The shop also does a good business in saddle blankets, but cheap imitations from Mexico have cut into the business since the North American Free Trade Agreement opened up the borders. He has lost two-thirds of his saddle blanket business since the trade agreement began. It is soft, versatile, and strong. Cowboys take their saddle blankets to the car wash and hose them down to clean them. As long as you let the blanket or rug dry thoroughly it will last almost forever.
Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of wool.
Australia has overtaken the state in wool production, but much of Schoffthaler's wool still comes from local producers. He mixes it with course fibers produced in New Zealand. The wool is dyed at the International Textile Institute in Lubbock at Texas Tech. Most of the locally grown wool is now shipped out of the country, Schoffthaler says. It used to be that most of the manufacturing was done on the East Coast, but now even that is moving overseas.