Re: saddles

Diane Nelson (safehavn@fast.net)
Fri, 20 Dec 96 07:34 EST

Good Morning Joanne! So much depends on your horse's conformation, and what
type of saddle you are used to. The Sport saddle, for the price, is often
an excellent choice for FW-MW riders as the jury is still out on whether or
not true HW riders will encounter back problems. You should try to find one
as a demo--there are several considerations with these saddles: seat size is
critical, too large will decrease security and put your leg in a bad
position. Also the stirrups can be moved from the original manufacturer's
position (many riders choose to move them 1/2-1" back). And there is now a
"lifted pommel" option (sorry--don't remember their exact term) that will
"narrow" the twist and accomodate a high withered horse. Virtually all
horses seems to like this saddle and the beauty is that you can move from
one to another! If you already ride western, at least ocassionally, the
wide twist will not be a surprise (or if you are used to riding bareback).
Your length of leg will determine whether or not you hate the position of
the ring from which the stirrups are suspended--Sandy Terp on the list can
tell you about her fix. Some people are not able to use the girth that
comes with for a variety of reasons. Past problems with the pommel "tree"
breaking have been addressed by the manufacturer--talk to Liz Krens on the
list for particulars here. Out best known distributor is HORSEWORKS@
aol.com, talk to Genie. Others on the list now also--see recent post.

Orthoflex: you'll either think these are god's gift, or it won't work,
period. If you have a short-backed horse, in a word, "Forget it". For the
rider...probably the most beautiful, most comfortable saddles in the world.
Pricey though, but a lot of used ones on the market if you are willing to
wait (I have for sale a used Swain CT, this is the eventing model, built
like a Stubben so incredibly secure over rough terrain, with the new "short
panel system"--if interested we can chat another time).

There was a time when you'd see dressage saddles out there, but let's face
it, they are not designed to do THIS job. You need security, balance (for
you and the horse) and a design to distribute weight...an endurance model.
Some people have luck with the synthetics...caution, the polymer trees
spread and create undue wither pressure--NOT for MW-HW.

Sharon Saare has wonderful saddles with a dozen tree sizes to custom fit
virtually any back, she is knowledgeable and can work with you on the
tremendous number of options avaiable, and has just come out with a new
light weight version. Kevin has one and now so do I, complements of Lucy
High from this list. My new one is going to be delayed as Sharon told me
yesterday that she is redesigning the C-tree to have a greater
weight-bearing surface--so I'm going to probably "test drive" this sometime
in the future.

SR Enduros receive rave reviews--these are a true custom saddle with a
fiberglass tree built to a mold of your horses back. Exquisite workmanship,
pricey.

DeSoto: the SE contingent swears by these saddles. Semi-custom fit
available, very reasonably priced.

There's more, Joanne, much more. But this should get your feet wet. This
is a tough decision so it's good to get input from a lot of people to avoid
the financial circus most of us have already been through.

Tell me more about yourself and I'll see what other people have written to
me so perhaps we can start matching you, your horses, and your riding style.

Regards,

Diane @ Safe Haven
(sigh, the stack of papers gets higher for the saddle dB)