Did I tell you that I tried 3 different saddles before the Specialized Saddle to find one that would fit Nadara? Thanks for always helping me out.

~ Jan Haugen

Horses who do serious bucking need find a new home. Life is to short to be caught in this position.

In part one we examined the reasons for and process of selling a good horse or more specifically finding it a good home.
But in reality many horses are not really suited to their owners, and in fact often pose a threat to their health and welfare.

With the cost of a broken limb and its care, approaching or exceeding 6 figures you simply cannot, and should not, expose yourself to the risk of riding a unpredictable horse who might buck with serious intent ,or one that rears up, sits back , or kicks at people. Enough risk is assumed riding at speed on a good horse

This would exclude young and green horses that are reacting from fear and inexperience. And I would also point out these young horses should be trained by a skilled horseman, until they no longer bolt, buck, rear or kick and go quietly in complete compliance and control.

So let’s examine what to do about these problem horses. The reasons to get rid of them are obvious, if you allow yourself to do a rational examination of the situation.

In the case of horses entrenched with the aforementioned behavioral issues, you cannot knowingly sell them to other recreational or armature horse owners. You have an inherent obligation to consider the potential customers’ well being and best interests.

So that leaves a professional trainer who is made fully aware of the problems or a sale barn. A trainer will only pay you a very limited price, because he or she is assuming, that through a lot of effort, on his part, he might rehabilitate the horse. So expect to give this horse to a trainer if he will take him.

It is OK as horse owners to set reasonable expectations for the horses, we provide homes for, and if they are not met, or if improvements are not being made, move them on down the road.

There are a limited number of good homes for horses, and they should not be occupied by a horse who is not returning joy and cooperation to their owners. Having only good horses, means making an effort to only have good horses. It doesn’t happen by accident and it is not easy, and requires consistent disciplined effort.

But it is this effort that makes time spent with your horse, more rewarding and safer.

Old Flames Reunite – David, Mari & Julie

Her horse Julie, had been my main endurance horse the last two years I actively rode endurance. Together we had won the big Wickenburg AZ ride winning the buckle and setting a new course record time. I had finished this tough ride, which is mostly rolling desert hills and deep sand washes, in 4;47 beating the record time my wife an I had set in 4;48 the previous year. That year Tracy crossed the finish line five feet in front of me, so I had to try again to get my own Wickenburg buckle, as I did the next year on Julie. After 50 hard miles she found another three gears when called on, to race full out at finish line to take the win.

Besides being a very talented endurance horse “Jules” was a people horse. Each day when she would see me she would whinny, while leaning hard against the gate hoping it might break open, and release her to come to me, if I would not come to get her.

She needed to get out and go somewhere to be happy, and my work commitments were eating into my time to ride.

So because we loved her so much we made a decision to find a new home where she would get the attention and daily interaction she craved and deserved. With over a dozen horses on our farm it was difficult to give her much individual time.

So the first rule in finding a new home for a horse is to acknowledge that you do NOT have to sell a horse to a person just because they are willing to buy it. It is your responsibility to define the type of person and thus home conditions, to which you are willing to pass your horse to. Matching people and horses can be a challenge. But if you write down the strengths and shortcomings of your horse, and then the characteristics required to mesh well with the horse you intend to sell, you will have the basis on which to find the right home. This is a process that requires time and effort to do right.

We had the opportunity to observe many people and how they cared for their horses, at the endurance events we attended. We then developed a very short list of candidates. One particular person, a single school teacher who lived near to us topped the list. While she had a horse she cared for, he was not a good horse, and his antics made him less than perfect match for her. Now this person didn’t really know how much see needed a new horse. So to help her understand, we ask her if she would ride Julie in a local upcoming endurance ride. This “first date “went well, and then we proposed the idea of letting her take Julie on a trial basis. This is “try before you buy”, is a good tool for the closing the buyer when trying to resettle your horse into another home.

Make it easy for the buyer. Money was secondary, what we wanted most was the right home to send Julie to so we established a price that would fit her budget, not what we thought Julie was worth on the open market.

This is the tricky part. Be willing to sell for less than you may have paid, or what others would be willing to pay, to get the satisfaction of knowing you have matched horse and rider in a partnership, that will be rewarding and beneficial to both horse and new owner.

People sometimes ask us how can you sell your horses? This is the answer. We make sure good horses go to good homes. Not everyone with the money can buy the horse we may have for sale. I must admit when it came to selling Julie, no part of it was easy, but I knew it was the right thing to do. Tracy helped me understand it was in Julie’s best interest, and we had an obligation to always do what’s best for the horses.

