ridecamp@endurance.net: [endurance] Another OF saddle problem

[endurance] Another OF saddle problem

Diane E. Nelson (nelsonde@ttown.apci.com)
Mon, 22 Jul 1996 13:26:28 -0400 (EDT)

Barbara Madill of NC purchased a used OF Endurance Lite saddle, built
11/94. The stainless steel stirrup hanger failed while she was riding.
Barbara sent the saddle to OF for repair. The Ortho rep. told her that
there was a period of time when faulty stainless steel was used for the
stirrup hangers so they were well aware of the problem. She also found
out at this time that the flex panels had been improperly installed.

Barbara raises the issue of quality control by this company. If you will
recall, just a couple weeks ago someone reported that they could not get
satisfaction on a faulty saddle because "Orthoflex does not ship faulty
equipment", to paraphrase. Obviously not only do they ship faulty
equipment, they also make no attempt to recall saddles with known
defects. Having the stirrup bar fail while mounted can be disastrous!

This company is developing a history of poor customer service and now
documented instances of poor quality control. If anyone has a similar
problem I would not only write to the company but I would also notify
their state's consumer advocate. In addition I would recommend writing
to Trail Blazer, Equus, Western Horseman, and other publications
detailing any problems encountered.

If you have an OF saddle built in the 1994 time period, it might be a
good idea to critically examine your stirrup hangers. Barbara said that
the metal appeared to be perforated.

Diane @ Safe Haven