NRHA Corporate Partner Bob’s Custom Saddles has maintained a consistent presence at the NRHA Futurity for decades. According to vice president of the company, Chris Weaver, 44 years ago Bob Haley founded Bob’s Custom Saddles. The mission of the company since its founding has revolved around putting riders in the winning position through proper fit and feel for both rider and horse. Champions in many divisions, from Adequan® NAAC Youth classes on up to the 2020 NRHA Futurity Champion, will leave this event with a beautifully handcrafted Bob’s Custom Saddle, thanks to their saddle sponsorship.
From the NRHA Futurity to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and even the World Equestrian Games, Bob’s Custom Saddles have been ridden in all major western disciplines to championships far to numerous to count. It’s a fact Weaver is proud to talk about.
The NRHA Media department had the pleasure of visiting with Weaver during the 2020 NRHA Futurity and asked him about Bob’s Custom Saddles’ involvement with NRHA as a Corporate Partner.
How many years has Bob’s been involved as an NRHA Corporate Partner?
“Well, Bob’s Custom Saddles will be in business 45 years in 2021, and we’ve been a sponsor of the NRHA for at least the past 20 years on some level. For me personally, I enjoy the relationship very much because of the support we have from both inside the arena and outside the arena.”
Favorite Futurity memory?
“I can’t isolate just one memory of the Futurity that’s most impactful for me, but I will say that it’s very gratifying to have riders in the NRHA winning more than $22 Million riding Bob’s Custom Saddles through the years. That’s a lot of winning.”
“My favorite aspect is that these professional athletes, these trainers, whether it’s from Level (L)4 to L1 and all of them in between, they’re confident they can win in our saddles. From the green riders to the advanced, we work hard to provide products they trust to fit their needs.”
What would you tell someone who is new to NRHA that they might not know about Bob’s Custom Saddles?
“From the standpoint of the reining industry, I’d say we support the reining community probably more than all the other genres of riding, which is saying a lot because our saddles are used in about every discipline at the highest levels. I just think we pair really well with the reining industry. Reining is a very diverse community to serve and we’re proud that we have a saddle that works for people no matter what kind of riding they want to do. In NRHA the derby, futurity and NAAC the riders are all a little bit different so they need what works the best for them. Reining has been a very rewarding industry for us because of the people involved that trust our product all over the world. We’ve sold saddles in 13 different countries now.”
