Sandridge Stories

Sandridge Stories
The Beginning

I’m writing this because I have a lousy memory. Forget about specific dates – I’m lucky if I can remember what decade something happened in.
Within a year, my horses and I parted company with Sandridge Farm – my ‘home base’ for horses and riding for over 4 decades, and I closed Sandridge Saddlery - my ‘work base’ for almost the same amount of time. I figured I better put down on paper my recollections of the events, the horses, and the people who have made my life what it is – before I forget. If you are interested or entertained, so much the better, but if all I accomplish is giving myself something to read in the nursing home when I’m 90 I will have achieved what I’ve set out to do.
I will certainly have got dates wrong, mis-remembered exactly what happened or who was there, but this is how I remember it. Not being a historian or particularly interested in research, it’ll have to do.
For those of you who make appearances in the story, forgive my errors. I will not necessarily name people as a) I forget names b) I forget accurate details, and c) I prefer not to get sued. For those of you who I haven’t mentioned and should have, see “I have a lousy memory” above.

Other than getting started, the entries will not necessarily be in chronological order. One, if I have to figure that out first I’ll never write anything, and two, I think it will be more fun to hop around. I’m going to write when the spirit moves me, so if something comes up that inspires me, I’m going to go with that.

While my Dad said I was obsessed with horses from the get-go, my earliest recollections were from the time I moved to Beaconsfield in 1968 at the age of 8. My next-door neighbour, Martha, was as crazy about horses as I was, so we spent endless hours setting up courses of broomsticks and overturned chairs to jump on our own feet while gaily whinnying, and collecting and reading everything we could about them. My Dad was an enabler – bringing me home newspapers from Ontario (where there were many racetracks at the time), so the sports sections always had photos and stories I could cut out and collect.
I started a file with a Dewey-decimal-type numbering system – 1.0.0 was Aliments, 1.1.0 was Lameness, 1.1.1 was Tendon Problems – that I added to until I was almost 20. It killed me to throw those Bankers’ Boxes out in 2020 – even though the articles were all completely out of date and no-one remembered what a big deal Franfreluche’s kidnapping was.
Beaconsfield had a wonderful library where I read everything they had on horses (Dewey Decimal 798). I still have in my possession the 1963 book, “Come on Seabiscuit” that I must have read a dozen times, and apparently forgot to take back. I would return it but am afraid the late fine would bankrupt me. I also discovered The Corinthian (the newspaper that evolved into Horse Sport magazine). In the Corinthian, I discovered there was much more equestrian activity in Canada than racing, and couldn’t wait for every new issue.
In those days it was easy enough to rent a horse for an hour and go for a trail ride, so that’s where I started. My older sister Kim and her friends went to Stan Bernard’s Cote Vertue Stables – yes, Cote Vertue and the Trans-Canada was open fields for trail riding. Jesse and Andre became my favourites and I would hold them back until the rest of the group had gone ahead and then gallop to catch up. Probably it was a trot to catch up, but at the time it was FAST! I do remember one time Stan put me in my place – allowing me to ride a new horse that was ‘spirited’. We got halfway down the trail when Mr. Lively turned around and took me back to the stables at a brisk walk and directly into his standing stall. As I scrambled off him in the stall I had no idea how many times I would be humbled by a horse in my future.
The model horses that were part of a cowboy-based collection - Thunderbolt, Flame, and Commanche – became the next step of my obsession. I had somehow determined that the English-saddle sports were my thing, so I acquired these palomino horses and promptly bought model paint and made them bay (Andre), grey (Jesse), black or chestnut. The plastic Western tack was unacceptable – suede elbow patches for men’s jackets were made into English saddles, picture wire became stirrups and bits, and embroidery thread made bridles and halters. Unaware of the expensive path we were heading down, Dad pitched in once again, and soon I had wooden stables for every horse. I became a juvenile delinquent when I got caught stealing a cat harness from The Bay. I thought it would make a good driving harness for my plastic horses and stuffed it into my snowsuit. I was horrified that I had to take a letter to my parents to sign, acknowledging they knew of my criminal tendencies, but fortunately my Mom signed the letter and assured me it would be our secret – I was sure my Dad would never allow me to see a horse again if he knew!

When I was 10 and 11, I went to Camp Oconto in Ontario. It was a month-long sleepover camp with riding as part of the program. Of course I fell in love each year with one of the horses and begged Dad to let me bring it home; in 1971 it was Beau, and the letter I wrote home making my case for this was a wonder to behold. I couldn’t quite get over the hump with that effort, but we nearly had a horse later in 1971.
We had a cottage at Beaven Lake in Quebec, and there were two horses living nearby – Lady, an older Standardbred pacer, and her daughter, 5-year-old Heidi. The owners thought it perfectly fine to allow Kim and I to ride these horses on the gravel roads; Kim on Heidi and me on Lady. We had no idea what we were doing, but had a wonderful time pacing (Lady) and trotting (Heidi) at breakneck speed up and down the roads. It was agreed that Heidi would make a fine mount for us and we arranged to have her vetted. How we came up with that bright idea I’ll never know, but fortunately for Heidi, she failed the vet due to Heaves and they lived out the rest of their lives together in peace.

