The Road Goes Ever On And On

In my experience, journeys are invariably more interesting than destinations.  The people you meet, the things you see, the experiences you have and the things you learn … those are, for me, far more meaningful than just arriving somewhere.  To me, “destination” infers an end, while “journey” … well, that can last as long as you choose, and can have lots of fascinating detours and side-trips and layovers.  I feel that way about my riding, my martial arts, and about saddle fitting.  And my journeys in all of these areas are a long way from over.

However, as of November 30^th, the Trumbull Mtn. Tack Shop part of my journey will have reached its destination.  The owners are relocating the shop closer to their home – and given that their commute is extremely long, it’s perfectly understandable.  However, the new location will make my commute extremely long – so I’ll be heading down one of those side roads, continuing my journey … as an independent fitter and saddler.

It’s a tough decision, because I’ve so enjoyed working here.  When I started at Trumbull Mtn. Tack roughly 14 years ago, I knew that working with Edie would be a wonderful thing, but I really had no idea how wonderful, or just where the road would lead.  Edie made sure that I gained a comprehensive working knowledge of fitting and gave me a strong, correct foundation to build on, and then gave me my head and let me run.  I’ve learned tons from the saddle companies and their saddlers, from veterinarians and from my fellow fitters … and I’ve learned just as much from all of the people and horses I’ve dealt with over the years.  My customers have given me the opportunity to learn the finer points of fitting for both horse and rider, to troubleshoot, to refine, to have the chance to add to my knowledge base and improve all the time.  Every sky-high set of withers or insanely broad back or amazingly long human femur has brought its own challenges, and the opportunity to not only think outside the box, but to think under, beside and on top of it as well.  I’ve had the chance to make a positive difference for quite a good number of horses and riders, to make their world a little better … and that, as I’ve said before, is what this job is really about for me.

So to all my colleagues, my mentors and especially to my customers – two and four legged – a huge and deeply heartfelt “thank you.”  You really are the best; I am very grateful and lucky to have met every one of you.  And while it’s common to end this sort of an address with the phrase, “I couldn’t have done it without you all,” in this case … it’s true.

See you somewhere down the road.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.  – J.R.R. Tolkien

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