Describe your organization in one sentence.

Mercer Island Saddle Club (MISC) is a nonprofit organization intended to advance the equestrian skills and related interests of its members through activities including riding lessons, clinics, shows, and pleasure riding, and also through its nature, as it is a cooperative facility that relies on its boarders and membership to both care for equine residents and maintain the property.

Are you an Islander? How did you decide to open a business on Mercer Island?

I’m an Island resident; however, not all club members are. As a cooperative nonprofit organization, having Island residents involved in the club is helpful because there is always someone around the club. A stated objective of Pioneer Park Youth Club (PPYC) is to engage in building the character of youth through equine activities and cooperative care for the facility. The club is a place where adult and youth work together to develop leadership, independence, and a cooperative spirit.

Do you remember the moment or time when you told yourself, “I have to do this”?

Pretty much as soon as I started spending time at the Saddle Club and realized how it functions. It is not your typical horse stable/boarding operation.

What your organization so unique?

Unlike many horse stables where you can pay board to house your horse, MISC is not privately owned by any one individual or family. The property is held in trust by the Pioneer Park Youth Club (PPYC), and it is up to the membership of the Saddle Club, led by elected club Officers, to run and maintain the property and facilities. In this way, it allows members to take ownership of the club and fosters a real sense of community. It is a wonderful place to learn not only basic-through-advanced horsemanship skills but also the ins and outs of equine property management. Many other boarding/riding facilities offer a relatively sterilized experience, but, at the Saddle Club, you literally can, and do, “get your hands dirty.”

What was your experience adapting to the new COVID reality?

One of the things that is very special about the Saddle Club is that we normally do allow the public free access to the property. There are guidelines for proper conduct, of course, but, on any given day, visitors could come walk through the barns and visit the horses, ask the members questions, and enjoy the experience. With the on-going pandemic, unfortunately we have had to limit public access to the property to protect the members. Our horses rely on us to care for them every day of the week, and, if anyone is sick and unable to take care of their horse, it can make for a difficult situation (proper care of one horse requires about 2 to 3 hours per day) because we have no paid staff. We are all looking forward to the post-COVID era.

We often say innovation comes from questioning the status quo. Have you uncovered new ways of doing business or launched new products or services that you would not have thought of before? How did it work out?

Mercer Island Saddle Club operates like a nonprofit organization. The Saddle Club has no employees and is entirely operated by its members. A main goal is to provide horsemanship education to as many interested youth and adults as possible. There are only 20 horses at MISC, all privately owned. Many owners allow other riders to share their horses in order for many to have the equine experience. There are a few instructors who give lessons at the club, but there is often a waitlist. The best way to find out more is to spend some time in the barn aisle asking questions and checking the bulletin board for information - post-COVID, of course!

If there was a single product, service, or expertise your organization should be known for, what is it?

The opportunity to learn true horsemanship. From the ground up. Unless you own your own horse farm or work in the industry, this experience is hard to come by.

Tell us something about your organization that would surprise us.

On the PPYC property, you will also find the Lakeview School (operating today as a preschool and host to the Children’s Dance Conservatory of Mercer Island) and its accompanying “Teacher’s Cottage,” which are both on the National Register of Historic Places. Both buildings were constructed in the early 20th century, and the Teacher’s Cottage is among one of the few remaining intact in the state. We look forward to reaching out to our Mercer Island community soon with ways they can support the restoration of the Teacher’s Cottage, in particular.

What is your favorite Mercer Island spot?

Definitely the Saddle Club and beautiful Pioneer Park, which is adjacent to the PPYC property on two sides; we are very grateful for the privilege to ride our horses in the southeast quadrant of the park. But a close second is Riviera Maya, a terrific Mexican restaurant also near us. We love the food there, and they are so nice to always tolerate us in our dirty barn clothes!

Since you've been in business on Mercer Island, what have you discovered about Islanders or the Island community in general?

So many of them do not know about the Saddle Club!

When you aren't working, what's your favorite pastime?

Riding and spending time with my horse, Ember, who lives at the Saddle Club. Also, as one of the “responsible young adults” often found at the club, I really enjoy spending time with our junior members and teaching them about horsemanship. And I really love spending time on the property whenever I can, pulling weeds or fixing things. It is so rewarding.

If you had to convince a non-Islander to come discover Mercer Island, what would you tell them?

Mercer Island has more to offer than you may think – definitely worth discovering its hidden treasures!

Learn more about the Mercer Island Saddle Club at www.misaddleclub.org.