Kenda Lenseigne Takes a Tour of Circle Y

After winning the Overall World Championship title in Amarillo, Texas on Saturday, Circle Y Team of Champions member Kenda Lenseigne took a detour to Circle Y in Yoakum before heading home to Arizona. We hadn’t met Kenda in person, so her being in Texas was a great opportunity to take a tour of our facilities and meet. Traveling with Kenda was her photographer Brian, 4 horses including Justin, her champion mount, and her two dogs. Before the tour, she volunteered to give a private clinic to some Circle Y employees and their spouses. Besides being one of the nicest people you could meet, she was a great instructor and entertaining to visit with.

Kenda arrived at Circle Y Tuesday morning. After meeting the office personnel, we started the tour in the Cutting room, where our digitizing and cutting machines demonstrated the technological advances Circle Y has made in the past 5 years. Being able to digitally trace paper patterns and import them into the cutting machine means that we are not constrained by “cookie cutter” clicker dies, or strenuous hand cutting. So we can make a design in any shape we want, tweak them to fit perfectly together on a saddle tree, change or improve designs instantly, and make a safer working environment for our employees. The cutting machine uses laser imaging to lay out and mark the patterns on the hide, then a pneumatic knife cuts the parts, which are popped out of the leather skeleton and put in a box to go the assembly area.
Next we toured the Saddle factory where Kenda watched each operation from the leather coloring process to hand finishing edges, stitching, putting in the groundseat, seat, skirts, and final assembly. Even though technology has advanced saddle making in some areas, saddles are still built by hand, one-by-one, and Kenda was able to witness the craftsmanship that goes into each and every saddle at Circle Y. Kenda even got to see her Quick Shot Mounted shooting saddle in process. Kenda finally got to meet the Design & Engineering team of Mike and Bull. These are the guys that take the first prototypes from start to finish. Bull even talked Kenda in to trying her hand at hand tooling a leather design!
The last stop of the tour was the finished goods warehouse where Kenda got to check out the finished product. Throughout the day Kenda took time to pose for pictures and visit with the employees. Later, she returned to factory to hand out pictures and sign autographs for her fans at Circle Y.

Aspiring Shooters get a Private Clinic

While in town for a tour of the Circle Y facility, Kenda gave some aspiring shooters a private clinic this past Monday evening. My husband Robert and I, Amy, and Tina with her husband, John, met with Kenda for some instruction with the top competitor in the sport. For me, it was a little intimidating at first to be riding with such an incredible horse woman, but in no time at all you felt at ease. She began the clinic with an overview of the sport, gun handling, and discussion of gear. Then we progressed to working our horses through a clover leaf pattern to get them bending and approaching the targets correctly. While doing this, we progressed to dry firing the pistols and getting used to reholstering and pulling the other gun, holding it correctly, and proper firing technique. Then Kenda had us get in a herd and while walking circles around her, she fired the .45 pistol on the ground to get the horses used to the sound. Most of our horses had been exposed to gun fire so it wasn't brand new. Robert, myself, Amy, and John shot off our horses. In addition to providing valuable information, her teaching style was fantastic. She teaches in a way that is easy to understand and it was a lot of fun. Tremendous progress was made with each of the horses and individual attention was paid to each rider with homework assigned. On a personal note, I was so pleased with the progress I made with my gelding, Copper. I began the clinic thinking there is no way Copper is ready to be shot off of, but to my amazement he did superbly. Under Kenda's direction, I shot 4 rounds off of him. He took to the ear plugs too; it didn't take Copper long to appreciate them and not try to shake them out. It was an amazing opportunity to ride with such an awesome competitor that is so nice and down to earth. I really can't say enough nice things about her. If you ever get a chance to attend one of her clinics, don't pass it up! kendalenseigne.com

Kenda Lenseigne is the 2009 Overall World Champion!

Team of Champion's member Kenda Lenseigne took the 2009 overall world champion title at the CMSA World Finals in Amarillo this weekend. She beat more than 300 competitors in the six-stage competition and also took top scores in the Ladies' Colt Eliminator and Ladies' Wrangler Pro with top overall times over the men's categories. Way to go Kenda-congratulations!
http://westernshootinghorse.ning.com/profiles/blogs/kenda-lenseigne-takes-top

Kenny Harlow Signature Saddles are Out

Kenny Harlow, a Circle Y Team of Champions member, has worked with Circle Y to create his signature line of saddles. There are 2 in his line-a Flex2 trail and a performance trail with a fiberglass reinforced wood tree. Both saddles feature a new tooling pattern unique only to these saddles with the close contact skirt for cueing the horse easily. Both have Softee seat jockeys and fenders so they're broke in straight out of the box. Combine that with the pretwisted stirrup leathers and your knees and ankles will never know you spent all day in the saddle! A deep, padded seat with Impact Foam makes sitting in these saddles a dream. They are available to purchase on-line through Circle Y's authorized dealers.

