Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

We are planning to schedule a saddle fit clinic at Leatherwood, NC on Fri
afternoon sometime after 3 pm. There we can discuss our ideas of saddle fit
& look at individual horse/saddle combinations.

       Libby & I went to England and spent three days at the FLAIR/WOW 
workshop,
where we learned how to install & adjust the FLAIR into a foam or wool
flocked English style saddle.  We are now certified FLAIR/WOW adjusters &
retailers.  Currently we have eight saddles with FLAIR, two Wintec 500's,
five made in England leather ones and a WOW.  My basic thesis that underlies
why we are exploring the air panel saddles is, that it is impossible to
statically fit a tree to an horse's back.  There must a fluid (air)
interface between horse & tree to allow for the motion of muscles and
shoulder blade.

       In the Cranberry Ride, Lib rode in the heavily reworked Wintec with 
FLAIR,
that we described on Ridecamp.  (It started with wool flocking, had FLAIR
installed and the tree straightened to remove rocker.)  There her horse was
happy to trot at 10.4 mph (on the GPS), whereas before she broke to canter
at about 9.

       I was very pleased with the performance of the WOW in its first ride.
Lib's comment was that I wanted to ride more than I used to.  Zanilla has
atrophy behind the shoulders that with the new saddle is gradually filling
in; for her I am going to a wider gullet plate.  I ride in a balanced seat,
and it is easy in the WOW to keep my legs underneath me.  For Leatherwood, I
have readjusted the WOW to fit my other horse.

   We can redo wool flocking in an English saddle, but we have found that
there is an huge improvement in performance by converting a saddle to FLAIR.
The FLAIR website is www.flair.uk.com; be sure to look at the pressure test
comparing wool to FLAIR in the same saddle with the same horse & rider on
the same day.  It is important to remember, that to be worth redoing either
way, the saddle tree must fit its intended horse!

       I got into saddle adjustment as and adjunct to chiropractic & 
osteopathy,
because it had become obvious, that much of what was limiting to the horse
was saddle related & there was no one near us who understood dynamic saddle
fit.

Quentin
near Rochester, NY
www.InvernessFarm.com


-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Paulastk@xxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 8:23 AM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] The new saddles WOW and Flair


Libby Llop was going to Endland to take training in the fitting of these new
saddles and I just wondered what the follow up on that was.  Libby can you
give us some info on them and when they will be available?  The web site
looked
great and got my interest so give us the low down.
Paula
============================================================
It is how we "feel" deep inside that matters, cause each of us knows the
truth, regardless of how we try make it complicated.  It just isn't.
~ Frank Solano

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================

============================================================
The whole ride experience can be very hard, and at times you question why
you put yourself through such abuse. But then you remember all those
moments when you pop up over a hill and are suddenly surrounded by the most
stunning views.  It's just you and your horse and for a moment time stops
and you can hear the angels sing.  Therein lies the addiction, at least for
me. 
~  Leslie Beyers

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================