Why Are We Named Phoenix Rising Saddles?
Because of our name, Phoenix Rising Saddles, we're sometimes mistaken for being located in Phoenix, AZ. While it's a beautiful city, we're located in beautiful southwestern NY, minutes from the PA border and in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. I'll explain our name choice. (credit See U in History Youtube)
In Greek mythology a phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or born again. Associated with the sun, the phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor.
If you haven't read our About Us page, I'll briefly run down our history for you. I am Brenda Imus's daughter, Jamie. My mom passed away in March 2013 after a fairly brief illness. Prior to her illness, she had owned and operated Gaits of Gold. She traveled the country presenting at all the big horse expos and conducting private clinics. She authored The Gaited Horse Bible (among other books), and produced Gaits from God DVD Set (that you can watch for FREE in segments on our website here).
I worked for her for several years at Gaits of Gold, and was there during the design and development of the Imus 4-Beat Saddles. We both wore a lot of hats!
Anyway, after several years I'd moved on and no longer worked for her. Fast forward a few years and after she went through a couple of shoddy business deals and then ensuing health issues, her business had collapsed, and was basically dead in the water. I'd just began talking to her about beginning to work for her again and relaunching everything, when she developed an infection, from which she passed away soon after.
Several months later I took a leap of faith and decided to quit my career path and relaunch her products. It was important to me to be able to not only offer her products but also make her articles and videos available for free online so her legacy could live on. Very much like the legend of the Phoenix, we rose from the ashes!
Almost seven years in and we're so blessed to be able to continue to help riders and horses enjoy riding in comfort, thanks to the knowledge and wisdom of my mom's groundbreaking natural training and riding methods. Her line of saddles and bits are so gentle and allow freedom of movement for gaited horses that didn't have other consistently viable alternatives prior.
Thank you to all who have been part of our journey and helped support us over the years. We couldn't do it without you!
Jamie Evan