# Paso Fino CUSTOM saddle is here!!!



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Y'all, the guy never said and I didn't notice until I went to pick it up, but this is a BUENA VISTA custom!!! It was his wife who said, "you know, when we ordered this from Buena Vista, we never thought we'd part with it...". I was like, "um, say again?!?!?"

Here's the slideshow, enjoy! http://s34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/jillcostello_/Buena Vista Custom Paso/?albumview=slideshow

For as wide as it is, it is SO comfortable! I just can't stop looking at it.... and it is such high-quality! The fenders are custom-wound (see picture) and the leather is thick and soft; bends & flexes with just one finger!


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## nikko (Feb 7, 2007)

i am drooling.....


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## NorCalChicks (Dec 7, 2007)

Very, very nice! I can almost smell the leather!


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

NorCalChicks said:


> Very, very nice! I can almost smell the leather!


I wish you could! It smells utterly intoxicating! As a leather worker, I am gazing at it lovingly every few minutes, lol.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

OK, I have gotten more & better information about this saddle; the wife was a bit confused. The stamping on the saddle says "CCi Buena Vista Co"; she _thought_ it was Buena Vista Saddlery (company) on the website when she picked out the options, but in reality, THIS is what it is: ( a write up/review from another owner of one)

Manufacturer: CCi Saddle Shop
Model: Imus 4-Beat Saddle
Category: Trail Saddles

Purchase: I purchased this saddle last month from National Bridle Shop for $1,699.

Likes: Everything!

Dislikes: I've been through more saddles than I can count trying to fit my two gaited horses. I finally rode a treeless saddle for about a year, but as I'm a big gal I knew that wasn't best for the horses. I kept reading great things about this saddle, but was wary since I couldn't go to a tack store and see it first hand. A friend bought a used Imus saddle, I tried it, and fell in love with it immediately. My horses are both gaiting better than ever (they used to only pace), and I can ride in comfort all day long. This saddle is AWESOME!

Quality: The saddles are being built by inmates at Colorado Correctional Institution, and I must say they must take great pride in their work. My friend's used Imus is nice, but we did a head-to-head comparison, and mine is built with even more meticulous care. The leather is soft and has already broke in nicely. The forward stirrups take the strain off my knees, which no longer hurt after a ride.

Summary: I can't say enough good things about this saddle. My husband has ridden a big Western stock saddle for years, but after riding my Imus he ordered one for himself. Another friend is saving up for one too. It's hard to describe how much more I feel "with" my boys Harley and Charlie. *If you have a gaited horse this is THE saddle to buy*. Brenda works with gaited horses, and her expertise is very evident in her products.

Rating: 5

Author: Jamie Evan


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## NorCalChicks (Dec 7, 2007)

jill.costello said:


> I wish you could! It smells utterly intoxicating! As a leather worker, I am gazing at it lovingly every few minutes, lol.


Have you considered therapy?:lookout:

Just kidding! That's quite a review. So have you tried it out yet?


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

BUENA VISTA - As he walks through the saddle shop at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility, Duncan Clark says he has no reason to be worried. I then ask him if we should be worried. 

"Well, over 450 of the tools in here are 'Class A,' or considered to be weapons," he said.

There are blades, knives, and all sorts of things you would never expect to see in a prison. Clark then told us, "My feeling is, if all I did was worry what (the prisoners) were doing behind my back, none of this work would ever get done."

There, he says, lies all the proof he needs that the workers in this saddle shop are learning more than just how to manufacture saddles.

"They want stuff to go out of here right, the first time," Clark said.

He has run the shop for more than six years now.

There are 31 inmates currently working in this shop inside the prison. Two staff members, including Clark, supervise their work.

They can turn out close to 50 saddles a week. Their saddles go to Colorado Saddlery in Denver.

The prisoners will tell you: this is likely the most coveted job in the state's prison system. The fact that they all make minimum wage certainly doesn't hurt. Sixty-cents-a-day is the prison job norm.

"We know what we've got going on in here, and we know if at any time we decide to mess with that, it can be taken away from us," said Nathan Highline.
9 News


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

CCi:
As of 2010, Brenda Imus saddles are manufactured by inmates in the Colorado Correctional Institution Saddle Shop. According to Imus, the switch allowed her to cut delivery times and improve overall saddle quality while offering more options. Imus said the program pays the inmates minimum wage while they learn a trade and the proceeds in turn support the program and inmates. It's one of the only self-supporting prisons in the country.

Brenda Imus: http://www.gaitsofgold.net/ Gaited horse expert


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

Wow, sure sounds like you got lucky!


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

beautiful...


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Looks very comfortable, for both horse and rider. I like the 3/4 rigging, although I can take or leave the 3-point.


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