Once upon a saddle stand

That first stand didn’t stick around long—said friend sold it and handed over the cash. That paid for shoes for my horse, and because horses are expensive, one saddle stand quietly became many.

Over the years I’ve built all sorts of stands—painted, unpainted, some with cute or questionable graphics, some with drawers, some as kitsets. The designs and the product line have evolved, but one thing hasn’t changed: horses eat money, and reclaimed timber is still free-ish.

But the best bit isn’t just the build. Somewhere along the way, it stopped being just about feeding the profit gobbler—the real return has been in the stories.

My favourites? The people who still have their stand years later. The gift-givers who nailed the perfect mix of graphics and practicality. The stands that earn pride of place in a living room. The mum who bought one for her daughter having a crack at something a little wild—good on that girl.

Then there are my own stories...

Outram Rodeo Club

I was chuffed to be asked to lend saddle stands for a trophy saddle display. I didn’t quite have enough, and even though I was told not to worry—they could hunt around for a few others. But this was my hometown. I was all in. Seven stands in three days. Not a massive ask—until you factor in a full-time job and caring for a profit gobbler. Come rodeo day, one of the best bits—aside from whooping up some noise for the championship runs—was seeing those late-night builds crossing the arena under trophy saddles.

Those same stands don’t clock off when the arena clears either. They head off to the champions’ dinner. No confirmed reports of anyone attempting a re-ride after a few drinks… but I’d love to hear the stories if they did. Once the dust settles, they make their way back to me—tested, travelled, and ready for their next home.

Methven Rodeo Club

The following year, Methven Rodeo Club hosted the finals. Same deal as before—I build them, loan them out, show them off, then try to sell a few on the way home. Methven’s a bit of a trek, so I doubled down and set up a stall for rodeo day with samplings of my other creations. Naturally, every road trip needs sidekicks, so off we went—car packed to the rafters with stall gear, plus a trailer full of saddle stands.

I probably should have been disappointed to come home with the same number of stands I took up… but I didn’t come home with the same amount of stock. I met some incredible people, shared a few good yarns, got growled at for selling stuff too cheap, and had one cracker of a weekend. My sidekicks absolutely nailed the stall-minding while I wandered off for “quick looks” at the action… repeatedly.

Fast forward to 2026, with Waikouaiti Rodeo Club hosting the National Finals. There are a few other yarns in between, but we’ll save those for another day.

Before the March 2026 Nationals hosted by Waikouaiti Rodeo Club, I was back in my usual arena-side spot in my hometown when, during a coffee run, I bumped into three young ladies selling calendars to fundraise for youth rodeo.

Truthfully? I already had a calendar. Yet I started digging around for “king’s money”… and came up a dollar short.

Before I could awkwardly work out some kind of cash-for-EFTPOS arrangement with the coffee vendor, a complete stranger—with her young son in tow—stepped in and covered the missing dollar.

That small pay-it-forward moment sparked an idea.

I offered the young ladies a deal: take the calendar around the rodeo, collect as many signatures as possible, and bring it back to me at the Finals the following month… and I’d gift them one of the saddle stands I was making for the trophy saddle display at Waikouaiti.

The very first signature? The pay-it-forward lady’s son.

Waikouaiti Rodeo Club

Credit where it’s due: the organising committee—and whoever was behind the sponsor promotions—absolutely nailed it. I had a touch of imposter syndrome. After all, I’m not essential infrastructure, just a humble saddle stand builder and lender, but I really appreciated the mentions.

I was, admittedly, that stallholder who didn’t love their original spot—no arena view. Bless the site organiser, who shifted me to a new space beside a boutique boot maker and right by the entry gate. Still no direct view of the runs, but prime people-watching.

And the young calendar ladies from Outram? Yes, they turned up—with slightly sheepish grins. The signature idea had taken off far better than expected, and that calendar had done some miles. Bless them, when I explained someone else had first dibs on a stand, they cheerfully accepted second dibs on account of the first dibs was the NZ BR Champion.

Truthfully, I had no idea what the young ladies had planned to do with a saddle stand. As it turns out, they paid it forward again—putting it back into youth rodeo fundraising. So whoever ends up with that stand… you’ve got those young ladies to thank.

I almost missed seeing the saddle stands out doing their real job, because the stall was busy—mostly thanks to my canvas art line. Turns out a picture’s worth a thousand words, and I enjoyed every yarn that came with it… even the questionable ones. And yes—if the offer’s still there, I’ll be stalling up at Winchester in October.

Waikouaiti turned on an absolute scorcher. Lesson learned: blue slushies (courtesy of the grandson) are far superior to hot coffee in that kind of heat. Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by—buyers, browsers, competitors sneaking over between runs, the curious “how can I find you?” crew, and the storytellers who shared a yarn of their own and inspired new projects… watch this space.

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No pressure, but if you're hosting rodeo finals down south in 2028...I know a Supplier of saddle stands. Survivor of deadlines. Long-term sponsor of a Profit Gobbler.