Julie Goodnight's Peak Performance Saddles are Out!

We are excited to be officially releasing Julie Goodnight's Peak Performance line of saddles. Each one has unique features and are ideal for performance events, trail riding, gaited horses, and ranch work. With 5 styles to choose from-each of which have been personally ridden and designed by Julie Goodnight-there's a saddle to fit your horse and keep you comfortable. Check them out on juliegoodnight.com!!

Kenda Lenseigne breaks another record

Champion cowboy mounted shooter Kenda Lenseigne won the Reserve Overall Cowgirl spot at the Eastern US Championship. Despite that she missed one target in the first round, she fought hard and came back to win her division along with this title. She also broke her own world record that she and champion horse, Justin, set last year. She broke the record by 1/100 of a second! Way to go Kenda!

Check out the Circle Y 2401 Flex2 mounted shooter saddle she rides made specifically for this event.

Hotter Than Hallettsville

Last weekend there was a Cowboy Mounted Shooting event in Hallettsville, which is about 15 miles from here, put on by the Gulf Coast Mounted Shooters. Friday night they had a beginner mounted shooting clinic so Amy and I decided to take our horses and go. She took her gray mare Fancy and I took Copper. My husband joined us and he actually rode Copper and I rode a great, well-broke gelding of Tina's. We were the only 3 there with horses so we got to ride through some patterns-without guns of course-and get a feel for it. The main person who worked with us was John Guido, a level 5 champion shooter. He explained the class divisions, how to approach the patterns, how to get your horse used to gunfire, and a lot of other topics. We never shot off our horses, but being able to ride through the patterns really helped with what he was telling us. There are 53 patterns that can be chosen so I don't think this will ever get boring. Once we finished the under saddle portion, we tied our horses and went to the other end of the arena where we got a lesson on the guns. Lisa, of the Gulf Coast Mounted Shooters, explained this portion. Shooters use .45 revolver pistols and there are specific rules of gun requirements. They shoot five black powder blanks that are similar to a shot gun shell effect. Once fired, the blank spreads so the optimum range to be from the balloons is 5-6 feet. We got conflicting info from Chris and Lisa about this, so I guess when we start practicing we'll see what works. Lisa strapped on the holsters, after a thorough gun safety lesson, and we got to fire 5 shots walking shooting the balloons and pretending to hold reins with the other hand. This is why it's so critical your horse neck reins and listens really well because you have to fire the gun, do a gun change, and steer your horse. It was a lot to take in but we got a great introduction to the sport. What's really cool about the whole experience is even my husband was talking about doing this when we left. He isn't a horse nut like myself, but by the end of this evening, he was wanting to get into it. The next morning he was scouting the internet for guns and holsters! Then on Sunday we had to go try a new horse for him which is monumental to say the least! Didn't work out with the horse so the search continues. I can say we have definitely found a new sport to get into. They encourage family participation and safety is always the first and foremost priority. For the children, who are called little Wranglers, they get to walk the pattern on foot and dry fire to begin with. Then when they are older they ride the pattern but still dry fire. Then, when they are a certain age (not sure of the exact rules) they can ride and shoot off their horses. So, it really is a sport the whole family will enjoy.

First Time Saddling Tip

Here's a Julie Goodnight tip on how to properly saddle a horse for the first time.
Tip for First Saddling - When saddling a young horse for the first few times, it pays to be extra careful so as to prevent needless mistakes that can cause problems for a long time. If in the process of saddling, the saddle should slip and fall off the horse or slip underneath his belly from too loose a cinch, it could scare your young horse badly—a fright that he’ll remember for some time to come. As you saddle, never leave the saddle sitting unsecured on the horse—even for a moment. Always keep one hand on the saddle with a good grip on it so that if something were to happen, you could pull the saddle off without frightening the horse. Make sure the girth or cinch is tightened adequately to prevent the saddle from rolling. Often young horses withers are not fully developed and pronounced and their youthful figure can make it easy for the saddle to slip. Take all precautions to prevent saddle slippage, even tightening the girth several times during the session.

Julie Goodnight: ID your Horse

Julie Goodnight explains a quick tip to identify your horse in case of an unscheduled dismount on a long trail ride. This way if a good samaritan comes across your horse, he/she will have your information to return him.

Angled Rear Dee Rigging Explained with Julie Goodnight

On certain trail saddles, Circle Y has an angled rear dee with the in-skirt front rigging. Not all of the trail saddles have this rigging, but for this type it's imperative that the saddle is rigged correctly for you and your horse's safety. It's a great option for trail riders that frequently ride through rough and varied terrain. Our Team of Champions member, Julie Goodnight, explains how to use this rigging correctly. Be sure to rig your horse the same on both sides!

