Articles & Blogs The Woman Behind the Jods - Nicole Freedman
The Freedman name has long been associated with beautifully handcrafted harness, bridles, saddles, and leather goods. David Freedman, a sixth-generation harness maker with a background working in major fashion houses, introduced leather fashion accessories to the Freedman's collection. However, a horsewoman's need for the perfect jodphurs to wear to the barn every day took David and Nicole on an adventure they never imagined.
Nicole Freedman, Vice President of Freedman's, is a breeder of champion Papillons, David Freedman's wife, and above all, a working horsewoman. She manages Good Thunder Farms, where she breeds and raises Hackney Horses, Arabians, Dutch Harness Horses, and American Saddlebreds — 13 horses and her show dogs, in addition to the daily operations of Freedman's Boutique in Midway, Kentucky.
Six generations of craftsmen and now craftswomen have shared the same goal: delivering beautiful, practical, and functional products for the equestrian sport. While each generation worked in a different time, the result has always been the same quality craftsmanship using the finest materials.
The idea for Tous Les Jours began in 2015 at the World's Championship Horse Show. Nicole purchased two new pairs of jods to take home. After a long day in the barn, she was done — neither pair "worked." They were uncomfortable and left her back aching. When David asked how she liked the expensive new jods, he was disappointed to hear it was another failed purchase.
"For what I do in the barn, it must last. That's the test."— Nicole Freedman, Vice President, Freedman's
About a year later, David was listening to the podcast How I Built This. In the episode, Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon, described creating yoga apparel using moisture-wicking fabric with compression support. David realized there was nothing comparable in the saddle seat jod market.
As the idea took shape, Nicole became the product tester and, true to the Freedman name, they entered a phase of testing and more testing and even more testing.
Nicole tested 32 different sample designs over two years. They evaluated pockets, bells, belt loops, fabrics, and lengths going through hundreds of fabric options to find one that delivered compression without being too heavy or too light. Washability was critical.
After navigating material challenges, design refinements, manufacturing hurdles, and supply chain complications, Freedman's placed an initial order for 1,000 pairs. The goal was to turn that inventory over within a year. Instead, the first order of Tous Les Jours Performance Jods sold out within one month.
Orders were first accepted at the UPHA Convention in January 2020, followed by the official launch at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February. They sold out and left Scottsdale with pre-orders in hand. Then came March 2020 and the COVID shutdown but orders continued to come in. Another shipment arrived in time for the 2020 World's Championship Horse Show and, once again, sold out by the end of the event.
A Journey in Milestones
The Frustration
Nicole buys two pairs at the World's Championship. Neither works.
The Idea
David hears Chip Wilson on How I Built This. TLJ begins.
Two Years Testing
32 samples, hundreds of fabrics. Nicole tests every pair in the barn.
Launch & Sell-Out
Debut at UPHA and Scottsdale. 1,000 pairs gone in one month.
Signature Jod
After 2.5 more years of development, the Signature Jod releases.
14 Colors & Growing
Worn across Saddlebred, Arabian, and Morgan breeds in the US and Canada.
Nicole has had horses her entire life. She grew up on a horse farm in Madison, Wisconsin, with her mother, Alexa King, where they bred and raised many National Champion Hackney and Half-Arabian horses. In 1999, Nicole took over the family's breeding program at Good Thunder Farms, where she continues to oversee and develop the program today.
When asked who inspires her most, she answers without hesitation: her mother. World-renowned sporting sculptor Alexa King passed along her eye for detail and balance. "I may not have any artistic talent," Nicole shared, "but she instilled the artistic eye structure, movement, color, and how things blend together."
"We did not think it would have that type of impact. Horsewomen across three breeds wearing our jods all day."— Nicole Freedman
Since their debut, the Tous Les Jours Performance Jods have found their way into the wardrobes of Saddleseat horsewomen across the American Saddlebred, Arabian, and Morgan breeds throughout the United States and Canada. Freedman's has since launched 14 colors of TLJ Jods, with more on the way, as well as Winter Jods inspired by Nicole's frustration with layering long underwear during freezing winter months in Toronto.
Released in Fall 2025, the Freedman's Signature Jod followed another two and a half years of development a classic fit with non-compression stretch fabric, offering a refined alternative for those seeking a traditional, dress-pant-style jod.
Freedman's has grown from a legacy harness business into a dynamic equestrian lifestyle brand, expanding beyond its roots while staying grounded in tradition. And for Nicole, every new product still begins the same way, by being tested in the barn by a working horsewoman.
Every new product still begins the same way tested in the barn by a working horsewoman.