Re: RC: Saddles

[Lynne Glazer <lynne@glazer.org>]

At 12:08 PM -0400 5/22/01, JUDYK89@aol.com wrote:
>Could we also add Sharon Saare, Synergist, De Soto.  I'm on a saddle 
>hunt.  Have a very round, wide withered mare (hopefully she will get 
>more definition as she conditions) that my saddle slides up no 
>matter what. I use a Bighorn endurance now ( I think the center fire 
>rigging "pushes" the saddle forward as the girth keeps wanting to 
>slide off of the biggest part of her belly)and the further forward 
>the saddle slides, the heavier she is on the forehand (it's 
>frustrating).  Am training her on the crupper, but long term I want 
>a saddle that FITS, and won't slide around so much. Am leaning 
>towards the De Soto (love the price) know people who LOVE the 
>Synergist (but had hard time getting the right fit at first).
>
>I don't want any flames re: different saddle makers, just facts on 
>how they fit different types of horses.
>
>Thanks,
>Judy

Judy,

Look for a saddle with girthing options that will accomodate your 
mare's forward girth groove and rib cage swell.

A crupper, of course, is a crutch in her case, and would probably not 
be comfortable long term.

As long as your mare has a relatively well-defined shoulder, the 
roundness can be dealt with, though it's one of the most difficult 
combinations to fit when coupled with the natural girth groove under 
the armpit...

You can see some photos of this sort of conformation challenge at 
http://www.lynnesite.com/conformation.html

(Our English saddles have 4 billets, with the forward-most serving to 
keep the saddle from going forward on a horse with a forward girth 
groove.  Hand-made ReactorPanels are certainly more costly than the 
others mentioned, however, for many hard-to-fit horses they are one 
of the few solutions that please both horse and rider with no 
compromises.)

Lynne

Ontario, California    http://www.lynnesite.com
ReactorPanel saddles http://www.reactorpanel.com
Norco Riverdance Ride (PS) 9/1/01
& Rem-member Me, Celesteele