Consider a common scenario: a brand launches a matching pad-and-bonnet set. The pads arrive in three colorways with matching binding and piping — and the bonnets arrive in \the same\ three colorways, visibly off. The factory crocheted the veils from yarn dyed at a different dye house than the pad fabric, and nobody wrote the color relationship down. The fix costs another sampling round and a delayed launch — on the accessory that was supposed to be the easy part.

The short answer: A fly veil (ear bonnet) is the crocheted or technical ear cover worn under the bridle to keep flies, dust, and arena distractions out of the horse\’s ears — and to complete the matching set. It is a small, fast-turning accessory line: three sizes, high colorway turnover, low freight weight, and the set program\’s highest color risk per dollar.

This guide is the accessory-category companion to our matching saddle pad sets guide (boundary note: that guide covers building the OEM collection program; this one covers the bonnet itself as a wholesale category — constructions, sizing, care labeling, and stocking) and our fly sheets and fly masks guide (boundary: that guide covers full-body and full-head protection gear; the bonnet is the under-bridle coordination accessory, a different category).

What is a fly veil — and how is it different from a fly mask?

Direct answer: A fly veil, or ear bonnet, is an ear cover worn under the bridle — a crocheted panel with ear covers — that keeps insects out of the ears and finishes the set. A fly mask covers the face and eyes for UV protection in the field. Different job, different category: veils are ridden in, masks live in the paddock.

The terminology crosses markets. \Fly veil,\ \ear bonnet,\ \ear net,\ and \fly hood\ all name the same product in different catalogs — the UK trade leans \fly veil\ and \ear bonnet,\ continental catalogs often say \ear net\ (QHP\’s own size charts are titled \ear net\). Listings should carry the synonyms your buyers actually search, but the product is one thing: a small, shaped ear cover secured by the bridle, not a face mask.

The category also carries a small but steady competition use: riders wear bonnets in the arena for the fly protection and the coordinated look, and the product is designed for that job — crochet that breathes, ear fabric that moves with the ear, and a fit that stays put under the bridle\’s headpiece.

What are the main bonnet constructions?

Direct answer: Three constructions cover the wholesale line: classic cotton crochet (the volume product), technical-fabric sport bonnets, and \acoustic\ or sound-reducing bonnets. The classic is the set-matching workhorse; the other two are positioning choices for specific buyer segments — and any sound-reduction claim should be treated as marketing unless the maker can show a test.

The ear fabric deserves its own spec line. The ears are usually a stretch knit — LeMieux\’s runs 95% nylon, 5% spandex — chosen to move with the ear without pinching. (St. Croix Saddlery — LeMieux Loire Ear Bonnet, materials & care) On the tech pack, specify the ear fabric separately from the crochet: blend, stretch recovery, and the seam where the two meet are where bonnets fail.

How do you size a bonnet program?

Direct answer: Bonnets run in Pony/Cob/Full, with X-Full in some ranges — the size follows the head, and the fit is judged at the ears: the bonnet should sit flat across the forehead, cover the ears without pinching, and stay put under the bridle. There is no universal standard, so the program quotes against the factory\’s measured chart, per size.

The tier structure is consistent even where the numbers are not. Redpost Equestrian\’s category filters run Small Pony through X Full — five rungs from pony to extra-full — which tells you the retail expectation for size coverage. (Redpost Equestrian — Fly Veils & Ears category) QHP\’s published ear-net chart measures in centimeters with total width and ear length per tier — Pony, Cob, Full — the two dimensions that actually decide fit. (QHP — Ear net size chart (PDF)) Use those as the shape of a sizing program, then lock your factory\’s own numbers: per-maker charts differ, and the bonnet that fits one brand\’s Cob will not necessarily fit another\’s.

For the tech pack, specify three things per size: the forehead panel width (ear to ear), the ear length and opening, and the throatlatch or tie arrangement if the design carries one. Measure the approval sample in all three — bonnets are small pieces where a centimeter of drift shows on the horse.

Why is the bonnet the set program\’s color risk?

Direct answer: Crochet yarn is a different material family from pad fabric, usually dyed elsewhere — so the bonnet\’s navy is never the pad\’s navy unless developed against the same master. The discipline is the matching-sets method on the smallest component: one color master, a dip developed against it, and set-level approval with the pad — never the bonnet approved alone.

This is where the opening story of this guide comes from, and the fix is procedural, not creative. The bonnet brief names the same physical master the pad line develops against (usually the pad\’s binding or body fabric), the yarn dip is approved beside the pad\’s fabric swatch rather than against a screen image, and the finished bonnet is approved as part of the set — because yarn and quilted cotton that match under daylight can diverge under stable lighting. Our matching sets guide lays out the full per-material approval discipline; the bonnet is simply the component where buyers most often skip it, because the piece is small and \easy.\

The color math also runs faster here than on pads. A three-colorway bonnet program in three sizes is nine SKUs of a low-ticket item — the colorway count that feels modest on pads becomes a real assortment on bonnets. Run bonnets on the pad line\’s hero colorways first (see our seasonal color drops guide), and let additional bonnet colorways earn their place on reorder data. And because crochet is dyed goods, the color fastness discipline applies: dark bonnets bleed like dark pads, and the white breeches under a navy bonnet\’s ear are the same complaint vector.

What care instructions should the hang tag carry?

Direct answer: Bonnet care follows the maker, and makers disagree — so the hang tag should carry the maker\’s actual instruction, not a generic one. LeMieux\’s guidance: machine washable at low temperature (30°C), preferably in a wash bag, air dry away from heat, never tumble dry. Other makers say hand wash only at 30°C. Put the real instruction on the tag.