Sunday Trail Ride

Several of us here in the office went on the annual church trail ride/picnic Sunday. We ride in the ditches for those 7 miles so it's not a real scenic experience but fun nonetheless. In my previous post you got to meet some of our horses and these are the ones we took on the trail ride. An addition to our group is Donna, our Tack Production Supervisor, and she rode Buddy; Tina rode a cute little gray Quarter horse she is training; I rode Copper; and Amy rode Fancy. Amy also had her favorite horse of all time, Boomerang, which she ponied so her young daughter could ride. Boomerang will be 25 in September and is now teaching the second generation of children to ride. What a guy…

I am pleased to say Copper was a perfect gentleman not spooking at anything! He walked along, looked alert, and paid no attention to trucks whizzing by, flags flying, the teams of mules, or anything else except me. It was fantastic being able to visit with the girls and trust my horse too. He is mischievous and among several of the breaks during the ride he would pull the end of the rein into his mouth, hold it for a minute, and then turn around and look at me like-c’mon let’s get going! This is a habit I do not want escalating! He gets bored easily and is quick to entertain himself.

Several of the husbands would drive along slowly with their hazards on to keep an eye on us and get us cold drinks. They also had some fun driving up the trucks and trailers to the church. One older truck they drove up had to be started with a screwdriver! I appreciate this very much since my husband is not horse crazed like myself. This was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning riding and visiting in the hot summer sun.

Horses of Circle Y

I thought I would showcase some of the horses that are owned and loved by several of us at Circle Y. Some of us ladies got together the other night to ride, which we try to do about once a week, and I snapped some pics of our faithful companions. These are also a few of the horses we try trees on, test new saddle designs, or try new tack.

The bay Quarter horse belongs to Tina, our Purchasing Agent, and is only 3. He is the calmest, most laid back baby horse I think I have ever been around. Tina aspires to make a barrel horse out of him, but he has many other talents such as being a cowhorse, baby sitter, and teacher for novice riders. Normally young horses are never a match for children or new riders, but this guy's a wonderful exception. Plus, he's pretty and a versatile athlete!

The lovely gray Quarter horse mare is Fancy. She belongs to Amy, our Design and Marketing Manager. She is a real cowhorse and will rope and chase cows all day long. She is a big girl at 15.2 hands and stout. Her name suits her because she has this gorgeous refined face. When we ride, this mare covers some ground with her long strided walk and is always alert. She is also our tack catalog cover model.

Last is my chestnut Tennessee Walker, Copper. He is my continual project of becoming a bomb-proof trail horse. I set this goal for myself at the beginning of the year and am progressing-even though we have a lot of work to do before he achieves this title. He is gentle but mischievous and has lots of personality. He gets thoroughly bored with arena work and loves to see new things and be on the go. All of us girls are going to a beginner Cowboy Mounted Shooting clinic in August so I've been working on getting a better handle on him.

Goodnight saddles

One of our favorite things about this job is seeing a new saddle design or concept come to fruition. It's almost like giving birth...we plan, we wait, a saddle is born! We ooh and aah, take lots of pictures, and fall in love with our new favorite saddle. This week we sent some new saddles to trainer Julie Goodnight for testing. We are so excited about working with Julie on a signature saddle line that embraces her horsemanship philosophy. These saddles have some great features for horse and rider and are GORGEOUS! Come back soon for a product update in the coming weeks.

Riding Technique

So here in the office us gals were discussing whether riding is more about balance or movement. One opinion is it’s more about balance because if you’re not balanced you can’t stay on the horse and go with him. The other opinion is riding is more about movement because you have to be able to move with your horse to stay on…not to mention how uncoordinated we are on the ground until we get on a horse so it couldn’t possibly be only balance. To me, both of these concepts are valid. It seems like one would have to be balanced to stay on the horse no matter what your riding tasks might be. But, is it movement that keeps you on the horse when a deer pops out of the brush and your horse jumps sideways? What about when you are trotting or loping your horse, then movement really seems to be priority because you want to move with your horse’s rhythm. Or the third option is you can’t have one without the other. Who actually knows the answer to this Wednesday lunch hour horse discussion?

Getting Fixed

I have recently have been given an opportunity to get a horse that is a 14-year-old Quarter horse stallion. I am planning on gelding him immediately if I decide to take him, and hopefully he will mellow out fairly quickly. He is a great horse and has been used extensively for cattle work and some trail riding and not been allowed to be “studdy”. In fact, if he was a gelding he would have been in my pasture yesterday! He has been socialized with other horses in his younger years but has been by himself for the last four or five and has not had a real breeding career. I don’t have any experience handling a stud, and am not looking to start. If he will remain acting like he is a stallion but more mellow, I’m not thinking that is something I would like to take on. I do have a gelding already so he would have a buddy. I want to be able to relax and enjoy my ride, not be on the lookout for fellow mares. Does anyone have an input on gelding an older stallion? How did it work out?

