Sergeant’s new Silver Mesa show clothing. saddle and tack offering is called “The Qualifier Collection.” This slim book is filled with new products for the spring ‘08 show season. It is a complement to our two previous Big Book offerings. It will arrive in your mailbox, in sotres and online near the end of April. We want to know what you think! After you receive your copy, blog us about it. Your opinion, thoughts and ideas are important to us. 

Today’s western pleasure saddles feature very bulky seats that hold and mold you into them. They do keep you in the perfect pocket, but at the expense of real “feel” for your horse. Top pleasure trainers and Silver Mesa saddle endorsers Steve Heckaman and David Dellin are working with Sergeant’s to put the western back in pleasure with a revolutionary new pleasure saddle design.

The Steve and David’s new Silver Mesa pleasure saddles are based on our state-of-the-art working cow horse tree designed for Carol Metcalf. With this tree as a foundation, the new western pleasure saddles will allow the rider to really feel the horse’s movement beneath them. The new Western Pleasure saddles will offer competitors more freedom, the opportunity to better become one with their horse’s motion and ultimately become a better rider.

Of course, the history of western saddles is filled with incredibly trimmed out versions - think the Rose Parade, Gene Autry and Champion or Roy and Trigger. So you know that the new Silver Mesa Western Pleasure saddle can be trimmed out in any of our fabulous silver patterns or you can design one of your own. Our master saddles makers and silversmiths can create a saddle as simple or as elaborate as you choose.

Watch for Steve, David and their new Silver Mesa Western Pleasure saddles competing at a show near you. Or call your catalog specialist to discuss your own Silver Mesa Western Pleasure saddle.

Dana Hokana, a world class trainer in the Sergeant’s family of Silver Mesa endorsees will give five clinics at the 2008 Equine Affair. On Thursday, January 31st, you can learn about how to “Maximize Your Western Pleasure Horse: Exercises to Enhance Your Horse’s Movement.” The second clinic that day will concern taking control of your pleasure horse with “Seven Steps to a More Responsive Western Horse.” On Friday, February 1st, the basic “Ready, Set, Tack-up” clinic begins the day, followed by “Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse: Tips to Keep the Long-Term Show Horse Going.” the final clinic topic of the day is “Showmanship: How to Be a Winning Combination.” Dana also has a series of very popular DVDs that offer a variety of educational opportunities for aspiring and veteran showmen.

Thanks to the thoughtful nature of APHA’s Abigail Wilder and a little help from Sergeant’s, a young lady went to her first Denver National USEF Open Performance Show. 16 year old Hannah Langendoerfer, from Idalia, Colorado won a makeover from the APHA just in time for the Denver National. Sergeant’s contribution consisted of a Silver Mesa rail shirt, matching Silver Mesa show blanket and a pair of in-stock chaps. Hannah made the top ten, placing 10th. Not bad for her first time to compete at such a large event. Watch for Abigail’s article on Hannah’s makeover in the March edition of the Paint Horse Journal. Congratulations to Hannah and her APHA gelding Mrimpressivehawk.   

There is a well written article by April Fingerlos on shopping for show attire from long-distance vendors in the February 08 issue of Horse & Rider. The article offers 50 great clues for the best shopping experience. Silver Mesa show clothing is prominently featured throughout the piece. Lots of sensible tips and a special section on budget trimmers. A couple of things to look for in the upcoming show season - white hats. Not just for the good guys anymore. White hats help convey a youthful appearance on the more mature competitor. Lines and wrinkles are enhanced by the darker shadows created by a black hat. The white hats lighten and brighten the face. They are not as severe looking on younger faces. Look for more structured “shirt-jackets” as an alternative to tucked in rail shirts. The shirt-jackets don’t require a belt and do double duty in halter and rail events. Early events in the season are showing lots of pink and teal greens. More and more reining and cutting competitors are showing an affinity for emerald and forest greens. Lots of reasons - the color of luck and money as well as an appreciation for our environment. The fact that they are winning in this rich color is making it all the more popular. The Silver Mesa design team is interested in your thoughts and ideas about show clothing. Feel free to add your comments to our blog. We look forward to reading them.

