OUR HISTORY

The Chelan Rustlers Saddle Club . .

Has been a part of the community for nearly three-quarters of a century. Originally formed in 1953 by a group of horse enthusiasts who shared a passion for experiencing life on horseback, the original founders selected a spot in the foothills above Lake Chelan to start their club. And 70 years later, it is still the Saddle Club's home base.

The first meeting took place in June 1953 when they adopted their name, elected their officers, and put together a board of directors of which at least one had to be a woman. They also voted to lease the 40-acre property located north of the Chelan Fraternal Cemetery from the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) as their home base. Within a few short months, the membership grew, and The Chelan Rustlers Saddle Club was up and running.

During their first summer, the City of Chelan offered to donate the existing rodeo facility to the club, lock, chutes, fencing, and barrels.

THE CATCH: The Club would need to relocate the entire rodeo setup from its current location in downtown Chelan (close to what is now known as Don Morse Park) to the leased club grounds. The club gladly accepted the offer and began the long process of migrating the rodeo facility – piece by piece - from the edge of the lake to its new Saddle Club home. It was four more years before they completed rebuilding the rodeo stadium just in time for their first Chelan Rustlers Saddle Club-sponsored rodeo held on Labor Day weekend of 1957.

Meetings

In the early years, monthly meetings were often held at places of business such as the Chelan Building Lumber Company, Elgin Orchards Cabin House or Harlan Faris Tire Company. Of course, these business owners were also saddle club members themselves.

Expanding the Club

The Club was incorporated in December 1953 and was designated a nonprofit organization. Over the next several years, members worked toward having a fully operational horseboarding and riding facility. This involved drilling for water, bringing in electricity and other utilities as well as building amenities, barns, and landscaping.

. . . Buy the Land

In late 1954, the members decided to purchase the leased land and made an offer of $1,200 to the IOOF. The offer was accepted and the Chelan Rustlers Saddle Club became the new owner of the 40-acres that housed their growing organization.

Plans to build corrals took shape in 1954-57 as did staking out areas for an arena, play area, training and riding track. Even with the ongoing work, the members, never forgot their passion to venture out regularly on horseback around the mountains and orchards of Chelan and Manson.

Passion for Riding

Each month, the assigned trail chief organized upcoming rides which were often a family affair. Children were regulars on these outings to encourage more youth involvement. In 1957, then President Phil Harley dedicated one night a week to training and teaching youth about proper horsemanship, rigging for trail riding and better ways for maintaining tack and caring for their horses. This eventually evolved into the Jr. Saddle Club group and later merged into what we know today as the Jr. Rodeo.

Grounded in Tradition

Community and civic engagement was and still is a core principle of the Saddle Club. From the beginning, Saddle Club members have participated in parades, festivals, and numerous local events. In the 1950’s and 60’s, several members joined the Chelan County Posse working alongside local law enforcement with duties ranging from public ceremonial events to patrol of wilderness areas and other emergency response requests. It wasn't unusual to find the Posse on a search and rescue mission in wooded and remote areas that were not conducive to powered vehicles.

While some things have changed over time, the Saddle Club traditions remain the same and have been passed on from generation to generation. The Club continues to support equine events through organized rides, youth programs, community engagement and its sponsorship of training clinics and rodeos.

The Chelan Rustlers Saddle Club is a perfect place for those individuals who enjoy being part of a community where life is experienced on the back of a horse.

OUR FACILITY

The Horses

Here you'll find a one-of-a-kind facility that bears the rustic charm of a 70-year-old horse club. Each barn is individually owned and maintained as are the horses who live in them. Barn owners pay an annual lease fee in addition to membership dues which help with the cost of ongoing maintenance, utilities, and water usage. The facility currently has 36 barns and paddocks housing the 45+ horses that call the Saddle Club home.

Our Members

Nearly 100 members make up today's Saddle Club. Membership is not exclusive to onsite barn owners. Many members keep their horses elsewhere, on their own property or other boarding facilities. And some are not horse owners at all. They simply enjoy participating in club events and social activities with other horse lovers. There is a place at the Saddle Club for anyone who enjoys being in the company of horses.

Amenities

The Saddle Club sits on 40-acres of beautiful central Washington land where members have easy access to miles of nearby riding trails and other scenic areas to venture out on horseback that are just a short drive from the club.

Shared amenities include:

Two large professional-sized riding arenas (one covered for year-round use)
One 60’ round pen
Two obstacle training courses
One rodeo arena and stadium with a cook shack
One clubhouse is used for meetings, social events, and BBQs.
The clubhouse and facility are available for events or local organizations to rent. It has become a home for our brave wildland firefighters to use when needed during fire season.

OPERATIONS

As a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization, the club's budget comes primarily from membership dues. These dues help with the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the grounds and amenities along with utilities, accounting services, cleaning, repairing, and landscaping. Members help defer some of these costs by participating in year-round volunteer work parties to keep up the grounds and prepare the facilities for upcoming events.

The club also receives income through member-organized fundraisers and fees paid by outside organizations to lease the rodeo facilities and other parts of the club grounds.

GOVERNANCE

The Saddle Club is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors that oversees club operations and ensures compliance with bylaws and regulations. Board members also are actively involved in day-to-day activities, events and sponsored club events. Board and association member meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the club house. The current officers and board members are listed below.