Saddle Sore Arena opens north of town

Wyatt Haight of the Saddle Sore Arena, located at 423 North on Highway 20, is offering a variety of opportunities for those who are interested in horses and horse related activities. The location was traditionally known as the Jackman Arena and Haight has been making improvements to the property.

Haight offers team roping, barrel racing, pole bending, horsemanship lessons, clinics, events, and riding lessons. Additionally, Haight offers horse boarding for the short term or long term, inside stalls with daily turnouts, outside paddocks, and pasture boarding. There will be on-site caretakers and farriers once a week.

Originally from Pindale, Haight owned a ranch there, but the altitude and weather motivated him to relocate. Haight said that he had his fifth wheel and drove around the country, thus he chose Thermopolis and Hot Springs County. While in Thermopolis he had difficulty finding places to park an RV. Haight said he saw RV locations “was a kind of that need.”

Haight said he is interested in helping with any overflow from the fairgrounds or RV spots in town. He also wants to provide therapeutic services for everything equestrian. He said if patrons bring him a horse, “I want you to have that peace of mind, it’s as safe as humanly possible. We have security cameras on everything, so you can go on your cell phone 24/7 and see your horse cruising.” Haight seeks to attract patrons who have horses and the sizable vehicles to transport them.

Haight also discussed that if something happens to a horse, they will get them in a secure stall and have professional help at the arena within an hour. Haight added, “if somebody can’t get their horse to the vet, they can bring it here, and we have a safe place to be used temporarily until the vet gets here.”

Haight continued about the care he will provide the horses. He said, “We want to be able to do indoor boarding with daily turnouts. Horses don’t do well cooped up 24 hours a day. They need some kind of stimuli, they act differently. We’ll bring them in at night and put them outside during the day.”

There isn’t a day that goes by that Haight isn’t making improvements to the property. Haight said, “This place needs a lot of work… It’ll be an ongoing project for a year.” Using local businesses and contractors is a high priority for Haight as he continues to develop the arena. He learned this importance from his mentor, who modeled giving back to the community. Haight praises the people who have helped him, from the plumbers or electricians and others, even to the youth who work for him. 

Giving back and raising funds for those in need is part of Haight’s experiences. He discussed a young mom who gave birth to twins prematurely. Haight will donate a Wyoming Centennial Gun, which is highly sought after and he will raffle off 100 tickets for $100. The money will help the mother’s financial needs for the hospital bills of the babies.

The Saddle Sore Arena will hold a confidence-building course on July 9, and 10, which will be led by Sara Lowe from Riverton. Haight said it is a desensitization and courage-building clinic. The clinic consists of ground school, equitation, obstacle work, and desensitization. Horses and riders will be able to accomplish courage in the horse and confidence in the rider. For both days, the cost is $300 and there is a $35 office fee. Stalls are available.

For more information on Saddle Sore Arena or to register for the course, call 307-654-1211.