Cloete Saddles

| we like to stirrup a little fun | and we must say we thoroughly enjoy every single time a client invites us into their horse-zone. We get a kick out of reading all the quirky little signs, meeting the horses (and dogs; and the barn cats:)) and seeing how uniquely everyone manages their tack room, feeding routine, horse stall systems etc. The time spent with clients experiencing their barn-culture, truely is a rewarding aspect of being a custom saddler!... (our visit to Trisha Bentley's #BentleyAcres barn in Alberta was another one of these unique barn interludes) #cloetesaddles #customfitsaddles #horsebarns #saddlefitting #barnlife #barnzone #horsesofcanada #canadianbarnculture

An early (and chilly) morning here on Bentley Acres in Wheatland County, Alberta and it sure is good to be back in big-sky country for a day! We're on the road this week - heading to the coast from here and will be in Langley area tomorrow (Sept 9) and Vancouver Island on Sept. 10 - 11. Drop us a fb-message/email [email protected] if you'd like to connect on the way.... #cloetesaddles #albertahorses #customfitsaddles #saddlefitting #abhorses #bchorses

| cat naps & a Wade to go | While some creatures (like our Sunny-boy in the first pic) enjoy the luxury of snoozing whenever the urge befalls them, others' weekly schedules are built around meeting deadlines and clients' needs. However today is blissfully restful here at Cloete Saddles - as is every Saturday, at the end of yet another busy week!... The Wade saddle in the pics is on its way to our good friend and faithful client, Wilna - based in Nelspruit, South Africa (where Franco started his saddle making career.) Wilna added some extras to compliment her saddle - matching breast collar & - bridle, wool felt saddle pad, cellphone pouch and an elegant belt to round it all off. (Wilna is an avid trail rider and also trains her own horses on their beautiful Mpunalanga-lowveld farm.) #trailsaddles #trailriding #Wadesaddles #southafricanhorses #southafricantrailhorses #cloetesaddles #sahorses #saddlesforafrica

Our friend, Tina (in the pic below), did us a favor and loaned us her beatiful blue-eyed girl for a saddle fitting demo, so we would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for this, as well as thank each and everyone who has invested in Cloete Saddles in one way or another! Being neighborly is a true virtue and in these times it is so important that we continue to be kind and generous to whomever we encounter on the trail. #beingagoodneighbor #cloetesaddles #customsaddles #customfitsaddles #goodworkethic #timbuktuacres #kootenayhorses #kootenaytackandhorses #bchorses #loveoneanother #friendsofcloetesaddles

| practical creativity | The thing about having a custom saddle maker/leather craftsman in your neck of the woods, is that you have the luxury of getting him to custom create basically anything to attach to your saddle - whether you need a holder for your odd-shaped waterbottle or coffee mug, or carry an axe, machete or a book with you on the trail, or binoculars/spotting scope - whatever; the sky is the limit - literally. Franco made this little leather pouch from veg-tanned... leather for a client to carry her EPIPEN with her on the trail. She has been stung by wasps once too often and would rather not take the chance of being out & about without being able to quickly slip her EPIPEN out of its secure holder and avoid unnecessary ramifications. #customleatherwork #customsaddles #saddlesmadeincanada #customleatheritems #customsaddleaccessories #customleatheritem #EPIPEN #safetyonthetrail #ridersafety #cloetesaddlebrand #CloeteSaddles #westerntrailsaddle #saddleaddons #saddleparaphernalia

| clean & crisp | Kim, a local Cloete Saddles client requested one of our 'cut-rate' saddles to fit her budget and the final product is a simple yet beautiful, custom-fit saddle, ready to be put to work. A custom-built tree, swinging fenders, laced swell, barbed wire edge tooling, stirrups, as well as a horn, were the additions Kim picked to upgrade and personalize her entry-level western all-rounder saddle.... Kim also chose a warm chestnut leather to combine with the black trim, stainless steel black-accent hardware and Cloete-brand conchos. (Franco suggested fluffy black fleece for the bar panels, which Leramie, Kim's 13 year old Thoroughbred gelding will no doubt approve of!) P.S. Leramie is a rescue horse with a unique back profile, whom we trust will greatly benefit from his Cloete custom-fit saddle. #customfitsaddles #cloetesaddles #customwesternsaddle #cloetesaddlebrand #bcsaddles #saddlesmadeinCanada #westerntrailsaddle #proudlyCanadian #saddlesforthoroughbreds #kootenayhorses #skirtedsaddles #fruitvalehorses

