# [ 2010 ] Need advice about horse hair mattress (not a joke!)



## Jennie (Jun 9, 2010)

About 25 years ago I obtained a king sized bed at an estate sale in a posh neighborhood. It consists of two separate extra long twin mattress and two box springs with 6 wooden "legs" each (12 altogether). I stored one in the attic and used the other in a guest bedroom. The sale was conducted by a professional agency. It was near the end of the two day sale and I offered $80. for the set. The agent said that was a ridiculously low price for such a top quality item and refused to budge from the official asking price of $200.. (Remember this was in the early 1980's).

I was about to leave when a older, very distinguished looking gentleman appeared and told me he was the owner of the house and that he was willing to give the bed to me for free because he wanted to see it go to someone who would value and appreciate it. He went on to say that it had been custom ordered from an expensive store in Manhattan, and was made of horse hair (which meant nothing to me). The agent conducting the sale was quite annoyed about his "interference." He told her not to fret, that he would pay her the the commission she would have received if she had sold it for $200. which he added was a ridiculously low price.  

Yesterday I was in a large well-known carpet and furniture store looking at rugs. A very knowledgeable salesman came to assist me. He was an avid antique buff. While walking to another section of the store, we passed the bedding section. I told him that that was going to be my next project, to buy some new beds. I added that I dreaded all the "homework" I would have to do to familiarize myself with the current options. He asked what brand of mattress I currently own, and how long ago I had bought it. Jokingly I said that one of our mattresses was over twenty years old but we don't use it much. He told me I really need to replace it for health reasons as a lot of mites and other "yucky stuff" accumulates within it. I replied that mine must be almost lethal by now because it contains horse hair and God only knows how badly that may have decayed through the years.

He became ecstatic, telling me that horse hair mattresses are one of the only types that never decay and that they repel mites, etc... He said they are the highest quality mattresses made, that they last for years and years, and are now owned mainly be royalty and gazzilionaires. It takes months to make one because it is all done by hand by highly skilled craftsmen, and the price tag can be as high as $50K. He urged me to make calls to antique dealers or similar places because there should be a market for it, even if only as a collectible.

When I went home, I looked closely and saw a store label from Sherrill on East 56th Street in NYC. A google search reveals that the company headquarters is now in Virginia and has many different branches around the country. It seems to  specialize in high end furniture. I called their customer service department and the gal who answered said the Mr. X would be the person who might know something about it but he is out of the country and will not return for awhile.  

Since the knowledge and experience of TUGgers never ceases to amaze me, I thought I'd ask if anyone might have some advice about my "horse hair mattresses" (which I almost donated to the Salvation Army last month).


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## CarolF (Jun 9, 2010)

Jennie,  I can't help you with info about horse hair mattresses but I just love your story.  My Mum (born 1920) talked about them but I just can't seem to recall the details, I really wish I had paid more attention to her stories of her privileged British childhood .  I really hope someone chimes in with some more info.


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## vacationhopeful (Jun 9, 2010)

Jennie,
Will ask my aunt (85 yo) - who owns one or more of these "horse hair" mattresses - what she knows.  She inherited her beds from her mother. Her mother (my GM) got them with the old house which she moved into as a new bride.


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## 3kids4me (Jun 9, 2010)

My parents had the two "long twin" horsehair mattresses that you describe.  (They lived in a neighborhood near where you live Jennie.)  They lasted the entire time I was living in that house and no doubt afterwards.  

Beckley in New York City supposedly makes horsehair mattresses now, although I get the sense that they are a lot firmer than what my parents had since they recommend some kind of topper with them, and my parents' bed did not need one.


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## wackymother (Jun 9, 2010)

We have an old upholstered chair from the 1920s that I got reupholstered about 20 years ago. When I got it redone, the upholsterer said that the old stuffing was horsehair and he was going to try and save what he could and use it in the new upholstery, because, he said, horsehair never wears out, doesn't mash down like other fillings, and is generally the best stuffing ever. So that fits in with what you heard! 

Great story. I love to hear things like that! Good luck with your mattress. Maybe you could take it on Antiques Roadshow? It must weigh a ton, though....


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## ricoba (Jun 9, 2010)

That's a cool story.  

I saw a TV show once (kind of like a rich & famous show) that showed a very high end bedding company still making horse hair mattresses by hand.  They are a rarity, but as others have noted, I think they may be the best of the best.

Thanks for sharing your neat discovery. 

Next step....Antiques Roadshow!


