Podcast Series

S2E1 – 20200325: Founder of Schleese Saddlery Service – Jochen Schleese

Today’s special guest star is the founder of Schleese Saddlery Service – Jochen Schleese. We will speak with Jochen today and hear all about his tremendous passion and vision and all that he does for horses and rider worldwide. Few people have had the opportunity of getting to know the ‘behind the scenes’ world of Jochen Schleese and we are hoping to change that with our podcast today.

S1E4 – 20191001: Mackenzie Jay – Schleese Client Relations Representative

Today we are speaking with Mackenzie Jay who just recently joined the Schleese team in May of 2019. Her formal equine training is in dressage, but she has jumped, run horse day camps, and even guided trail rides in her 13 years of horse experience. From this love of horses, Mackenzie chose to pursue a career within the equine industry and decided to follow her passion to university. Mackenzie graduated from the University of Guelph in April of 2019 earning a Bachelor’s of Bio-Resource Management Degree with a major in Equine Management. Her academic career opened her eyes to the importance of equine education and an opportunity to work with Schleese on a project in her third year came up which she seized knowing the importance of the work Schleese does for the equine industry. Now as a Schleese Client Relations Representative, Mackenzie is able to utilize her equine education and has been given the opportunity to make a significant difference in the lives of both horses and riders. In this podcast, Mackenzie shares with us her academic background, some of her most impactful experiences, and what she hopes she will do in the future while working for Schleese.

S1E3 – 20190909: Andrea Pease – Schleese Western Saddle Ambassador

Andrea along with her husband Christian own Glenaura farm in Dufferin County, Ontario. Glenaura is a 100-acre farm that provides a relaxed atmosphere for adult equine enthusiasts to enjoy a peaceful and supportive environment for them and their horses. Andrea maintains an emphasis on natural horse keeping. “Although I had never owned a Schleese, I have always recommended them to my clients based on the quality, commitment to horse and rider fit and the professionalism and knowledge of their fitters.  As soon as I saw the Schleese Western Saddle I knew I had to own one and once I tried it, I was in love.  The availability of movement for the horse without interference is incredible and having the peace of mind that the saddle fits my horse perfectly and will continue to do so because of its adjustability, gives me the ability to focus on my riding and communication.  I can’t say enough about the features and benefits of this saddle not to mention the incredible ongoing support provided by our saddle fitter, Heather Doig, the fact that an equine bodyworker stands behind this brand speaks volumes to its quality!”

S1E2 – 20190815: Heather Doig – CSE, CEMT, RVT

We are speaking with Heather Doig who recently joined Schleese in 2018 and has obtained her CSE status. Heather has also been a Certified Equine Massage Therapist for over 13 years and is also a Registered Veterinary Technician, experienced with both large and small animals.  Heather sought out Schleese after becoming increasingly frustrated with seeing common physical issues, time and time again, with horses and instinctively knew that incorrect saddle fit was likely part of the equation and needed to be addressed if horses were to maintain a healthy status. Heather discusses some of the common physical ailments that she can with certainty pinpoint ill-fitting tack as a culprit.

S1E1 – 20190801: Christy Scotch

Today, we are excited to speak with Grand Prix rider Christy Scotch who is now riding her mare ‘Darya’ in her Schleese Let’s Dance dressage saddle (which incidentally was designed by Anne Gribbons who is a 5* FEI Judge, Past USEF Coach and an Olympic Caliber Trainer). Christy has kindly offered to share some of the immense challenges she faced before riding in a Schleese saddle and how she has overcome these hurdles with the Let’s Dance Schleese saddle. Christy will also share some of the roadblocks she faced when working with riders and their horses that unfortunately were in a situation whereby either the rider, the horse or both were using saddles ill-suited. She now readily shares her knowledge of the importance of correct saddle fit to both horse and rider with her students so they too may be off to a better start in their riding careers however long or short they may be.