Toni stopped by Cloete Saddles 's Mane Event booth a couple years ago, had a chat to Franco and decided she would wait until Rayne, her American Paint horse mare matured, before placing her order for a Cloete custom saddle. 18 months later she took the well-worth-the-wait plunge and got the order process for her custom saddle started. Toni opted for taking Rayne's back profile measurements herself (saving 15% off the full custom price) and used one of our loaner saddles while... her custom saddle was being created. Toni and Rayne's rich brown saddle, which they will use for western/barrel racing/trails, has a custom carved 5" cantle, complimenting the barrel racer style, and the feather detail on the back jockeys adds a touch of traditional North American flair. Lighter shading of the rough-out seat jockeys and fenders, create an attractive colour texture, whereas rose-gold stirrups and - concho buttons add lustre to the saddle as a whole. Altogether a pretty unique saddle! #cloetesaddles #bchorses #bcsaddles #canadianmadesaddles #customfitsaddles #customdesignedsaddles #customsaddles #barrelracing #barrelracersaddle #westernsaddles #trailsaddles #horsesoflangley #madeincanada

Imagine the cuteness of the little equine with a hoof this tiny!! This miniature horse hoof is one of the specimens the Hoof Geeks had on display at their clinic on the weekend. The wealth of material the Hoof Geeks Trimming Community offer their students to explore is incredible! Check them out at https://www.hoofgeeks.ca/ or https://m.facebook.com/hoofgeeks/

Every horse owner would greatly benefit from acquiring the knowledge presented at a Hoof Geeks Barefoot Hoofcare clinic!! Franco Cloete highly recommends these clinics - as he has had the opportunity to attend several. The clinics are jam-packed with theory, as well as hands-on, practical trimming. The Hoof Geeks offer a support system of multiple horse-health & - soundness professionals as an added perk to joining this phenomenal horse care community.... Here's a peek into a clinic that took place in Kelowna last week.

It is always encouraging to receive feedback from our satisfied saddle clients. This is what Albertan, Carlo Toews has to say about his Cloete Wade stock saddle: 'There's saddles; then there's saddles from Franco Cloete .'... 'Over the years I have ridden in quite a few saddles....training part time to full time for 16 years and riding up to 18 miles in the mountains in a day and sometimes up to 100 in a week, leading a packstring. Riding the last few years in a saddle that has a Cloete tree, while I lead my packstring of mules, has been great. It has had some hard pulling and it's been strong and at the end of a long day it is wonderful to pull a light saddle off a tall horse! And then, next morning when my body's all stiff and my hands are sore from cutting trails in thick bush, it's so good to throw a strong, light rig up onto a horse and feel a quality fitting saddle settle into place. The soft seat and very nice ground seat in the saddle that Franco custom made for me, has made my [Cloete] saddle my pick, in addition to so many other things, for the purpose of loping circles, pasture riding and clinics. [My Cloete saddle is] beautifully crafted and catches people's eye and is evident in the art of good pattern making, lace work, quality leather, color and also keeping the traditional style I wanted. (Oh, and it rides good on my mules as well!) I guess in short, "Quality has spoken for itself". Wow! Thanks for your kind words and positive feedback, Carlo! #cloetesaddlesreview #cloetesaddlesclientreviews #customcloetesaddles #cloetesaddles #stocksaddles #traditionalwadestocksaddle #worksaddle #goodsaddlefit #wadestocksaddle

| dragonflies & strawberries | We are making the most of combining work with enjoying the blessings that summer has to offer! It is always a challenge maintaining a balance between work and leisuretime, but we seem to be getting the hang of it... So... here's a black and beautiful Ladies Wade saddle on its way to New Brunswick! Owner (Shauna), and her Friesian mare (Wobec), are no doubt going to be a dashing pair with this stylish saddle betwixt them. (Shauna requested dragonfly carving detail, because dragonflies remind her of how thankful she is to be alive and to have her horse in her life!) #cloetesaddles #newbrunswickhorses #customfitsaddles #ladywade #westernpleasure #westernsaddles #ladieswade

