Schleese has been fortunate that even during these past few months during this global pandemic we have been deemed an ‘essential’ company in Canada – being a manufacturer, dealing with pet health and animal welfare issues. We have had a visit from the Ministry of Health and were lauded for our exemplary measures and protocols to keep both our valued employees and our valuable clients safe.
 

Although several of our staff opted to be temporarily laid off, we managed to continue working at almost full capacity with an engaged skeleton crew. Much of the time was spent strategizing on how the business model would change in the coming months and years – given that COVID-19 was expected to move from the pandemic to an endemic and become a constant part of our lives going forward. We are not alone in re-evaluating how our company would continue to survive and grow in the future, how we could stay in business, and how we could have a full contingent come back to work and continue to service our clients safely. Although travel has been restricted, we spent the last couple of months working on webinars, livestreams, and podcasts on a regular weekly basis; collaborating with industry influencers such as RaleighLink14 (check out her youtube videos!), and developing our own new instructional videos to continue to increase our followers and markets worldwide.
 
We have developed a new, more interactive and consumer-friendly website, which is scheduled to go live by July 1. In the interest of maintaining the new reality of social distancing guidelines (as well as reducing our carbon footprint!) we welcome you to Schleese's state of the art ONLINE SADDLE FITTING SERVICE! This service is unlike any found in the equine industry and best of all its FREE.  One of our Certified Saddle Fit Experts can work riders long-distance to assist with purchasing a new or used saddle, refit an existing Schleese saddle or assess the fit of a non-Schleese brand saddle.

Through this step-by-step online process, riders will find out exactly what they and their horse need. Riders are taken through a step by step guide on how to take complete measurements of themselves and their horse(s). This information is then submitted online for our Certified Saddle Fit Expert to review. They will then work with the rider on a solution on how to improve the comfort, fit and performance for both horse(s) and rider.
 
The online process allows for a fast resolution without having to attend or wait for an On-site Professional  evaluation scheduled near you – which means faster solutions to fit issues without the wait times, without having to possibly trailer in somewhere, and basically from the comfort of your own home! Of course, Schleese will still offer its renowned on-site 80 point diagnostic evaluation as before – but this will allow us to work with many more riders much more quickly, and with the same professional advice from our highly trained saddle ergonomists.  Check out the program by watching the video at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj9O2eMhZ_U&feature=youtu.be
 
Remember to stay home, stay safe, and use our hashtag #LetsRideItOutTogether with a posted picture on our Instagram and FaceBook pages to help spread the word and keep things positive in our equine community and family!