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In the never ending endeavor of being the “female saddle specialists,” Schleese Saddlery founder Jochen Schleese and his team at Schleese Saddlery have become experts in many related subjects. Much of what they do is aimed at helping riders and horses find answers to questions and issues they are experiencing – using Saddlefit 4 Life® principles and systems to protect horse and rider from long term damage….
Jochen Schleese has accomplished many things and acquired many titles: Certified Master Saddler, German National Riding School instructor, founder of Schleese Saddlery Service Ltd. and Saddlefit 4 Life Inc. and he’s an active member of many efforts to educate the horse owning public on the importance of good saddle fit. He has been recognized with many industry and business awards over the 25 years he has been in business, and has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and twice on the Discovery Channel. He owes many of these accomplishments, in part, to his experiences with his horse, Pirat, with whom he qualified for the 1984 European Championships as a member of the young rider’s eventing team for Germany.
Pioneering Company Tackles the Tough Stuff – Schleese Saddlery. Crotch comfort is not a subject everybody wants to talk about. Even in our modern world, there are women who ride in pain and don’t seek help, assuming that bruising, chafing and sometimes even bleeding in their intimate area is something that simply must be endured. It drives Sabine Schleese nuts. Sabine is Managing Director of Schleese Saddlery Service, Ltd, which she runs with her husband, Certified Master Saddler and horseman Jochen Schleese and their partner, CEO Earl Rothery. The Schleeses started the Ontario, Canada-based enterprise in 1986 with the idea of being a full-service saddle company. As they gained their customers’ trust, however, they soon identified a recurring complaint from the gender that, ironically, constitutes the majority of the North American equestrian public.

Horse’s welfare is a the heart of an ever-evolving company – Schleese Saddlery

While most North American businesses hunkered down for tough times as the economy sank into crisis mode, Schleese Saddlery logged the best month in its 22-year history this past October. Not bad for a company whose president’s mission is simply to “help as many horses as possible.” The Ontario, Canada custom saddle maker and saddle fitting empire is built upon the expertise and progressive ideas of Jochen Schleese. Raised and trained in the craft of saddle making in his native Germany, Jochen invented the patented AdapTree adjustable saddle tree in 1996…
There is a lot to be said for tradition, especially in the horse industry, which relies, to an extent, on tried and true methods to get the job done. Enlightened horse owners are, however, starting to look for ways to make the riding experience more comfortable for their mounts. A greater awareness of the consequences of “tradition” is also forcing the rules to change and attitudes to evolve. One instance where this is particularly true is in saddle fit and design. In a very literal sense, the saddle is the only thing that comes between you, your horse and the best possible ride. Unfortunately, when it comes to saddle design, the theory of ‘we’ve always done it this way’ is not only standing in the way of optimum performance, it is physically damaging our horses.
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