And Here's to You, Sara Ineson ...

The new year is bringing some changes at the shop:  Sara Ineson left us at the close of '09 to pursue some new challenges.  She started at with Edie in 1996, bringing extensive retail experience from her years in the ski industry.  In addition to being our hunter/jumper and eventing specialist, Sara was our buyer, staying on top of inventory and trends, and doing the ordering.

Sara was also The Organizer.  Whether she was displaying bridles (hung to Pony Club specs, thank you very much), running sales reports or setting the target time for the annual hunter pace, Sara not only had all the ducks in a row - she made sure they were organized by height, marching in step, all in the same direction, with their bills spit-shined and their feathers in fine trim.

So we all wanted to say a little something about the years we've worked with Sara.  And since it's my blog, I get to go first:

I've known Sara since high school, when she used to terrify me at local horse shows by burning up the course in the jumper classes. (I can remember watching her and her horse Forté during one jump-off, clearing fences at about Mach 4, and thinking, "Ohmygod, they're gonna die, they're gonna die" - which, obviously, they didn't.)  She taught me a ton about the world of forward-seat riding, showing me the differences between an equitation-focus saddle and a jump-focus saddle, educating me about proper hunt turn-out and explaining the intricacies of Three-Day eventing.  She's a great teacher and friend; I'm going to miss her practical, no-nonsense take on things. I'm glad that she's going to be keeping her mare Hobette here at the farm so we can continue to have our barn aisle conversations about gardening, photography and the State of Horses and Saddle Fitting.

From Edie:

We bid a very fond farewell and good luck to Sara Ineson who has been with the shop through its formative years, and has dealt brilliantly with two entire computer systems. Sara's knowledge of retail is tremendous and I give her a lot of credit in the success of our business.  Sara's horse, "Hobette" will continue to reside at the farm, so we will have the good fortune to be able to access Sara's saddle fitting knowledge from over the paddock fence for some of the tougher cases!  Good luck to you, Sara, and thank you so much for years and years of hard work.

From Nancy:

Sara and I have worked together for 11 years and together we have watched the shop grow into a "Force to be Reckoned with" (as we've been called!) and I will truly miss her and what she brings to the Tack Shop. We sort of fill in each other's missing pieces. Sara is very detail oriented and great with numbers. I see a customer's sales record and my eyes cross and glaze. Yet, we both go that extra mile for our customers and work together on many saddle orders to make sure it's the perfect fit. I've grown to rely on her knowledge and competency. She is my friend and we have shared so much of our lives over the years. I wish her much joy and love in the next phase of her life.

Sara will be taking a break from saddles for a bit, teaching and volunteering at Bromley Mountain ski area in the JISP and Outing Club programs.  She's also looking into some organic farming ideas, and will be bringing her young Canadian Sport Horse mare Hobette along in jumpers and eventing. 

Good luck, Sara.  We'll be seeing you around, and thanks for everything.