And I had Julie’s foal in the barn, aka Ali Cat, who is a spitting image of her mom in both mind and spirit and sired by our stallion Go Flight leader. I knew she would be a replacement horse I intended to grow old with, and ride often, when I had more free time in my retirement.

In these times of high fuel, and hay prices, cutting down on your horse inventory may make sense. But it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Make a Plan, and put in the effort it requires to find a good home. The internet makes this finding and screening of potential homes easier than it was in the “pre-internet days”. Put the horse, not your pocketbook, first and realize that making hard choices, is often better than making no choices at all…

Happy Trails
David Kaden

The NATRC ride this past weekend went really well. As I expected, I did A LOT checking fit for Specialized Saddles Riders. I fit Carnell Miller from Georgia and her horse won Novice Heavyweight and she was second in Horsemanship. I fit Patricia Petelle, and she and her horse won the CP division and she won sweepstakes. I fit also Susan Cozzolino and her horse was second and she was first! Gary Clayton, rode his new horse to a win in Open Heavyweight and sweepstakes. It was a full ride with a waiting list so there was great competition in all divisions.

It was a good day for Specialized Saddles.

I was very proud to be associated with Specialized Saddles this weekend.

Julie Capaldi
Specialized Saddles Eastern Representative

Fall 2012 NEWSLETTER

Specialized Saddles Fall 2012 8267 Bosque Road Canutillo, Texas 79835 Call 575.882.3342 for Saddle Info Call 915.345.4130 regarding Orders / Demos E-Mail: orders@specializedsaddles.com

Brendan Wise Specialized Saddles Rep Maryland

Brendan Wise is a John and Josh Lyons Certified and Accredited Trainer and Clinician, who travels all over the country helping people build better relationships with their horses. Brendan believes that communication and trust are the keys to being successful with your horse whether you are on the trail or in the show ring, and has dedicated himself to teaching people how to communicate better with their horses. Saddle fit has become a huge part of Brendan’s program. Having ridden and trained horses for most of his career without good saddle fit, when Brendan was introduced to Specialized Saddles he saw an immediate effect on his horses.

“We ask so much of our horses, yet we often ask them to do it without the right tools to do the job! How would you like to run a marathon in someone else’s shoes? You might get by the first couple miles, but pretty soon it’s going to hurt. If you’re horse is hurting, he’s not going to like his job. If he doesn’t like his job, time spent on your horse is going to be full of problems. A comfortable horse is a happy horse. A happy horse is a great companion!” –Brendan

With Brendan’s extensive knowledge and experience with many disciplines including Roping, Reining, Cutting, Dressage, Show Jumping, Steeple Chasing, and Eventing, he can help you find the right saddle for you… and the right fit for your horse!

I bought a Euro Lite for my horse/pony, a hard to fit Paso Fino, and me, a 70+ year old rider. Saddle fit was my first priority and your system allows me to perfect the fit for him. I love being able to tweak the fit depending on his condition at the time.I have always ridden English but felt that I needed a little more security than my English saddle provided. Western saddles just DO NOT fit my Paso nor do the treeless or the saddles supposedly built for Paso Finos. The Euro Lite is FANTASTIC. It fits my little horse and is super comfortable and secure for me. I have never had such a comfortable saddle. I wish I had bought one years ago.

I had ridden as a young person and have just started riding again in the last seven years. I am primarily a trail rider and one of the things I have noticed since getting my new saddles is that after riding for several hours I have no pain in my back, hips or knees (a condition that effects a lot of older people and causes them to cease riding) which was not the case before in a different saddle. In fact, if I have a problem with any of those body parts, a ride in my saddle will eliminate them for days so I am riding much more. Riding instead of pain meds, what a concept. The other thing is that my horse is much freer in his movements. He has always gaited but now he flows and is far more relaxed.

I watched your video and thought “WOW” when you were riding girthless and thought it was probably a trick. It wasn’t! I girthed my horse one day and forgot to check after I had been riding for a while. Had a great ride. Got off and started to untack him and found the girth was totally loose. The saddle had not moved an iota during my mounting, riding and dismounting. I was impressed and have never forgotten to check since then.

I also love the pad an girth I got with the saddle. They are well worth the extra investments.

Thank you for making such an awesome saddle that is not just for the endurance rider but is fantastic for any rider old or young who would like to enjoy trail riding in comfort for their horse and themselves.

Susan Newton

Located in Virginia