By Jimmy Sardelli, Founder and President of The In Gate

We created the Coronation Collection™ to do more than put The In Gate name on another bridle. We wanted to create tack that reflected what our business stands for: exceptional materials, thoughtful design, beautiful craftsmanship, and the kind of personal attention our customers expect from us.

In September 2026, our team traveled to England to spend time with the people behind the leather and craftsmanship that bring the Coronation Collection to life. I already knew I loved the finished product, but I wanted to understand it more deeply. I wanted to see the leather before it became a bridle, understand how it was selected and finished, watch the work being done, and ask the kinds of questions that help us become better at what we do.

I came home with an even greater appreciation for how much happens before one of these pieces ever reaches The In Gate.

From European Hides to Walsall

The hides used for the Coronation Collection originate in Europe. From there, our leather is finished in Walsall, England, a town whose connection to saddlery and leatherworking reaches back centuries.

The people behind the finishing of our leather bring two generations of expertise to their work, including more than two decades of experience inside one of Walsall’s respected traditional bridle-leather houses before establishing an independent leather-finishing business.

That experience matters because judgment matters. It affects what someone notices in a hide, what they accept, what they reject, how they judge consistency, and what they know that leather can ultimately become in the hands of a skilled bridlemaker.

Why Aniline Leather Matters

The Coronation Collection is crafted from aniline leather. Aniline finishing allows the natural grain and character of the hide to remain visible rather than concealing it beneath an opaque pigmented surface. That transparency is part of what gives the leather its depth, feel, and individuality, but it also means the quality of the original hide matters enormously.

Only a small percentage of the European hides evaluated meet the standard required for our collection. Because aniline leather does not rely on a heavily pigmented surface to hide imperfections, the quality has to be there from the beginning.

That is part of what I love about it. When you pick up a Coronation Bridle™, you are seeing and feeling the character of the leather itself.

From Leather to Finished Tack

Once our leather has been finished in Walsall, it is entrusted to our English bridlemaker. Seeing how leather becomes finished tack makes words like craftsmanship much more tangible.

A bridle is the result of many individual decisions. The right portion of leather has to be chosen for the right component. Pieces have to be cut accurately, edges prepared and finished, stitching kept strong and consistent, and hardware selected so that it complements the leather rather than distracts from it. No single one of those details makes a great bridle, but together they determine how the finished piece feels, wears, and looks on a horse.

That is what craftsmanship means to me: getting a long series of small things right.

Why the Coronation Collection Looks the Way It Does

The Coronation Bridle was designed specifically with the hunter ring in mind. I have spent enough years around horses and horse shows to know that a small change in proportion can completely change the way a bridle looks on a horse’s head. I wanted the Coronation to have presence without looking heavy, which is why the broad, low-profile noseband is balanced by a refined browband and matching laced reins.

The goal was not to make something different simply so we could call it different. I wanted to take the elements I admire in classic hunter tack and refine them. The same commitment to proportion, leather quality, and English craftsmanship carries through to the Balmoral Bridle™, developed with Traci and Carleton Brooks of Balmoral Farm, as well as the Coronation™ Standing Martingale, the Coronation Crank Noseband, and the Coronation 3" Bit Keepers.

Those pieces established the design language of the Coronation Collection: clean lines, carefully considered proportions, understated detailing, exceptional materials, and skilled English construction. As the collection grows, those are the standards that remain constant.

Why We Went to England

If we are going to recommend something to one of our customers, I want us to understand it. And if we are going to put The In Gate name on it, I want us to understand it even more.

Relationships are at the center of our business. Customers trust us to help them choose the right bridle, fit a show coat, find the right pair of boots, or track down something special. That trust carries a responsibility, and I do not want to tell someone that a Coronation Bridle is exceptional simply because it looks beautiful hanging in our store.

I want to be able to explain that the hides originate in Europe, why we chose aniline leather, why only a small percentage meet our standard, how our leather is finished in Walsall, how the tack is made in England, why its proportions look the way they do, and who I believe each piece will suit best. Going to England gave us the chance to deepen that knowledge firsthand.

What Luxury Means to The In Gate

The trip reinforced something I think about often as The In Gate continues to grow: luxury does not always mean more. Sometimes it means less, done extraordinarily well. It can be a better piece of leather, a more carefully considered proportion, a beautifully finished edge, or hardware that complements rather than overwhelms.

It can also be the human side of the experience. A craftsman notices something most people would never see. A retailer knows a customer well enough to say, “This is the right one for your horse,” or, just as importantly, “I think you should choose something else.” That is the kind of luxury I want The In Gate to represent.

From Walsall to the Ring

By the time a Coronation piece arrives at The In Gate, an extraordinary amount has already happened. European hides have been evaluated against a demanding standard, with only a small percentage qualifying for our collection. Our leather has been finished in Walsall, England, and then entrusted to our English bridlemaker, who transforms it into tack built around the proportions and details we chose for the Coronation Collection.

Then it comes to us, and eventually one of those pieces leaves The In Gate with a customer and becomes part of a horse’s story. That is my favorite part, because for all the discussion about leather, craftsmanship, design, and tradition, the Coronation Collection was ultimately created to be used, cared for, and enjoyed.

I want these pieces to become more beautiful with time and to look exactly right when a horse walks through the ingate and into the ring. That journey, from European hide to Walsall, from English craftsmanship to the show ring, is one we are incredibly proud to be part of.

Explore The Coronation Collection to discover the Coronation Bridle, Balmoral Bridle, Standing Martingale, Crank Noseband, and 3" Bit Keepers.

Confidence in every stride, elegance in every detail.