The Rider January 2012

JANUARY 2012 THE RIDER /45 Saddlefit 4 Life: Saddle Fit and Environmental Responsibility

the very best for 2012 – good health, happiness, and success in all your riding endeavours!

The Green Thing

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren’t good for the envi- ronment. The woman apol- ogized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

By Jochen Schleese. CMS, CSFT, CEE

www.saddlesforwomen.co m

www.saddlefit4life.com Biography: Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment.”

down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Certified Master Saddler, Saddlefit Technician, Equine Ergonomist

This blog is going to be a little different; I actu- ally got this email from several people over the course of a couple of days and it really spoke to me. I’m going to share it with you – even though it doesn’t directly have any- thing at all to do with hors- es, there is a point to this (which I will get to at the bottom!) Some of you may also already read this since it is one of those internet chain emails. At the very least, it’s food for thought. Next time I promise I will get back to more ‘real’ sad- dle fitting issues. In the meantime I hope you have had some time to enjoy your families and loved ones (including the four- legged variety!) over the holidays and I wish you all

2012 Can-Am Clinician

Psychology of the Horse and Rider

Lindsay Grice will deliver 2 powerful clinics at the Can Am Equine Emporium March 16-18th in London. Lindsays expe- rience in the horse arena has made her one of the industries top trainers. Her practical approach to the psychology of the horse and rider has advanced many riders to provincial and national achievements. Her clinics will deal with handling when things go wrong in the show ring in both Hunter Jumper as well as the western world of Reining. Looking through the judges eyes as well as the riders will prove to be a very interesting and infor- mative time. These clinics are part of the many FREE clinics affored with admis- sion at the Can Am Equine Emporium.

Visit www.caname- quine.ca for more informa- tion.

He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recy- cled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer’s day. In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cush- ion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on tread- mills that operate on elec- tricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But they didn’t have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They

had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

class — and he won the class! Several people at the show commented on his movement and relaxed demeanour — and we explained how the Schleese saddle had helped him so much.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn’t have the green thing back then? WOW!

Okay time to get off my soapbox. I guess that this is a really great mar- keting idea for our saddles and all my preaching about saddle fitting – if you make an investment in a fully adjustable saddle and spend the money to main- tain/adjust/repair it instead of treating it like a com- modity and replacing it every time your horse changes, you are being environmentally friendly. The saddle is made of leather (which is natural), and the quality of the prod- uct will allow you to recy- cle it. We actually did just that with one of our older, previously loved models that absolutely did not want to be sold because it no longer was ‘the flavour of the month’, so we donated it to an organization in Texas that was thrilled to receive it. Read below to see what an act of social responsibility (and by extension, environmental responsibility) has netted: Just wanted to let you know that the Schleese sad- dle is doing wonders for Lightening Ball (his name looks like a typo, but it’s his registered name), the ex-racehorse here. Within less than a month of riding him in the saddle, he went to his first schooling show

We’ve been blogging about his progress on our blog and also via posts on our Facebook & Twitter pages. Attached is a link to our blog — I just put up a post about the horse show too: http://lopetexas.type- pad.com/horse_tales/

Thank you again!!

Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE

www.saddlefit4life.com; www.saddlesforwomen.co

m Biography:

Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE

Jochen

Certified Master Saddler, Saddlefit Technician, Equine Ergonomist

and agents worldwide. He developed the

Mr. Schleese is a for- mer member of the German young rider’s Three-day event team, and graduated from Passier Germany as the youngest-ever Certified Master Saddler at age 22. He came to Canada as the Official Saddler for the 1986 World Dressage Championships. Schleese has made the trade of sad- dlery registered and certifi- able in Ontario as the only authorized training facility. Schleese has 60 employees

Saddlefit4Life® philosophy and diagnostic system. Saddlefit 4 Life® is taught worldwide to DVM’s, REMTs, DCs, Trainers and Saddle Fitters. Through sharing expertise Saddlefit 4 Life® professionals are protecting horse’s and rider’s backs. Jochen states, “Horses should not suffer for the ignorance of the rider, nor should they be farmed out, or put down because of severe, irreparable damage result- ing from poor saddle fit.” Jochen’s passion and life mission to educate is improving the well being of horses and riders world- wide!

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