Fitting saddles on Canada Day is double the fun when our clients wear their cowboy hats 'n colours AND are super chuffed with their custom fit saddle!! Franco, Kathie and Norm wishing fellow Canadians a HAPPY CANADA DAY

Franco fit a beautiful new Cloete custom ladies Wade saddle on 5 year old Quarter Horse gelding, Mac, in North Saanich today. His owner's choice of leather colour was spot-on, and she went all out with a full saddle rig including matching breast collar & headstall, bucking rolls, mohair rope cinch, back cinch rigging system, rear billet set, back cinch, wool felt saddle pad and full edge tooling! Quite the splash! Congratulations on your brand new custom Cloete Saddles inves...tment! . . . #customwesternsaddles #cloetesaddles #ladieswade #vancouverislandhorses #bctrailsaddle #bchorses See more

Here's a little blurb about Cloete Saddles client - expat Australian, Claire Hanna who now lives in Clearwater, British Columbia and her Cash, who let us know how much they are enjoying their new Cloete saddle! Cash is an American Quarter Horse who just turned 6 and has gone from an Albertan cow horse working the auction Marts to now being a BC mountain horse! (some valuable versatility right there!)... Claire writes: "So just thought I’d send you an update on my gorgeous saddle... this week alone it’s taken me from a 21.5km back country mountain trail ride through Wells Gray Park, to my horse’s first drill practice today and later this month will be getting us through gymkhana and then an extreme mountain trail clinic. Love love love my saddle! I get so many comments on it. Thank you so much for making such a functional piece of art for both me and my horse, Cash to enjoy!" Wooohooo!! We just love hearing this type of stuff #americanquarterhorse #bcmountainhorse #cloetesaddles #customsaddles #customfitsaddles #functionalart #gymkhana #extrememountaintrail #backcountrymountaintrails #customfitsaddles

Two more chestnut & black Cloete Saddles were dispatched to their owners on the west coast this week. It seems our current favourites are these chestnut creations! ... What would your preference be? The fuller reiner swell or the low set swell of the all- around? Fuller compact butterfly skirts or round skirts? Back rigging option or no back rigging option? (FYI - not required for cable rigging) The enhanced seat of the reiner or the simpler all around seat? A detailed & decorative edge tooling pattern or elegant simplicity? And if you're not a fan of chestnut, we can still be friends #customsaddles #customwesternsaddles #cablerigging #cableriggedsaddles #reiner #reiningsaddles #wesaddles #workingequitation #cloetesaddles #customfitsaddles

With spring in full swing, we have been kinda absent on fb, but some really great saddles have been emerging from the shop, including this all around saddle - made for a rather fun-loving Vancouver Island client, who has a thing for crows and sunflowers So a unique custom touch was added to this lustrous brown & black number, with a 27-strand roper cinch to match. (Our client requested a deep seat & a snug saddle for comfort - hence the 5" cantle height)... #customfitsaddle #customwesternsaddles #allaround #vancouverislandhorses #cloetesaddles

Having RED LIGHT THERAPY as part of my training program keeps all the horses performing better and physically happier. Contact me through my website at www.kempequinetraining.com

A senior gentleman, who used to do dressage, recently ordered this chestnut English Crossover for his chestnut QH Belle. Hmmm...'chestnut on chestnut' - how delightful is that?! This saddle will provide the familiar feel of their dressage saddle, though with a custom western fit, ideal for both hacking & pleasure riding.... Cheyenne-Skye Cloete #englishcrossoversaddle #westernsaddlefit #customsaddles #cloetesaddles

Pre-owned Cloete English Crossover saddle for sale: $2500 as is * built for a wide-backed draft cross * lightly used * light-weight... * compact & manageable * 16" seat/4" cantle * a custom tree could be built in to this saddle to replace the current tree at an additional charge to accomplish a custom fit See more

If you haven't already read this article in the Special Annual Issue of Canadian Horse Community Journals Inc. Equine Guide, it's a rather interesting read!

