Re: [RC] Sportsaddle - how long did it take for you to get used to it? - Karla Watson
You will get used to it and then you will ride
your friends horse in her treed saddle and it will feel really WEIRD and hard as
a rock. The sheepskin will help greatly. You will appeciate the SS during a very
long ride or on a 50 those last few miles. I never get sore with mine but do get
quite a workout with one of my springy, bouncy horses. I always rode
bareback growing up and still love riding bareback, so the SS is similar. It
took me about 3 months to really feel like I belonged in my sports saddle. Good
luck!
Subject: [RC] Sportsaddle - how long did
it take for you to get used to it?
I received my new Bob Marshall sportsaddle a couple of weeks
ago. I'm still trying to get used to it - because my mare is carrying some
extra weight now, and because she's a round girl to begin with, it's a
very different feeling than what I'm used to (um, I used to ride a horse,
now I feel like I'm riding a beer keg). I've always ridden English, and
I'm also used to some kind of twist on the saddle (I'm currently using
just a regular wool pad - I have a skito pad on the way - will that help
at all?).
The good things I've noticed is that my mare is now much more
responsive to lateral leg aids - her leg yields and turns on the haunches
have gotten much better with less work from me. Transitions are also
softer and more immediate. She's also much more willing to stretch her
neck out and lift her back. However, she's also gotten a little "hitch" in
her step occasionally at the trot - it feels like that little jump they do
when the pick up the canter. I'm wondering if that is because I have more
direct contact with my seat, or because I have more contact with my legs
(I can actually feel her midsection swing from side to side in the trot!),
or because I'm flopping around a bit.
FYI, I'm only riding in the
arena right now, for about 20-30 minutes at a time (slowly getting back to
riding after a long layoff for both me and my horse).
I'm just
wondering how long it took you to adjust to the sport saddle. I do think I
have good shoulder/hip/heel alignment in the saddle. I'm going to order a
sheepskin saddle cover, which I think will help somewhat (I think the seat
may be a touch big for me, and I'm used to the suede seat on my Wintec
saddle, so the leather is a bit slippery). I've also taken off the
stirrups that came with it, and instead have chopped off an old pair of
English leathers and added my EZ-ride stirrups - that has also helped. I
still feel, though, like I'm flopping around quite a bit. I'm hoping that
with time I'll get more tight in the tack. I really need for this saddle
to work, because my mare is VERY hard to fit, and this saddle really seems
to be working for her! I must admit my ultimate relief every time I take
off the saddle and see no ruffed up spots of hair. And I love putting my
hand under the saddle while I ride and see no pressure points. Even though
she's short backed, there have been no signs of rubbing
either.
Please share your experiences, and let me know this will get
better! Thanks!
