Designs That Stand the Test of Time & Stand Out from the Crowd
When you can’t find it, build it! Julie Goodnight realized her dream of building the “perfect” Western saddle 16 years ago when she teamed up with Circle Y Saddles to design her exclusive “Peak Performance” line of saddles.
“I grew up riding jumping horses in a close-contact saddle, but I could never find a Western saddle that gave me that feel of closeness to the horse,” says Goodnight. “Over the years, I noticed that many Western saddles seemed to put the rider out of balance, or were too wide for the rider’s comfort—not to mention too heavy to huck up onto a big horse.”
Today, the “Peak Performance” line has 4 unique saddles designed to fit the diverse needs of the equestrian community. Each saddle’s name is in keeping with the “mountain” theme, starting with her flagship saddle, the Monarch.
“Comfort and functionality were always part of my plan,” says Goodnight. “I wanted one saddle that was functional for every kind of riding I do—trail, arena and high-performance. I was trained as a youth rider in classical horsemanship, and I knew I wanted a Western saddle that allowed me to use my aids well, to have complete head-to-tail body control.”
Later came the Wind River, the Teton, and Goodnight’s newest Cavalry-inspired Cascade Crossover saddle. Learn more about Goodnight’s line of saddles at shop.juliegoodnight.com/saddles.
“I knew what I wanted my saddles to do—support the rider in a balanced position, be narrow in the twist and cutaway under the rider’s leg for close contact and greater comfort,” says Goodnight. “Working with the saddle designers at Circle Y, we added other features like a memory foam seat and gel pads on the bottom side of the saddle for the horse’s comfort. Circle Y’s Flex2 Tree gives just the right amount of flex to meet the horse’s back better, and more shock-absorption for horse and rider.”
With the spread of the coronavirus in 2019, many horse owners found themselves staying at home with more time to ride, causing demand for saddles to skyrocket. Circle Y Saddles are manufactured in the U.S., which helps to alleviate some pressure, but industry-wide supply chain issues have made it a challenge to keep up.
Goodnight takes every opportunity to buffer this ever-fluctuating wait-time for customers, and keeps saddles in stock and on-hand—ready to ship to customers the day they are ordered.
Visit shop.juliegoodnight.com/instock to see what saddles are available today.
About Julie Goodnight
Goodnight is the popular host and producer of Horse Master, a successful how-to TV series on handling, riding, and training horses since 2008. Goodnight travels extensively sharing her no-nonsense horsemanship with riders of all disciplines. Goodnight is experienced with many kinds of riding—she grew up on the hunter-jumper circuits in Florida and is now at home in the West. She and her husband, Rich Moorhead, live in the mountains near Salida, Colorado, where they enjoy riding the trails and training cow-horses.
Explore Goodnight’s training library of articles, videos and more at JulieGoodnight.com/Academy.
Contact: press@juliegoodnight.com
High resolution photos available on request.