Ansur Saddle

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

chelle sherman cms@fluent.com
Hi - I'm a subscriber but I'm posting as a guest because for some reason the database doesn't think I'm a subscriber - anyway! I bought an Ansur Safari last Fall after a season of frustration in trying to properly fit my ultra wide pinto Arab mare. Her back is magnificent - nice withers, wide, strong shoulders and a broad, well muscled, short-coupled place to sit (with a rain gutter down the middle). I just couldn't find anything with sufficient width (even a reactorpanel - would have had to order a custom tree from England - though I did like the RP quite a lot). The Ansur Safari works great on her. Unlike the classic, it has a gullet (made of some sort of flexible plastic material). The gullet, along with the padding underneath is enough to provide a nice air channel. I have not used it in competition yet, but have trained in it all Winter, along with taking dressage lessons. I have had zero pressure points with it. The way the billets are rigged provides nice stability and I have never had it slide frontwards, backwards, or sideways (and this mare is ROUND). One of the neatest things about this saddle is that it is also comfortable for the rider. The stirrup hanger is quite far back, like a dressage saddle (plus a little more) which, for me, makes it effortless to sit in the right place and post lightly. It is deep seated, with a nice knee roll, and for me feels very secure. Unlike a sports saddle, it has a shaped seat to support your hips and pelvis - very much like an English saddle. From what I can tell, the saddle is very well made and has lots of dee rings in all the right places for gear (and it ought to be for the cost - though its less than an OF or RP). It is as light as a sports saddle and also fits my other mare, who is less wide. In my opinion, this saddle has lots of functional advantages compared to others I've tried, both with and without trees. Donnis Thran from California (an endurance rider and trainer) tested the prototypes and helped the Ansur folks to fine tune the saddle for distance ridi
ould be a good resource for more information. Like I said, I have not tested this saddle on rides longer than 20 miles yet, so there are still many unknowns, but I am having great success with it so far. If anybody who lives near me (VT/NH) would like to come and sit in mine, or just see what it looks like, you're welcome to contact me. I'm not connected with the company at all - just being neighborly. 

Chelle Sherman
and the stealth pinto mares
Plainfield, NH