‘We Don’t Have Tack for That,’ Presented by ThinLine: Bedazzling for a Cause

At first glance, this saddle might blind you. But at second glance, it might warm your heart.

When a couple readers emailed me about a bedazzled saddle that was for sale on eBay, I just had to check it out. Here’s the saddle, in all it’s blinging glory:

I know, right? That’s not something you run across every day. But then I kept reading. Here’s an excerpt from the seller’s description:

The way I see it, rescue horses and ugly saddles have lots in common. There are the few that are so battered, worn, and dishearten that its best to just send them on their way over the rainbow bridge. The majority are those who even though they have some dings and bumps they still function but with a few quirks. Then there are the ones that are battered and worn, but there’s the spark of love and hope in their eyes, and with love and care, they turn around to be something better than they were before.

Before:

After:

This isn’t your ordinary saddle — I have been working hard on this for the past few months in order to bedazzle it! All for a good cause and concept — The sale of this saddle will directly help the horses of Beyond the Fenceline Horse Rescue, located in Redgranite, Wisconsin. The auction ends the day before the spring shots are administered at the farm.

While not the case with all ugly saddles, ALL rescue horses deserve a chance, someone to care and love them, in order for them to reach the potential they can become. The sale of this saddle supports this.

Pictured here is Twister. He is one of the more recent additions to the rescue, he has gained a tremendous amount of weight since he came in February and is more than willing to just crawl into your pocket for some scratches. When you get that spot on his neck, better watch out — he’ll lean into you like a cat! The money made on this saddle will fund him directly.

As you can see, the back of the saddle reads “LOVE” because as equestrians, we love our ride. We love the horses and the things we do.

In all seriousness, this saddle IS fully functional. Entirely sound all around, it was nominated for the bedazzle saddle because on the surface it was very banged up. The repair to the surface was made before the Bedazzling.

It is a Thorowgood Maxam, 17″ seat, regular tree. All the sparkles have been covered in epoxy and adhered with high quality outdoor glue. This saddle would be perfect for fun shows, parades, or road riding. (I mean, no one would hit you if they were blinded by the sparkle!) This auction is for the saddle ONLY; however, if you pay your invoice within 24 hours, I will include a matching pair of irons — they too are sparkly. If you can pick up locally within 24 hours, you’ll get the saddle pad pictured AND the matching stirrups.Thank you!

Awwww… does your heart feel all warm and gooey? Mine does. If you’re interested in the saddle, you can place a bid on it on eBay here (the bid at time of publication was $76). The auction ends on April 23, 2014, so start bidding today!

Many thanks to Sue Smith, Katrina Zwaaf and the saddle’s seller Susan Kennon for their help in making this post possible. Go bedazzling, Go Twister, and Go Riding!

ThinLine pads may not be as flashy as a bedazzled saddle, but they WILL keep you and your horse performing at your best. ThinLine pads use non-compression technology to dissipate impact and pressure, creating a more comfortable riding experience for you and your horse.

Check out ThinLine’s complete line of shock-absorbing saddle pads and other products for horse and rider, including saddles, horse boots, hoof pads, tack and more. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter as well!

Go ThinLine, and Go Riding!