Horse LIFE D WORDS BY TRAVIS HAIRGROVE
Quality comfort for horse and rider
“ I
’
ve been training cow horses , reining horses and cutting horses for the last 40 years . I ’ ve won over a million dollars , and most of that money has been won in a Taylor saddle ,” said horse trainer Ken Wold in praise of saddles made at Greenville-based shop Jim Taylor Saddlery .
Opened in 1981 , Jim Taylor Saddlrey is one of the longest working saddle makers in Greenville . Geared toward serious competitive riders , the company specializes in crafting high-end , custom saddles .
“ My background was in raising and training Thoroughbreds , Appaloosas , Paints , Arabians and Quarter Horses ,” Taylor said . “ Horses are not just horses . They are bred for specific things , so a working cow horse saddle is going to be different than a reining or a roping saddle .”
As Taylor continued to work with horses and learned more about what he liked in saddles and other equipment , he branched out from training horses and bought a saddle and tack store in Salem , Ore ., in 1971 , where he repaired saddles and built his first few from the ground up . Ten years later , he relocated to Greenville .
Even though he ' s now retired from raising and training horses , Taylor still applies his experience in developing equipment from in which its form follows its function .
GREENVILE LIFE 12 SPRING 2022