![]() ![]() bit: a type of horse tack placed in the mouth of a horse in order to help riders communicate with the animal.One concho was designed with praying hands to remind her of what she had been through.” “We also made conchos for her saddle, and each told the story of one person in her life who was really meaningful. “We worked the cancer ribbon into the design, so the spurs tell her story,” Ocken says. One project the couple completed was a set of spurs for a woman who had survived cancer. ![]() “We pay close attention to detail, and create functional and artistic pieces nobody has had before.” “We’ve kept the business small and manageable, but we’ve been surprised at the positive response we have gotten and the number of connections we’ve made,” Ocken says. The couple spends a lot of late evening hours in a small shop on their property where they fashion their cowboy gear. “He’s not really ugly,” Ocken is quick to point out. Their horses have unusual names such as Doctor Bob’s Dun Cuttin’ and Ugly But Quick. “Justine has a pony she shows.”Īmong the family’s ponies are White Buttermilk, Buckmoo and Dolly. “Jarrett has shown horses in 4-H since he was 2, and he plays football,” their mother says. Now, they’re passing their love for horses on to their children. The family lives on 16 acres with their dogs, five horses and four ponies.Īppropriately, Lyn and Jay met in college while competing on the Ball State University Equestrian Team. Jay also shoes horses (a job he has loved since the age of 14), and the couple has three children – 10-year-old Jarrett, 4-year-old Justine and 1-year-old Jhett. Jay Ocken teaches industrial technology for high school students in Whitko Community Schools, while Lyn teaches elementary art in Huntington County Schools. Metalwork is one of many hats the Ockens wear. “I fell in love with that aspect of it, so now Jay does all the metalworking, and I do the engraving.” “We went to Canada and worked with a bit and spur maker there, and I went to Texas and worked with an artist and engraver,” Ocken says. Soon, people began asking the couple to make customized buckles, bits, spurs and conchos, so the Ockens launched a part-time business, Ocken Bit & Spur Makers, in 2003. “We wanted some nice cowboy gear, but didn’t have the money, so we began making bits, spurs and other products for ourselves as a creative outlet.” “My husband and I are both teachers, and we both have shown horses all our lives,” Lyn Ocken says. ![]()
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