Horses for Sale

My husband and I went to an estate horse auction a few weeks ago looking for a well broke ranch gelding. It was not what I was expecting, although I have never been to a sale like this. There were a lot of brood mares, most with babies at their side and bred back, a few studs and 3 riding horses. The catch with the mares is they were all turned out together with the stallions, so you didn't know what stud bred the mare. That's a real genius way of being in the horse business. One of the studs was a real pretty Hancock bred blue roan with a gorgeous, wavy black mane. I guess he hadn't been handled that much because he was pretty wild in the auction pen. Some of the broodmares sold for $200 with weanlings going for $75. We could've bought the entire herd for $2000. We came home with an empty trailer, but I can't get those images of the horses out of my mind and wondering what happened to them. It's a real pity in these kinds of situations; I wish I could've brought them all home. It seems like "horse breeders" would stop breeding these kinds of herds seeing they have no real goals in mind. I understand if you have a champion and you are in the real biz of competing or raising calm, well rounded riding horses. There's a real need for that, but this guy totally seemed to miss the mark. How do you stop people from breeding horses just for the sake of breeding a horse? Foals are cute for awhile until they nail you in the stomach with one of their sweet little hoofies and leave a bruise the size of a grapefruit. Now there's talk of reopening slaughter plants or creating new ones in the U.S. to help ease the horse population. The thought of horse slaughter makes me absolutely nauseous, and I don't feel there's one easy answer. I do think we must stop horses from going to Mexico regardless of what's done in the U.S. No matter what solution you think is the best, I think one thing we can do is write our Congress representatives and senators with a particular viewpoint. The squeaky wheel gets the grease...

Tour Guide

Last Friday the 13th we had the privilege of hosting a tour for the Texas A&M Chapter of the National Block & Bridle Club. Block & Bridle is a club that's dedicated to the promotion of agriculture on campus, encouraging higher scholastic standards among ag students, and enhancing professionalism of students who will one day be leaders in the ag industry. These students were part of over 650 undergrads that attended the National Convention for Block & Bridle in San Antonio. Students could choose from different tours and we were honored that over 80 students chose to come see Circle Y. We showed them all of our operation: tree making, leather cutting, saddle and tack assembly, and the shipping department.

The group seemed to be diversified with horse people and cattle people. Even some of the students with cattle backgrounds thought the tour was interesting so that was neat. The horsemen of the group asked some tough questions which was great because that meant they were actually thinking about what we were saying. There's so much that goes into making a saddle that I guess it really can't be appreciated until you've seen it first hand. Just because more than one person builds your saddle here and not one person from start to finish, it's still our daily pursuit for perfection to create the best saddles in the world for a variety of disciplines, riders, and horses. Photo: Mark Jemelka-General Manager of Circle Y, Texas A&M student hosts, and Yoakum mayor Annie Rodriguez.

Riding my gelding has steadily stayed on the back burner but with the days already getting longer, it will soon be time for the spring tune up. I am beginning to feel spring fever and ready to spend some time in the outdoors with my fuzzy, attention-deprived gelding. (I know for some of you this is still a long way off seeing most of the country is still covered up in snow!) I have set my riding goals high this season with having a much more broke trail horse by the end of summer. I plan to use a lot of Julie Goodnight’s DVDs to help me get a willing partner and become the leader with ‘ole Copper. We will continue to have our lessons with Anne, who works here and is my gaited horse instructor, who will continue to teach me and Copper the proper gaits of a good Walking horse. There are only a few more weeks until daylight savings time. I groan at the thought of losing an hour but at the same time, it’s more riding time in the evening. At that thought, the daylight will be a welcomed time to really ride and build a better relationship with my horse. Happy Trails.

The new Circle Y catalogs have arrived from the printer and we will begin mailing the end of this week. The catalog is being added to the Web site under BROWSE THE CATALOG. Please be patient with the site as we are correcting links and getting it all up for download. We hope you love what you see with the new designs. It seems a lot of the country is frozen and buried in snow and ice. Be safe and feed those horses some extra hay for warmth!

A Busy Start to the Year

It has been a very busy first few weeks of the new year! We have been getting ready for the Denver Market this weekend which is a huge event we work all year to prepare for. There have been some late nights trying to finish the last of projects and tying up the loose ends. We don't settle for less than perfection! This is where we unveil all the new saddle and tack designs for the year. We also have the annual sales meeting with all the salespeople who are able to attend. A lot of our major competitors are there as well so it's always interesting. I have finished the new 2009 Catalog and it's on the way from the printer. It will be available next week so be sure to request a catalog. We hope you'll find your perfect saddle! We will be updating the Web site soon too with some new features and of course with the new catalog. Be safe on the trails and stay warm!