Rod Safty and Roger Deromedi Celebrate the End of 2022 with Semi-Retirement

Spending 45 years immersed in the industry provides the dynamic training team a lifetime of cherished memories and a deep compassion for the horse

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Dan Wilson

 

By Delores Kuhlwein

The illustrious careers of Rod Safty and Roger Deromedi of 45 years as two of the most highly respected trainers in the APHA industry are almost impossible to capture in one vignette.

The duo now lives in Burleson, Texas, and they recently announced their semi-retirement after decades as the go-to trainers for countless all-around horses and riders in Northern California.  Their announcement came during the 2022 Copper Country Paint O Rama in Scottsdale, Arizona, resulting an atmosphere of sentiment and warmth toward the two distinguished trainers of all-around horses.

Roger Deromedi explains that though the semi-retirement is part of a careful plan he and Rod have made, it doesn’t necessarily mean the process is easy.  “Not everybody gets to work a job every day of their life that they love, and we’ve been able to do so for 45 years, and that part is really unique. It’s also hard to let go of, because for that many years, it’s your life. You spend so many holidays together with people at horse shows and you form such a camaraderie; they truly become family.  You call someone you know from the horse business when you need to talk or if you need help, and that’s probably one of the biggest parts we’ve cherished.”

To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn

The plans come on the heels of their dedication to their health; Rod Safty had recently retired from judging for multiple associations due to his back and accompanying surgeries, the latest surgery in 2019.  Roger also had to address his genetic heart issues with open heart surgery – a five-way bypass – in 2018.  Besides, the physical effects of being a horse trainer never fails to take its toll with wear and tear, says Roger.

As passionate horsemen, their desire to be with horses each day hasn’t wavered, however.  “We’re still taking horses into ride, teaching them Trail, Hunter Hack, and lead changes for Western Riding, but we’re not going to do the campaigning we’ve always done,” Roger explains.  “Now we’re finally able to take the back burner horses of trainers and work with them.  We also still have clients taking lessons who want to slow down and learn some different things.”

The Beginning of it All

It seems it was yesterday that the two met in college through the equine studies program at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming.  “Rod grew up on a cattle ranch and I grew up in rodeo, and we got together and started our own business riding broncs for ranchers,” Roger says.  “The horses would come in herds like elk and we would run them in to the bucking chutes to put halter and saddles on them.”

They started learning about show horses after college, working in Montana and Wyoming; Roger worked for Diamond N Ranch when they first started out, and Rod worked for Jim Weaver Quarter Horses with their halter horse program. They began training together and moved to California, first to Bakersfield and then later to Northern California, and it was in California they thrived as Deromedi & Safty Performance Horses for 31 years.

The Best of Both Worlds

The combining of both their talents enabled the training duo to excel in the all-around, from Driving to Halter to Trail to Hunter Under Saddle to Western Pleasure to Western Riding and more, and with two sets of hands, they could take multiple horses to shows and manage it well. They also showed several stallions for many years – up to 10 or 11 at one time.

“We did that for many years and when Rod later got into judging, he had seven or eight different breed cards, he was gone at least two weekends a month and was judging World Shows here and in Europe,” Roger explains. “The partnership of working on the horses together was still effective, because as I kept showing, Rod became my eyes on the ground.”

Roger’s visibility in over fence classes became another aspect of the demand for their training.  “We raised Warmbloods for 13-14 years, and we were also taking the APHA horses to the USEF shows,” he says.  “That started getting them on top of their game and it would get our youth and amateur riders ready for the Paint World.  I still like training the over fence horses, but the demand for them has lessened.”

A Long Tradition of Championships

Over those 45 years, the two racked up countless championships and titles, including APHA World Show wins.  “I was high point exhibitor two years in a row at APHA World in 1998 and 1999,” reveals Roger.  “That was when the show was in the summer and there were cuts in everything and tons of horses.”

Deromedi and Safty Performance Horses also earned open and amateur all-around titles with horse trailers as the awards many times, Roger says.  “We’ve won numerous saddles, and probably in excess of 300 World and Reserve Championships at the APHA World Show alone, not including all our success at the Pinto World Show.”

There are so many horses over the years that were special to both Rod and Roger that choosing a favorite isn’t feasible, Roger explains. “Obviously there are horses you get a special connection with, but we can’t say we have one favorite. Some really have become one of our best friends.”

Just a section of highlights of their years of success includes the names of horses like Rod’s first World Championship Classy Lady R in Senior Western Riding, and Roger’s first World Champion that won Senior Western Pleasure with him:  Far Ute Reydene.

They also have fond memories of horses they set significant milestones with, such as: Sunnys Dion Bar, a black Tobiano mare that won countless saddles and was World Champion in the Senior Trail with Rod that came back and was World Champion in Hunter Hack with Roger; Rod’s World Champion Junior Trail mare, Storming Go Rita; APHA Hall of Fame horse Elegant April; Rod’s last World Champion, The Will To Do, in Junior Western Riding; and Roger’s last World Champion, Death By Chocolate, who won Junior Working Hunter and Junior Hunter Hack.

“They become road warriors,” explains Roger, “and once a show horse gets retired, they don’t last long if they lose their purpose.  We don’t want to be that old show horse, so that’s why we’ve made the decision we have.  We sold our horse trailer and a bunch of my own show saddles and show pads, and it was hard to watch it all leave.”

Coming Away

What they’ve learned from their own lifetime of being road warriors is complex, but always at the center is the love for the horse.  “We’ve learned that the number one thing is the compassion for the animal and not so much the love of the sport,” Roger reveals. “Competition can be healthy, but you have to understand you’re dealing with a living creature.  You’ve got to have some passion and be willing to get into their brain and think what they’re thinking, and you also have to be willing to find a job they can do. None of us want to do a job we hate, so we’ve always tried to find a direction a horse will fit into.  Not all will be a Western Pleasure horse, and not all will do Western Riding; you have to find where they lend themselves.”

He adds that horses have a real sensitivity and can feel compassion.  “We’ve had so many we’ve built a camaraderie with, and we’ve become teams with them.  We’ve had several horses over the years that pulled us through when the chips were down because we were on the same side.  That’s really important to having success in this industry.”

Their move to Texas was to join family who already lived there, and they were able to transition to having a separate home they built while keeping six to eight horses at a nearby stable.  “We’ve made some good business decisions and we’ve been able to own our own property,” says Roger. “We’re still riding and training, and now at our age, we’re also ready to do a little bit of living.”

Editor’s note: Congratulations to Rod and Roger on their semi-retirement, and we look forward to seeing you soon! Thank you for sharing your talents with the horse world and for all the memories.