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From: Genie Stewart-Spears
Email: geniess@accessus.net
Glenda,
A subscriber to Ridecamp forwarded your post to me. As the person who
helped the saddle maker design the endurance model of the Sports Saddle,
I will answer your question.
The rigging is attached to the underside of the pommel and cantle -- not
to the center of the saddle. The rigging comes down in a "V" -- the
tops of the "V" attaching to the pommel and cantle -- and the point of
the "V" being where the stirrup and the cinch are hung. This design
enambles weight distribution throughout the saddle --- not just in the
center, which would be deterimental to a horse's back with the distances
that we ride.
Keeping this weight distribution in mind - recognize that if a rider
becomes "butt-heavy," as I call it, the weight then falls directly on
the horses back. A big NO-NO. This is why I work with my customers,
suggesting the appropriate stirrups placement for their seat size
(rather than the stirrups being placed in front of the vertical (body),
which would encourage "butt-heavy" weight distribution, especially when
one inevitably begins to tire near the end of a 50 or 100 miler).
Standing in the stirrups would not necessarily reduce the life of the
saddle, as long as the weight is not just in your stirrups. Your weight should be distributed throughout your body. However, be aware that literally "standing in the stirrups" has brought unnecessary pressue to a few horse's backs in the area under the pommel - when the stirrups were too far forward.
Perhaps standing - or "floating" is a better word - or posting if you prefer, will, however, extend the life of your horse's back.
If you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help you.
Genie Stewart-Spears
dba Horse Works
Distributor for the endurance Sports Saddle
254 Wilson Lane
Vienna, IL 62995
618-568-5507 Voice/message
618-658-5554 Fax
Message received:
>>>>Date: Fri, 19 Dec 1997 20:30:10 -0600 (CST)
From: "Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@theneteffect.com>
To: Ridecamp <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Subject: Q re Sports Saddle
Message-ID:
<Pine.LNX.3.91.971219202331.12949B-100000@consider.theneteffect.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
The talk of standing in the stirrups of an OF saddle, and the
possibility that it causes problems <bg>, reminded me of a question I've
had in mind recently with respect to the Sports Saddle.
With no true tree in the saddle (if I understand correctly), the
stirrups
are somehow attached to the middle part of the saddle, which is soft
padding. (I've been reading the websites.) Knowing that endurance
riders
spend many hours standing up, with some or all of the rider's weight on
the stirrups, in varying degrees, for hours and hours ... how does the
weight distribution vary with a SS as opposed to a normal saddle with
tree? It is my understanding, from previous posts on this list, that
standing in the stirrups distributes the rider's weight across the
entire
tree, thus on a broader portion of the horse's back. So, on a treeless
saddle, how is the weight distributed across the horse's back when the
rider is standing in the stirrups? Would standing in the stirrups a lot
reduce the longevity of this saddle?
Curious as always :)
Glenda & Lakota>>>>>
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