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[RC] Dressage saddles for endurance - Rides 2 FarI never realized that dressage saddles were so popular for endurance... Never confuse the number of responses you get on a post with an overall average at a ride. Sometimes I sort of have to shake my head and say, "Wait a minute...that's not what it's like at a ride" after I hear a bunch of responses on any variety of topics. If you want to see what people really use, go to a ride and just count the saddles. Maybe differentiate on your list what distance they are riding also. I've seen a couple of top riders who rode in English saddles of one type or another, but they were usually crossover riders who had been very successful in dressage or jumping before beginning endurance. (Nina Warren or Melissa Crain for example) but not a lot of riders on them in general. In theory, I'd like to run across a dressage saddle that fit my horse and try it out, but I've never even ridden a real one. I'm kinda shopping for one for Josie's lessons but I've developed such expensive taste don't know if I could get the quality that I'd want. As far as dressage saddles not sliding forward, I'd be curious as to what it is about them that suspends the laws of gravity and shape. If your horse gets narrower as you get closer to his shoulders (as opposed to his barrel), and the saddle is sitting on a tilted surface, what miracle is keeping it back if the saddle is not digging into the shoulder? Seems to me the shoulder blade is the only thing that's keeping the saddle back. Get on your horse, put the saddle just behind the shoulder, then slide your fingers under the front of your saddle. Get someone to take his foreleg and extend it forward and feel the pinch. If you're using that shoulder blade to keep the saddle back I don't see how you're keeping the saddle from interfering with free movement of the shoulder. I like my cruppers. My saddle doesn't go over my horse's head without one, but it stays out of his shoulderblade with it. The panel on the OF does make a natural ramp to climb over the shoulder blade rather than dig in and stay back, so I think it may need one a little more but it's a small price to pay for the free shoulder movement...besides, cruppers are *cool*. >g< There's a little attachment you can get for your English saddle that's just a crossbar with a crupper D attached to it. You just slide the crossbar into the channel of the saddle and have an instant D. I've done the same with a large nail in a pinch. Angie ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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