HISTORY

Due to the volume of interested riders in Wright County and surrounding areas, the Buffalo Saddle Club was founded by Leonard & Alice Daluge in 1972 to allow more people to participate in competitive and noncompetitive horse related activities.

The organizational meeting was held on December 8, 1971 at the Wright County Courthouse in Buffalo. During the next few meetings, officers were elected, club colors were chosen, and plans made for the drill and square dance teams.

The club has competed in Precision Drill and Square Dance team competition at the Minnesota State Fair since September 1972. In its first year of competition, the Square Dance team took first place honors using borrowed dresses and vests from the Western Mounted Paraders Club in Brownton, MN. The Drill team finished in fifth place.

Since 1972, the Drill team has finished in first place 20 times and the Square Dance team has finished first 14 times.

In September 1973, the Club was part of a feature story in the Minnesota Tribune Sunday magazine.

The club has participated in many parades over the years in surrounding cities and around Minnesota, including the Minneapolis Aquatennial in 1990. The club also performs in the annual Buffalo Rodeo.

Other fundraising events have included parking cars at the Nowthen Thrashing show and working at and eventually sponsoring the Buffalo Demolition Derby and the Buffalo Tractor Pull.

The club held its first banquet on February 12, 1973, at the Fifty-Five East Supper Club in Buffalo. The St. Michael Fire Hall was the site of the annual get-together from 1975 through 1988. From 1989 to the present, it has been held at The Dobo’s Café in Loretto.

OBJECTIVE

Buffalo Saddle Club is a family-oriented organization for people who share a common interest in horses and competing at the MN State Fair in the Precision Drill and Square Dance competition. Other activities include: fun shows, sleigh rides and trail rides.

GOAL

To promote general knowledge of horse care and horsemanship, along with proper competitive behavior and sportsmanship in a group setting.

Horse Terms

Hock: Financial condition of all horse owners.

Stall: What your rig does at rush hour in an unfamiliar city on the way to a big horse show.

A Bit: What you have left in your pocket after you've been to your favorite tack shop.

Fence: Decorative structure built to provide your horse with something to chew on.

Horse Auction: What you think of having after your horse bucks you off.

Pinto: Green coat pattern found on freshly washed light colored horses left unattended for 2 minutes.

Well Mannered: Hasn't stepped on, bitten, or kicked anyone for a week.

Rasp: Abrasive metal tool used to remove excess skin from ones knuckles.

Lunging: Popular training method in which a horse exercises their owner by spinning them in circles until dizzy.

Gallop: Customary gait a horse chooses when returning back to the barn.

Nicely Started: Lunges, but not enough health insurance to even think about riding him.

Colic: Gastro-intestinal result of eating at horse fair food stands.

Easy to Load: Only takes 3 hours, 4 men, a 50 lb. bag of oats, and a tractor with loader.

Easy to Catch: In a 10x10 stall.

Easy Rider: Rides good in a trailer; not to be confused with "rideable".

Endurance Ride: End result when your horse spooks and runs away with you.

Hives: What you get when receive the vet bill for your 6 horses, 3 dogs, 4 cats, and 1 donkey.

Hobbles: Walking gait of a horse owner after their foot has been stepped on by their horse.

Feed: Expensive substance used to manufacture manure.

Dog House: What you are in when you spend too much money on grooming supplies and pretty halters.

Light Cribber: We can't afford to build anymore fencing or box stalls for this buzz-saw on four legs.

Three Gaited Horse: A horse that. 1) trips, 2) stumbles, 3) falls.