The Clifton Saddlery Offers Service, Supplies

To horse lovers, Liz Nuti is a heroine. After all, she rescued The Clifton Saddlery. 

Located in the heart of picturesque Clifton, this beautiful store, which opened its doors in 1987, had been on the market for several months. Watching it languish unsold, owners Sue and Gary Clairmonte had almost decided to close it.

At that point, accountant and equestrian Liz Nuti stepped in, buying The Clifton Saddlery in February 2007. Liz has lived two miles down the road in Fairfax Station since 2005. A native of Northern Virginia, she loves this unique area because of its seclusion. The bustling suburbs and shopping centers are nearby, but “it feels like we’re 200 miles away,” she explained.

Nuti’s family owns four horses: a pony, a Percheron cross, a Thoroughbred and an American Quarter Horse. She is proud that everybody in her family can ride, including her husband and two sons. Her daughter Jessica, as a member of the George Mason Equestrian Club, competed in hunter-jumper events with the intercollegiate team. Liz, who is a pleasure rider, enjoys both working in the ring and exploring the wooded trails around her house.

Under Nuti’s management, the tack shop has maintained the welcoming atmosphere that equestrians have come to expect at The Clifton Saddlery. Liz reminds the staff to “greet everyone like you are inviting them into your homes.”

The service is superior. The friendly, capable sales staff can advise you knowledgably about everything you and your horse need.

Because she is a Fairfax Station horsewoman, Nuti is well aware that customers want value. To her, this means high-end merchandise at reasonable prices. The charming shop has exceptional products and equipment for every English riding discipline. Whether you are a backyard trail rider, a hunter jumper or a dressage enthusiast, you will find exactly what you need.

You can even buy Purina and Pennfield horse feed, shavings and hay at the store. No more long trips to Manassas, thank goodness. Nuti explained that when Booth Feed recently closed, she decided to jump in once again. She and her husband leased warehouse space near Burke for the tons of feed they now carry. Although shoppers can buy feed and shavings at the Saddlery, Liz anticipates adding delivery services later this summer.

The Clifton Saddlery has added a mobile unit to its lineup. If you’ve been to a horse show, either as a competitor or a “show mom,” you know the importance of an on-site tack trailer. You’ve run out of fly spray; you’ve forgotten your spurs; you can’t find your belt; your saddle pad is dirty. Disaster looms until the tack trailer pulls in, sets up and saves you.

This spring, the mobile unit has already visited local shows at Frying Pan Park, the Union Ridge Equestrian Center in Centreville, the Warrenton Show Grounds and Sandstone Farm. A schedule is posted on the Web site (http://www.cliftonsaddlery.com).

The Saddlery now offers an extensive range of gifts for every person, every age and every occasion. Displayed beautifully, the adorable baby clothes and toys, jewelry and elegant accessories are a treat for the eyes and easy on the pocketbook.

Nuti scours the Internet and visits boutiques in other areas, seeking products and ideas. She also explores the wholesale gift marts in New York and Atlanta, “spending an enormous amount of time ordering” these irresistible items.

During the past four years, The Clifton Saddlery has changed.

“We are continually changing as we learn who our customers are and their needs, " Nuti said. "We listen and pay attention. We give our customers the products they desire and the service they deserve.”