After that close-call, I was more determined than ever to have a horse and in 1972 dipped my toe further in the water when Dad agreed to a month-long rental (back then we rented; leasing was only for cars) of Max. I was your classic ‘Stable Rat’ at Silver T Ranch on St.John’s road in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, trading stall mucking, turning out, feeding and assorted slave-labour for the occasional lesson or trail ride. Max was a black pony that I was able to pretend to own for a month, but my most vivid memory of that time was being kicked in the thigh by a grumpy mare out in the field. I couldn’t fess up at home as horses might have been perceived as dangerous (imagine!), but I had a perfect horseshoe bruise on my thigh for longer than I rented Max.

There was no turning back, though – with Kim expressing keen interest in riding, my all-consuming obsession, and Tom Walklate eager to sell us a horse, Dad was going to become a horse owner whether he liked it or not.

Sandridge Saddlery is now entirely closed! All the saddles are gone and the building has been sold. My heartfelt thanks to all of you who were part of the Sandridge story over the last 38 years.

My plan is to do some writing about the the past '40 years of Sandridge' - both the farm and the store. If you're interested, please check back here for the next installment...

One last saddle to clear out!
This older Passier PS Baum has a decent width of gullet, unlike many of it's age. 17", adjusted wide, this saddle has many years of life and could be perfect for a school or training barn where horses change shape all the time. Asking $ 400.00 OBO.

Kent & Masters S-Series Low Wither Dressage Saddle The perfect dressage saddle for all low-wither conformations, regardless of width, including compact and short-backed types. The low head and slimline panels combine ensure a good fit and great stability on flat-back, low-wither types.

Some FREE stuff to give away!

It's on the front porch, so if there's something you can use, please come by and take it...

Leg reflective bands, brass saddle rack, SMALL NuuMed dressage pad with wool, 30" Toklat dressage girth, jumping bat, large stainless steel stirrups, some odd books...

Posted • Don’t you just adore this Monoflap XC from our Competition Series?
It’s a fully hide covered saddle that offers a close-contact professional feel, and is completely made in England. What’s not to love?

Storage furnishings for sale:

Very solid cubby cabinets are perfect for a daycare, tools or equipment, or store displays. Cubbys on each side; the cabinets are about 4' high x 2' wide. On rollers. $ 400.00 each.

'Ariat' clothing rack. Solid wood, has a bar for shirts, pants or jackets on each side and display bars at each end. Approx. 4'6" h x 3' wide. $ 250.00

Pick up in St-Lazare

Kent & Masters S-Series Low Wither GP Saddle The Kent & Masters S-Series Low Wither GP is the perfect general purpose leather saddle for a low-withered, short backed horse, regardless of width – even those with a big movement. Designed for any horse with a low wither - not just super-wide Cob types. Handmade in England by qualified master sa...

Congratulations to Kitty King & Vendredi Biats, Tom Jackson & Capels Hollow Drift, and Bubby Upton & Cola. These three Team Fairfax riders are on the Paris 2024 Eventing nominated entries list recently announced by . What a fantastic achievement, we are so pleased and proud!

A hard-to-fit horse and a limited budget can make saddle shopping quite the challenge! Kent & Masters saddles are super adjustable to fit many difficult conformations and are in the $2,000.00 price range. Contact us at [email protected] to arrange to see them!

All of the Kent & Masters and Fairfax saddles are now up on our website - please have a look and participate in the contest!

While Sandridge Saddlery as a full-service tack shop has closed its doors, Sandridge will continue to stock and sell the Fairfax and Kent & Masters brands of saddles. With 37 years of experience both selling and developing a multitude of saddle brands, Tracey has chosen these saddles due to their superior value, quality, and above all, fit-ability. Please contact Tracey at [email protected] for more information or to arrange an appointment.

Send a message to learn more

The saddlery building is for sale!

House for sale in Saint-Lazare An opportunity is knocking! Don't wait to seize the chance to own this real estate. Excellent locat...

The Kent & Masters girth is made with a soft front edge which allows the horse’s muscles to move freely, without discomfort or restriction

Some GREAT deals on the last saddles to be cleared!

What's next for Sandridge?

While Sandridge Saddlery as a full-service tack shop has closed its doors, Sandridge will continue to stock and sell the Fairfax and Kent & Masters brands of saddles. With 37 years of experience both selling and developing a multitude of saddle brands, Tracey has chosen these saddles due to their superior value, quality, and above all, fit-ability. Please contact Tracey at [email protected] for more information or to arrange an appointment.
Alison has started working at Crazy Carousel Mondays and Fridays and you can expect her exceptional service to continue on behalf of Melissa and Crazy Carousel.
Tracey will also be available for bitting consults at Crazy Carousel by appointment and to help with your custom orders. Please contact her at [email protected].

Thank you all for your patronage, support, and friendship over the years, and we both look forward to continuing to serve you in our new roles going forward.

...And that's a wrap! Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years and for all your kind words. Special thanks to those of you who stopped by over the last couple of weeks to wish us luck and share some memories.
Watch this space over the coming days/weeks as we will reminisce a little (I think 38 years deserves a little reminiscing!) and look forward to hearing your favorite 'Sandridge stories".

For those of you wondering about repairs with Erin Wilson - for now, please contact Erin directly at 514-773-4706. Thanks :)

Plus d'informations à suivre...

More information to follow!

See you next year! We reopen on Wednesday at 10:00!

Saturday is you last chance to save 15% - 50% at our Boxing Day Sale!

Wishing all our friends and customers a very Merry Christmas!
Hope to see you when we open on Thursday the 28th for our Boxing Day Sale.