Mike received his Sport Saddle in July. He noticed a dimple in the pommel
but assumed it was due to shipping and did not consider it a problem. He
only used the saddle about 4 or 5 times and noticed that the pommel flexed
as he lifted it off the horse. After closer inspection, he determined that
the tree was broken. We do not know if the tree was broken when we received
it or if it happened later. We returned the saddle and the company replaced
the broken tree. We felt like it was a fluke and a problem with that tree.
Mike rode in the repaired saddle about 4 more times and it broke again.
Mike was posting at a trot and heard a pop. Since he was experienced with
what to look for, he immediately noticed that the tree was broken again.
I (Liz) received my Sport Saddle in May. I have had no problems until Mike
borrowed my horse and rode in the saddle for about 15 min. this past
weekend. Just like the other, he was posting at a trot and heard a pop.
Mike is 6'1" tall and 210lbs. Yes, a heavyweight. He is a very good
(light) rider. For what it is worth, he is also a farrier and trainer. He
has ridden in lots of other saddles without a problem. Besides having an
incredibly wide horse (size E in the Sharron Saare), he has never had any
back problems or soreness with his horses.
Both saddles went back to Sport Saddle this week. They just received them
and they are trying to resolve the problem. They do not believe that the
problem was rider induced or that the saddles were mishandled in any way.
Both Mike and I have really enjoyed riding in our Sport Saddles. From what
we can tell, our horses have liked the saddles as well. I do not think we
should panic. The company is working to try and determine if we happened to
have a problem with our particular trees. They have promised to do
everything they can to correct the problem and repair our saddles ASAP.
Right now, I truely appreciate them working with us to correct the problem.
I believe that they have an innovative design which is realitively new.
There may be a few kinks to work out.
As for Diane's database... I applaud her efforts. As soon as I had a
problem with the saddle, I went to her to see if anyone else had a similar
problem. It is a monumental task, and as we have seen, sometimes thankless.
Diane never portrayed herself as an expert to me but simply passed on
information that others had given her. I know Diane would never try to do
anything to damage a company's reputation, just disseminate information. I
probably would not have written about our experience except that I felt that
Diane was being unjustly critised.
You may draw your own conclusions from our problem. I will choose to wait
and see what the company determines.
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Elizabeth & || ||
Michael Krens, Farrier ~ ~ || IT ||
Aerohill Farm || || || ||
Hillsboro, Virginia || HOOF || || ||
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Elizabeth & || ||
Michael Krens, Farrier ~ ~ || IT ||
Aerohill Farm || || || ||
Hillsboro, Virginia || HOOF || || ||
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