To all our wonderful clients who recently ordered Cloete Saddles ; we've been working away at creating something special for you!!To all our wonderful clients who recently ordered Cloete Saddles ; we've been working away at creating something special for you!!

TBT to an afternoon with the Docherties on Vancouver Island - talking saddles, having tea & cookies and taking Norman's back profile measurements. We always have SO MUCH FUN with our clients and their horses!! . .... . #customsaddles #cloetesaddles #saddleclients #customwesternsaddles #vancouverislandhorses See more

Franco Cloete met with Canadian Federation of Mounted Archery's Douglas Goodwin in the East Kootenays of British Columbia this week, to discuss developing the Cloete Mounted Archery saddle, which they aim to design based on valuable traditional ancient concepts and enhance with contemporary ergonomics and proven saddle fitting technology. . . . https://youtu.be/ucm-j4DTD7M... #mountedarcherysaddle #masaddle #canadianmountedarchery #masaddle #canadianfederationofmountedarchery #mountedarchers #northamericanmountedarchery #mountedarchery #kassaisaddle #kassai #cfma See more

Franco and one of CFMA's (Canadian Federation of Mounted Archery) frontmen, Doug Goodwin, got together today to brainstorm developing the new mounted archery saddle which Cloete Saddles plans to have available toward fall 2020. Watch this space for a video of their deliberations! . .... . #mountedarcherysaddle #mountedarchery #masaddles #canadianmountedarchery #kassaisaddle #kassai See more

These two Gypsey champs got their Cloete saddles fitted this week - a Western all rounder saddle for the sire, Tango and an English crossover for his offspring, Junior. It was a rather emotional moment when their owner, Stephanie - a California girl - got back in the saddle again after months of post-surgery recovery. . .... . #gypseyhorses #saddlesforgypseys #customsaddlesforgypseyhorses #islandhorses #bchorses #horsesinqualicumbeach #customsaddlefit #customwesternsaddles #englishcrossoversaddles See more

Bright and early in Coombs/Vancouver Island - these 3 elegant, retired brood mares had their back profile measurements recorded and even though they are all American Paint Horses whose conformation could be similar, their back profiles differ significantly! We cannot stress enough how important it is for us to glean info re: your horse's back profile, wither-length, back-shape, age, riding discipline and how the horse carries itself during motion fitting, in order to accompl...ish the ideal saddle fit. . . . #americanpainthorses #bchorses #horsesincoombs #customsaddlefit #saddlefitting See more

When asked what Susan Andrews values about her Cloete saddle product, she mentioned 3 things that lie close to our hearts also: QUALITY BEAUTY CANADIAN Sue says she's very proud to own a Cloete saddle and that makes us very happy!... (We had the pleasure of creating a custom fit saddle for Sue, whose beautiful Quarter Horse, Dakota, resides at the Burnaby Horsemen's Association facility. Sue had not been on a horse since she was a teenager and started riding again a few years ago, which made this shared saddle experience all the more refreshing) . . . #vancouverhorses #horsesinburnaby #qualitysaddles #canadianmadesaddles #customfitsaddles #customtailoredsaddles #westernsaddles #bravehorsewomen #westernstylesaddles #bchorses

Sue Threlfall sent us this email after we delivered & fit her saddle today. Quote: '...today was such a great day. To be back in the saddle, to feel so comfortable and to sense that Misty was comfortable was a dream come true. And each aspect of the saddle makes it so individual and really a work of art. It is now sitting on the arm of the couch! Thank you for such a gift! Sue'... This is worth gold to us! #customsaddles #saddlesforbroodmares #cloetesaddles #coquitlamhorses #bchorses #trailsaddles #saddlesforshortbackhorses

Measured Gaefa up this morning for a new custom Cloete African Trail Saddle. She's an 18 year old Icelandic and a real darling. Langley was pretty frosty, but this was clearly a happy event and Gaefa's owner, Karen is chuffed that they'll soon have a Cloete saddle to fit both of them! #icelandic #icelandichorses #saddlesforicelandics #customsaddles #tailormadesaddles #saddlefitting