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## tlwmkw (Jun 9, 2010)

This is interesting.  I didn't know that horsehair was such a good thing.  We had an old wing chair that belonged to my DH's family and was brought over by them when they moved here from England.  It was stuffed with horsehair too.  We gave it away when we moved (one of the wooden legs had broken and a neighbor was able to fix it so we let them have it).  I wonder if they still have the chair- I doubt they know what it's stuffed with.

tlwmkw


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## JudyH (Jun 9, 2010)

I have horses.  Let me know if you need extra stuffing:rofl: :rofl:


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## rhonda (Jun 9, 2010)

Great story!  I can't offer any help on the horse hair mattress ... but I did take my recently-handed-down-to-me horse hair blanket to an "Antiques Road Show" event last week.  I got some helpful into on care and cleaning as well as a few stories from the appraiser.

FWIW, based on the textures I'm assuming my blanket uses hairs from mane and tail -- not the coat.  The appraiser stressed the blanket was horse _hair_ not horse _hide_.  (He was also quick to make apologies to those who may be "squeamish" before discussing my article.)


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## pjrose (Jun 10, 2010)

My In-Laws had a horsehair mattress.  They always bought custom-made expensive things, and said that this was custom made and the best.  When MIL got ill ~30 years ago she got the kind that goes up and down instead, and we took the horsehair one for our guest room.  It was firm and amazingly comfortable.  Unfortunately we eventually sold it at our yard sale, probably for nothing, and I don't think we told the buyer what it was :-(

We also have an antique Louis XVI loveseat that Grandmother bought at an antique store in NYC in the 1920s.  Eventually we had it reupholstered; when we took it apart it had many layers of fabric on top of horsehair.  Again, unfortunately, the fabric layers and horsehair are long gone.  Too bad, as an antique dealer recently stuck up his nose and said it was a reproduction.....but all those layers and the original stuffing might have provided evidence otherwise.

Not horsehair, but my mother's sofa, ordered from somewhere in the 1930s, was stuffed with down.  Again, over the years when it was reupholstered the down was replaced.  She always regretted losing the down.


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## Ann-Marie (Jun 10, 2010)

I remember 32 years ago when we were buying our crib mattress, it was horse hair.  I was told nothing could beat it, and it would last forever.  After 3 children I got rid of it.  Probably should have kept it.


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## Jennie (Jun 11, 2010)

Some further research led me to a New York Times article that stated that there is no longer any company in the U.S. that sells horse hair. The few companies that still make these mattresses (always custom made orders from the rich and famous) have to import the horse hair from China. They mentioned a company with an unpronounceable (to me) name--since it used the Chinese spelling.

Good 'ole Google came to the rescue and brought me to the Chinese website, then provided a translation of the content into fractured English. The website showed pictures of about 8 different "grades" of horse hair for sale. The lowest priced one labeled "Budget" was $175. per 250 grams. The highest quality was priced at $375. per 250 grams. Another Google search indicated that 250 grams equals 8.9 ounces. Holy cow! or umm--Holy Horse! They added that the export and other taxes plus shipping were additional.

My research will continue. I have 5 phone numbers to try if "life" would stop interfering. Hastens keeps popping up as the number one manufacturer in the U.S..


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## 3kids4me (Jun 11, 2010)

Jennie,

Don't get a Hastens...have you tried one?  They are not like what you had.  They have a softer feel that makes you feel like you are sleeping on a pile of hay.  

What about Beckley in New York City?  They don't make horsehair mattresses?

Sharon


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## wackymother (Jun 11, 2010)

So Jennie, are you trying to sell the mattresses? Or buy new mattresses? Or both? Or neigh-ther? Ar ar.


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## pjrose (Jun 11, 2010)

wackymother said:


> So Jennie, are you trying to sell the mattresses? Or buy new mattresses? Or both? Or neigh-ther? Ar ar.



You are too funny!


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## 3kids4me (Jun 11, 2010)

wackymother said:


> So Jennie, are you trying to sell the mattresses? Or buy new mattresses? Or both? Or neigh-ther? Ar ar.



How long did it take you to come up with that one?  I hope not long...


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## wackymother (Jun 11, 2010)

3kids4me said:


> How long did it take you to come up with that one?  I hope not long...



It was a sudden flash of inspiration.   And I was really asking the question--what will Jennie do with her alternate-reality mattress?


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## pjrose (Jun 11, 2010)

wackymother said:


> It was a sudden flash of inspiration.   And I was really asking the question--what will Jennie do with her alternate-reality mattress?



Hmmm......I sense part of the story coming in.....what will the foreign exchange students and foster doggies think of a horse-hair mattress, if, indeed, they think of it at all!


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## Jennie (Jun 11, 2010)

wackymother said:


> So Jennie, are you trying to sell the mattresses? Or buy new mattresses? Or both? Or neigh-ther? Ar ar.



Oh, sell them or their contents if anyone cares to offer $$$$ for them. Otherwise I'll just use them and, if the reports I'm reading are correct, pass them on to my children and grandchildren and...

