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About Us
I ride, and I
figure if you're visiting our website, you must ride too. And,
if you ride regular for work, for pleasure or competitively, you
will understand full well the importance of your saddle. For
comfort and fit. Even if you are new to horses, read on a little
as I share some knowledge gained from experience that you just
might want to use.
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Matt on Parker after a successful hunt with trail dog
"Tuff" |
I bought my first horse at age 14 with money I had saved. I rode
that mare every day on a saddle my friend's dad gave me. When I
got a few bucks ahead, I traded that $50 saddle in on a brand
new roping saddle, just like the ones the cowboys in Western
Horseman magazine were riding. It was made to fit a big, thick,
bulldog type quarter horse, of which I had none, and rode like
there was a 2x4 running across the seat.
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After a
few months of soreness and that saddle slipping around
the horse, I found a brand new, genuine hereford balanced ride saddle. I pulled
together all my resources, traded in my nearly new roper and
bought it before someone else did! The year was 1971, and that
saddle cost around $700, an incredible investment for me at that
time. Yet, I never thought twice about putting down all the
money I had in the world on that saddle and have never regretted
it!
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My career,
moving around, and raising a family of three children
with my wife, Linda, made
it difficult to maintain horses for a number of years. Now, 30
years later, the children are grown and, my son Matt moved to
Montana to work as a guide. To make a long story short, I have
visited him out West several times. The first time I rode on a very
expensive name brand saddle and developed saddle sores for the
first time in my life! Couldn't really sit to drive home, so I
visited some western shops. Sure got me thinking about about
saddles, and the difference in 'em.
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Matt bringing home two
hunter's he was guiding on a hunt
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Son, Bryce and wife Linda riding on a trail in the
fall.
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On my
second trip, we rode again. Bet you can guess what
saddle I was on. That's right, my own saddle, the
balanced ride hereford I bought over 30 years
ago! |
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Saddles are an important part of riding, in as much as the wrong
saddle will keep you from reaching your potential as a rider. A
lot of saddles will work, and different jobs require subtle
changes in the saddle to make the job easier, or sometimes even
possible. I realized I was too old by now to make a living
riding, but saddles were something I knew about, could do, and
would like to do. Also, they don't eat, die, or require a lot of
vet work. So about five years ago I began in earnest to build my
saddle collection in the hopes of one day opening my own shop.
I've found saddles everywhere.
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The shop at Christmas time
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Fast
forward to today. I've opened a saddle shop to hopefully
help address your needs in finding the right saddle. I
deal mostly in used, cause a new saddle is like a new
car. When you carry it out of the store it loses value,
the first scar, it loses value, and until it becomes old
enough to be a collector (and if its been kept well) it
loses value.
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That's
where I come in. The saddles I carry are high quality
saddles that I would ride myself, often far superior to
new ones that aren't made with the same care and quality
of materials anymore, and for far less than new price.
You can try out a used saddle, so if it just doesn't fit
you or your horse, you can bring it back. So, hey,
browse around, see if we've got something that catches
your eye!
Gary Lumley, owner |
The family at my
son Matt's wedding
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