In which I visit a biothane rainforest and invite you too

"When we started the business, Diana couldn't even reassemble a bridle after washing it."

Over the rainbow?  100' rolls of biothane

Well, that's changed.

Nearly five years ago, friends Diana Seager and Sherri Romero took a road trip up to Edmonton, Alberta to buy a biothane tack-building business which they re-named American Trail Gear.

They hauled all the materials home to a wonderful little workshop in Diana's basement and started building cool stuff for horses.

White River Youth Equestrian Team proudly sports American Trail Gear tack

Now, the workshop is a cozy little den,

full of biothane belting, thread, spools, bobbins

buckles, snaps, rings,

the Wall O' Hardware

 and, of course, "Martha."

Martha is a Consew machine especially rigged for heavy synthetic materials.

Martha is a bit temperamental.  She doesn't like changes in temperatures,
but she responds well to chocolate and sympathy and a
fine vintage small-machine oil.

Sherri is a little bit afraid of Martha, with good reason:  Martha is strong enough to sew your hands together if you aren't very, very careful.

Martha also doubles as a mechanical bull for kittens.

Matching bridles and breastcollars ready to ship out to a drill team

The entire shop resembles a tiny rainforest, full of brightly-colored tack instead of flowers and birds.

Now, as I write this, huge heaps of shiny biothane bridles, breast collars, cruppers, bit hangers and reins, as well as

hay bags, rump rugs, sponges, bale bags, gear bags and a plastic horse-head called Horace

 are all crammed into a cargo trailer, headed for Reno.

We're on the road today, and will be setting up the American Trail Gear shop in the exhibition hall at the AERC Convention in Reno on March 8th and 9th.    Come visit us there!

Vendors are free and open to the public (there's a used tack swap too--bargains anyone?).   I'll be selling and signing Endurance 101, and conducting an Endurance 101 clinic at the convention.

You can come see me, too!

And hey: go over and "like" the American Trail Gear on Facebook.  The link is HERE.  The first five people who visit the ATG booth in Reno after liking the page can choose a free endurance sponge in the color of their choice.   Tell 'em you saw it on Haiku Farm!

It's good, y'all.  And in a few days, we'll be at AERC.  And that will be especially good!