California Riding Magazine • July, 2009

The Right Ride
Olympian Courtney King-Dye
teams up with County Saddlery.

Olympian Courtney King-Dye, who represented the United States in Hong Kong, has joined the stellar line-up of top riders choosing County saddles. 

King-Dye has learned from many of the sport’s greats, including Klaus Balkenhol, Hubertus Schmidt and a long stint as a working student for Lendon Gray. Her tireless determination and dedication have made her one of the most respected competitors on the world dressage stage. After achieving her goal of riding in the Olympics, King-Dye continues to flourish.

This spring Courtney King-Dye joined up with County Saddlery while training in Florida. While exploring new saddle options, Courtney sought help from Gene Freeze, president of County Saddlery. Freeze assigned County’s Florida agent to evaluate her horses’ requirements and, in relatively short order, “problems solved,” King-Dye reports.

Courtney King-Dye at the 2008 Olympic Dressage Trials.
Photo: Alicia Anthony

When King-Dye decided to choose a new saddle to ride in, she took her time over the winter and tried many saddles from many companies. Her high expectations were three fold: 1) To feel completely at home in the saddle; 2) To enable her horses to feel free and swingy in the saddle with no restriction; and 3) Top notch service, meticulous and reliable, wherever she was in the world.

After going through the fitting process with several companies, King-Dye said there was only one choice for her. “County surpassed my expectations on all three counts,” the Olympian says. “I loved the way they fit the saddles to the horses’ particular shapes. I was completely at home, and they bent over backwards to get the job done perfectly. There’s no compromise. I feel so lucky to have found a saddle both my horses and I feel part of, and also to feel such team support behind our efforts in the ring.”

King-Dye was set to compete at the USET Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, N.J., in June with her two up and coming stars, Grandioso (owned by Hampton Green Farm) and Bogner B (owned by Shereen and Jeff Fuqua) and looks forward to the return of her Olympic mount Harmony’s Mythilus.

Press release provided by County Saddlery. For more information, visit www.countysaddlery.com.