From: Wendy Milner <wendy@nsmdserv.cnd.hp.com>
Subject: Re: [endurance] Re: endurance saddle shopping
To: endurance@moscow.com
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 96 12:31:41 MST
Sender: owner-endurance@moscow.com
I wrote:
> Sorry, it seems
> to me that the saddle should fit regardless what gait or speed the
> horse is going, or where his head is. When we ride, we go all
> speeds, up, down, over rough terrain, and about the last thing I
> would want to worry about is keeping the head in a certain postion.
>
Wendy wrote:
As far as fitting the saddle. If the horse has learned to carry
himself, there will be a nice layer of muscles along the back.
When the horse goes hollow backed, the saddle sits differently.
So if a saddle doesn't fit well, you can try to do different things
with the frame till you find something that doesn't hurt so bad.
All depends of the horse and saddle.
Wendy, I do agree with you here, this is exactly what I see as the
problem with rigid tree saddles (they don't fit right when and if
the back changes shape.) But about the entire point Orthoflex
makes is that with the flexible pannels, it will compensate for
the changes in shape the back makes. If the saddle does not
perform that function, then what is the point of it (and spending
all that money?)
AFter grilling everyone I know about saddles and hearing their
saddle fit stories of woe, and after checking out the saddles
at the AERC convention again, I am still convinced the Sport
Saddle is the best saddle out there for me and my horses. (and
a lot of my friends too.) I am not saying they will work for
everyone or all hroses. But I sure would rather spend $700
than $1900 fo
r a saddle that might not work!!
I have also heard really good things about the DeSoto from riders
I respect, but have never been able to see one. I wonder if they
are sold more on the East coast? I do not know anyone in Calif
that has one.
Apologies again to Roger if I jumped on his post to hard. For
some reason it really hit me the wrong way. It's been so long
since I have had to worry about saddle fit problems, and wasn't
the kind of thhing I would expect from Orthoflex anyway. I hate
to say it, but I never worry about my horses being in a corrext
frame at all. I ride her with a loose rein whenever I am not \
trying to slow her down (-g-), and it seems like my friends and
I let our horses chose how to carry themselves over rough terrain.
--Karen
To: ENDURANCE@MOSCOW.COM