Turning The Love of Horses Into A Successful Career...
Equestrian News Release
American Saddle Designer Combines Passion with Business
MIDDLEBURG, Va. – Kitty Garrity has been around saddlery all her life. They were in her car, in her house and they’d overtaken her office. Turning a lifelong love of horses into a career was a logical step for Garrity who trained with Olympic dressage riders and earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Massachusetts in pre-vet, equine science.
Upon graduation from college, Garrity worked as a sales representative for a variety of saddle and riding equipment manufacturers. She realized that most of the saddle lines had at least one great attribute. Years of fitting saddles to horses and riders kept pulling Garrity to the drawing board where she would sketch her idea of the perfect saddle. As an equestrian herself, she knew instinctively what was needed.
After more than 20 years of selling thousands of other companies’ saddles helping to build their brands and change their designs, Garrity began to revise her sketches and search for a manufacturer. Breaking into the saddle manufacturing industry was not easy. Most high-end saddles are designed by European men.
Now at age 47, Kitty has a complete line of premium jumping and dressage saddles. She is the only premium French brand of saddle owned by an American company. Her company, L’Apogée Saddlery, which means “the pinnacle of crowning achievement,” officially launched in 2003 with the saddles and was joined last year by a line of luxury luggage. Asked why she chose a French manufacturer, Garrity responds, “the French are known for their attention to detail, fine leather and saddle craftsmanship.”
Almost all saddles have an important core element, called a “tree”. It is upon this core that the saddle is built. Years ago, saddles were made with wood trees and premium saddles continue to use wood trees. There are other brands in the marketplace that now use synthetic trees.
In keeping with the premium saddle model, Garrity uses a wood tree that she has picked and designed herself. It’s a laminated beechwood tree with short points that angle slightly back to allow for more freedom in the shoulder which gives the horse better balance.
The finest leather is carefully hand-selected by Garrity and she has paid attention to every detail. French calfskin and buffalo hide are used on some saddles because it remains soft and pliable but also highly durable.
In the equestrian world, the way the horse moves and the condition of his/her back is extremely important. Horses that develop sore backs can go on to have chronic conditions that keep them from being ridden and take them out of competition. An ill-fitting saddle can pinch and lead to a sore back which can lead to lifelong vet bills. It can also lead to rider injury. Garrity’s goal is to achieve a perfect balance and fit for both horse and rider.
“It’s a team effort,” explains Garrity “it is extremely important that the saddle is comfortable for the rider as well as the horse.”
Interest in Garrity’s line continues to grow as word-of-mouth builds.
Now, in addition to having saddles and new designs all over her office and warehouse Garrity has added luxurious luggage that she’s also manufacturing and, soon to come, a line of bridles. Years of patiently studying and applying a sensitivity to her customers, both human and equine, has come to fruition. Inquiries and contacts are now coming in from England, Japan, Scandinavia and Australia, and Kitty is working to set up distributors worldwide. L’Apogée Saddlery and luggage are handmade by a true French master sellier. The long-term goal is to have L’Apogée branded products and accessories in position to compete with the well known high-end designer brands within and outside of the equestrian industry.
Reader Comments
Be the first to submit a comment on this article!
Submit your comments
Link to this article
---------------------- It's easy! Just copy code below and paste into your webpage --------------------
<a href="http://www.equestrianmag.com/article/horses-saddles-kitty-garrity-5-06.html">Turning The Love of Horses Into A Successful Career...</a> ~ EquestrianMag.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your link will appear like this:
Turning The Love of Horses Into A Successful Career... ~ EquestrianMag.com
|