I read that one of the main attributes is that a horse hair mattress does not sag or develop permanent indentations based upon the contour of the body of the person who sleeps on it on a regular basis. And you know what--now that I've become aware of it, I see that it really does hold it's shape. It provides gentle support and immediately springs back into a "like new" position as soon as you get off it.


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## scrapngen (Jun 11, 2010)

Wow! I remember my Mom mentioning a couch with horsehair stuffing. Somehow I remembered it as a "bad" thing, probably because as a child it sounded icky to me. LOL But even though we were very poor and her family was not particularly well off, she had an amazing knowledge of antiques, although didn't always how to protect the value. Also to her, everything that was an antique was worth a fortune. A Hummel figurine was the same as a Mahogany intricately carved dining room table set with 8 leaves and matching chairs! (that we were allowed to play ping-pong on) Sorry she's not around now to ask which piece/pieces of furniture she was referring to. Probably something she reupholstered. :rofl:

BTW - we owned that table because my Mom helped take care of two ladies who lived down the street when she was growing up. One of the ladies was married to a sea-captain who brought back all kinds of interesting and beautiful furniture and china. When the two ladies died, it all came to my Mom's family. Some of it then came to my Mom when her parents died. So they ended up with beautiful things, but never had much money to speak of.


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## Jennie (Jun 13, 2010)

Well I've been told today by two authoritative sources in the industry that there is no real way to profit from the sale of our mattresses. The average person has never heard of them because they are not sold in stores. They are custom made for humongous prices.

The horse hair in our mattresses cannot be purchased or used by the few manufactures who still produce these beds because "there are endless strict government regulation that must be met re: the origin of the horse hair, methods of sterilizing it, payment of tariffs and other tax and fees, etc... 

Well anyway we are enjoying a better night's sleep on our "new"  old horse hair mattresses, and have thus saved the thousands of dollars we were planning to spend on buying new beds.


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## CarolF (Jun 13, 2010)

Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

If the time comes and it needs to be sold, advertise it privately.  I'm sure someone out there will recognise its value.


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## wackymother (Jun 13, 2010)

I googled and found a couple of horsehair mattresses that had been advertised on Craigslist--and apparently sold. One was listed for $1,000. Both in LA.


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## 3kids4me (Jun 13, 2010)

Jennie,

I didn't realize that you were looking to sell your existing ones; I thought you just wanted to buy another one!  Why were you going to replace it in the first place?  Just because someone told you that mattresses need to be replaced every so often?


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## pjrose (Jun 16, 2010)

Check this out - Stearns and Foster has one!

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109828/a-mattress-at-$33000?mod=family-home


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## ricoba (Jun 17, 2010)

pjrose said:


> Check this out - Stearns and Foster has one!
> 
> http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109828/a-mattress-at-$33000?mod=family-home



I saw that article and thought of this thread.  Kind of interesting to see that some people can spend up to $30,000 + on a hand made mattress....which includes horse hair!


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## Jennie (Jun 19, 2010)

3kids4me said:


> Jennie,
> 
> I didn't realize that you were looking to sell your existing ones; I thought you just wanted to buy another one!  Why were you going to replace it in the first place?  Just because someone told you that mattresses need to be replaced every so often?



Initially we used the two horse hair mattresses as a king sized bed. Then we reconfigured the master bedroom to make room for more closet space and purchased a new queen sized bed. That's what needs to be replaced. 

One horse hair mattresses and box spring was then placed in a spare bedroom/den. The other was put in the attic. Neither were used much over the years. 

When I was recently in a high end carpet and furniture store browsing for a new queen size bed, I jokingly mentioned about our old horse hair mattresses, and the salesman surprisingly knew all about this type of mattress. He is a history buff and he told me how royalty of many countries valued them and passed them down as family heirlooms.


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## nicklinneh (Jun 19, 2010)

I don't have a horsehair mattress, but I do have a horsehair cushion for a chaise-longue. When I had it recovered, the upholsterer was quite astounded. -ken


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## lucyf (Jul 8, 2013)

*mom threw out the horsehair mattresses!*

My father had two beautiful horsehair mattresses as a boy - extra long for young men - about a foot thick - so comfortable! Nothing NOTHING compares. When dad died mom threw them out. She felt they were "icky" never having tried them out.

I am so sad! Nowadays I believe you'd have to pay around $100k for one and I don't have that kind of money. Am thinking I'll get a horse and patiently save up his tail hairs to build my own mattress in a couple hundred years.


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## Jennie (Jul 9, 2013)

*Look at this*

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/holy-horse-hair-175-000-royal-mattress-1C8929347


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## Patri (Jul 9, 2013)

How and why did this thread get resurrected? Did someone come onto TUG and search 'horsehair'? Weird.


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## DeniseM (Jul 9, 2013)

Patri said:


> How and why did this thread get resurrected? Did someone come onto TUG and search 'horsehair'? Weird.



They probably googled it and found the TUG thread - see post #29 from a guest.


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