Bates Australia

Bates Australia is an Australian saddlery business whose origins date to 1934 in Perth, Western Australia. The company was established by George Bates, who reportedly began making saddles after borrowing $100 from his sister and purchasing a sewing machine. Early production took place on the veranda of his home, reflecting the small-scale, family-enterprise origins of the business. The company developed from this local manufacturing base into an international saddlery operation. Its principal identity is associated with Bates Saddles, while the wider business structure now operates as Saddlery Brands International. The group is directly owned by Hammersmith Nominees and is the parent company of several equestrian brands, including Bates Saddles, Wintec Saddles and Arena Saddles. Bates Australia is therefore best understood as both a historical saddle brand and the name associated with the Australian business from which the broader Saddlery Brands International portfolio developed. Its product focus is equestrian equipment, particularly saddles and related riding products. The business has retained its family-owned character while expanding its distribution beyond Australia. According to the available reference material, its products are available in approximately 36 countries, giving the company an international presence despite its Perth base. The available public material provides limited detail about individual product launches, corporate leadership, financial performance or advertising campaigns. It does, however, establish the company’s principal turning points: its founding by George Bates in 1934, its evolution from a home-based Perth workshop into a larger manufacturing business, and the development of Saddlery Brands International as the corporate structure encompassing Bates, Wintec and Arena. No reliable public information in the supplied sources establishes a stock-market listing, annual revenue, current executive roster or a separate corporate website for Bates Australia.

Bates Australia traces its history to 1934, when George Bates established a saddlery business in Perth, Western Australia. The company’s origin story describes Bates borrowing $100 from his sister, using the money to purchase a sewing machine, and beginning saddle production on the veranda of his home. This account places craftsmanship and small-scale local manufacturing at the centre of the company’s early identity. From that beginning, the business expanded beyond an individual workshop into a family-owned saddle manufacturing enterprise. Its growth was connected to the development of a broader equestrian product portfolio and to the establishment of an international sales and distribution network. The business became associated with the Bates Saddles name, while the wider corporate organization eventually adopted the name Saddlery Brands International. Saddlery Brands International is directly owned by Hammersmith Nominees. It serves as the parent company for Bates Saddles, Wintec Saddles and Arena Saddles. This structure means that Bates Australia’s historical identity sits within a multi-brand saddlery group rather than representing only a single standalone product line. Bates remains one of the group’s principal brands, while Wintec and Arena extend the portfolio into other segments of the equestrian saddle market. The company remains based in Perth and is described as family-owned. Its products have moved from an Australian manufacturing base into international markets, with distribution or availability reported in approximately 36 countries. This expansion is the principal documented later-stage development in the company’s history. The supplied reference material does not provide detailed dates for the creation of the other brands, the formation of Saddlery Brands International, manufacturing-site changes, leadership transitions or individual product generations. Those details should not be inferred without additional reliable sources.

• 1934

  Bates Saddlery is established in Perth

  [1]Bates Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  George Bates establishes the saddlery business in Perth, Western Australia, beginning with a sewing machine purchased after borrowing $100 from his sister.

• The business expands beyond its home workshop

  [1]Bates Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  The original home-based operation develops into a family-owned saddle manufacturing business with an international market presence.

• Saddlery Brands International becomes the wider corporate structure

  [1]Bates Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  The business operates as Saddlery Brands International, the parent organization for Bates Saddles, Wintec Saddles and Arena Saddles.

• International distribution reaches approximately 36 countries

  [1]Bates Australiaen.wikipedia.org

  The Perth-based family business expands into international markets and is reported to have a presence in approximately 36 countries.

Australian-founded, family-owned equestrian equipment and saddle manufacturing with an international distribution footprint.

• Equestrian saddles

  Bates Saddles

  Bates Saddles is the core saddle brand associated with the company founded by George Bates. It represents the continuation of the business’s original focus on manufacturing saddles in Western Australia and forms one of the principal brands within Saddlery Brands International.

• Equestrian saddles

  Wintec Saddles

  Wintec Saddles is a sister brand within Saddlery Brands International. The supplied reference identifies it as one of the group’s principal saddle brands, but does not provide sufficient information about its individual models, technologies or launch history.

• Equestrian saddles

  Arena Saddles

  Arena Saddles is another equestrian brand within Saddlery Brands International. It is identified in the reference material as part of the same parent group as Bates Saddles and Wintec Saddles; detailed product specifications and chronology are not established by the available source.

1. 1Bates Australiaen.wikipedia.org