Here at the HorseTalk Blog we have been very busy getting out all those important Christmas packages, and working feverishly on all the good stuff for 2008. We would like all of our equine friends to have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! We will be back in 2008 with more good stuff for the Horse Talk Blog!!

We would like to say “congrats” to Keelie Hillis for winning the Silver Mesa ShowOffs Contest! Here are a few photos of her decked out in Silver Mesa . She has won a $100.00 Sergeant’s Gift Card! Way to go Keelie!

The Sergeant’s Western in Hockley, Texas is a beautiful store. It is at 33402 Hempstead Hwy, about 20 miles northwest of Houston. It is located in one of the fastest growing areas in all of Texas.

It is almost 60,000 square feet, and is constructed with austin stone, and beautiful wood beams. This shot below is as you would walk in the front entrance.

This location also houses a full blown John Deere dealership in addition to offering some of the best western and equine needs in the area. Below is a shot of the men’s boot department, and the ever growing work area, featuring Carhartt.

Here is the the beautiful hat bar area ready for those brisk holiday sales!

Here are few of the equine areas featuring reins, halters, and blankets.

They also have some great accessories for women and men. Here are some of the Ariat handbags.

One of the unique features of this store is the drive-thru feed and shavings area. They have really extended the assortment of feed they provide, and make this area very accessible for customers.

So if you need new show clothing, painted ponies or anything else for your western or horse person for the holidays, Sergeants Western, Hockley, is ready, and here to please.

Have a Great Holidays from the Staff!!

This month we are featuring our Sergeant’s Western World store in Arlington, Texas.

This is a giant store as you can tell here. It is approximately 50,000 square feet.

Here is a shot of Cathy Blanco in the show clothing area. She has been there for 4 years and works in Sales and Visual department.

Cruel Girl and Cinch are two of our most popular brands for the Sergeant’s customer. Here are a couple of shots from the womens department and the mens department as well.

Tons of Boots, Saddles, and everything you gotta have for your equine needs is here at Sergeant’s Arlington.

Here is a shot of another one of our great sales associates Tiffany Sims next to our grand windmill. If you have a tack question, she’s the girl to ask.

This is also our location for the Sergeant’s catalogs, and website order taking, processing and shipping. We have knowledgeable experts who can help on the phone at 1-800-383-3669 or at www.sergeantswestern.com Here are some shots of Catherine Peterson, Ashley Dickson, and Linda Morgan. These guys make purchasing online or thru catalog a success for you!

Being that Sergeant’s Arlington is such a large store, we have lot’s of merchandise that is received and checked in everyday. Our great receivers are Sergio Cervantez and Rodney Swyhart! Below is a shot of Bob Bartlett ( assistant manager) and Rodney out in the receiving area. Bob is a great rider and competes in team penning.

The Sergeants Arlington store is located at 4905 South Cooper St., Arlington, TX 76017 (817) 784-6464.

The store manager is Tammy VanderRoest, and catalog / web operations manager is Penny Leach. We can’t thank them, and the rest of the crew not pictured here for all their efforts, and hard work! Come visit us at Sergeants Arlington! We’ve got everything but the horse!

Well maybe one of those too.

Here is your chance to speak with some of the World Champion trainers in the Western Discipline. Our guests include Steve Heckaman, Carol and Steve Metcalf, and Mark Schaffer. If you have a question for any of these trainers, just click on the comments/no comments tab below, and ask your question. Just make sure you tell us which pro the question is addressed to. Your answers will get posted back here on TrainerTalk shortly. Thanks for posting and we hope you visit TrainerTalk often to learn training tips and sound advice from some of the best pros in the business.