Three tag-copy rules keep this clean — and the maker\’s published guidance is the source of truth (one retailer\’s listing carries LeMieux\’s full care sheet: St. Croix Saddlery — LeMieux Loire Ear Bonnet, care). First, name the method and the temperature — \machine wash 30°C in a wash bag\ beats \wash gently.\ Second, include the drying instruction, because heat is what kills elastic ear fabric and shrinks crochet. Third, keep the tag short: bonnets are small, and a tag longer than the product reads as noise. See our hang tags and care labels guide for the labeling mechanics behind the copy.

How should you stock fly veils?

Direct answer: Stock bonnets as a high-colorway, low-size assortment anchored to your pad program — the bonnet earns its shelf space by completing sets, not by standing alone. Three sizes, core colors plus the pad line\’s hero colorways, and deeper Full than Pony. Per-account-type starting hypotheses, labeled as such and adjustable by sell-through:

Two mechanics specific to this accessory. First, the bonnet is the classic add-on sale — it sits beside the pad wall and in the set listing, and it moves on coordination, not on its own marketing. Second, freight weight is negligible, which makes bonnets the cheapest way to test a new colorway: a colorway that fails as a bonnet is unlikely to succeed as a pad run, and the test costs a fraction of a pad sampling round.

What specs should you confirm when requesting a quote?

Direct answer: Confirm the construction, the per-size measurements, the ear fabric spec, the color-development method against the pad master, the care-label wording, and the MOQ counting rule — in writing, against physical samples. Eight confirmations for an accessory whose failure mode is always color or fit, never sewing.

• Construction — classic crochet, technical fabric, or acoustic build; which product the quotation covers
• Per-size measurements — forehead width, ear length, ear opening per tier with tolerances, measured on samples
• Ear fabric — blend, stretch recovery, and the crochet-to-ear seam spec
• Trim and front patch — cord/braid trim material, front patch fabric and logo/branding method
• Color development — yarn dip against the pad program\’s physical master; set-level approval, not bonnet-alone
• Care label — the maker\’s actual wash method and temperature, drying instruction, per build
• Packaging — polybag, hang tag, and whether bonnets ship flat or folded (folding creases crochet)
• MOQ — 50 pieces per color is our factory standard; confirm whether the minimum counts per colorway across all sizes or per colorway per size

Key takeaways

• The fly veil is the under-bridle ear cover — crochet or technical — and the matchy set\’s head piece, not a smaller fly mask.
• Classic cotton crochet is the volume construction; technical and acoustic builds are positioning choices with their own claims discipline.
• Size by head tier (Pony/Cob/Full/X-Full) against the factory\’s measured chart — no universal standard exists.
• Develop the bonnet\’s color against the pad program\’s physical master and approve it as part of the set — never alone.
• Tag the maker\’s real care instruction, and stock bonnets on the pad line\’s hero colorways first. MOQ 50 pieces per color.

Frequently asked questions

Are ear bonnets allowed in competition?

They are widely worn in the arena, but permissibility is a rulebook question, not a product property — permitted colors, logo sizes, and ear-cover rules differ by discipline and federation. Check the rulebook for each market you sell into before promising competition legality on the product page or the hang tag.

Do acoustic bonnets really reduce noise?

Treat it as a marketing claim until a test backs it. No widely published test standard rates bonnet sound reduction the way helmet standards rate impact, so a responsible listing describes the construction (denser knit, ear coverage) and lets the rider judge — it does not quote a decibel figure or promise a calmer horse.

Will the ear fabric stretch out?

Conditionally — elastic ear fabric relaxes with washing and wear, which is why fit should be judged on washed samples and why care instructions matter. Replacement is by condition (loose ears, tired elastic, frayed crochet), not by calendar; the care label\’s drying instruction is the main lever on lifespan.

Can I private-label bonnets in my set\’s colors?

Yes — and that is the main reason to run them: the bonnet carries the set\’s color story onto the horse\’s head. Brief the yarn colorway against the pad master, approve the set together, and confirm the MOQ counting rule, since a multi-size, multi-colorway bonnet program multiplies minimums faster than its price suggests.

Are bonnets washable after every ride?

Follow the maker\’s care label — some crochet bonnets machine-wash at 30°C in a bag, others are hand-wash only. What matters for the program is consistency: the care instruction on your tag must match the construction you actually shipped, because the wrong instruction is how elastic ears die in the first month.

Adding fly veils to your pad program — classic crochet, technical, or acoustic builds in your set colorways? Send us your target constructions, sizes, and color masters — we develop bonnet yarn against your pad program with free samples before bulk. MOQ 50 pieces per color.

Sources & Further Reading

• LeMieux — Loire Ear Bonnet: classic crochet construction reference (handmade 100% cotton crochet, four-way stretch, braid/cord trim, satin front patch, soft elastane ear fabric).
• St. Croix Saddlery — LeMieux Loire Ear Bonnet: materials breakdown (crochet 100% cotton; ear 95% nylon / 5% spandex) and maker care guidance (machine wash 30°C/86°F in a wash bag, air dry).
• Redpost Equestrian — Fly Veils & Ears category: retail size-coverage evidence (Small Pony through X Full filters) for the size-tier structure.
• Matching Saddle Pad Sets: Building a Wholesale Collection — the set program the bonnet plugs into (boundary: collection program vs accessory category).
• Horse Fly Sheets & Fly Masks: A Seasonal Buyer\’s Guide — the protection-gear category (boundary: full-face masks vs under-bridle veils).
• Hang Tags & Care Labels for Saddle Pads — the labeling mechanics behind bonnet tag copy.
• Saddle Pad Color Fastness: A Buyer\’s Guide — reading colorfastness reports for dark bonnet colorways.