Saddle Help!

[DianneC]

That's a great price, was she talking USD or Euros? I want one. The Hope saddles (Joe Maxwell) are around $3,000 but they send out forms for you to try on the horse and take pictures of then send the pics to them for evaluation. I bought one, lucky to have a bonus check that year, and it fits Bravo and Chinny. I haven't ridden Lark in it and she is super round, but suspect it would fit, slip is another issue. The gal at Hope Saddles recommended "Limpet" brand pads. Said she had ridden her horse on trail down a big hill when someone going by mentioned her girth was loose, and it was. The Limpet keep the saddle from slipping. I think from reading that they might be hot and not let the back breathe though but I didn't buy one to try.
How is your saddle for slip Michelle?

[nrly]

thank you for his name do you have his number. i need to do something for her.

[Michelle Clarke]

Great Price! It all depends on what the Euro is doing...when I was at Nationals, Diane said they may wind up around $1,800, so I am glad you can get one for that price.

They don't do any modifying on them as far as I was told. I belive a round skirt or square skirt is about it.

I have not had one slip, even on Ora, who tends to be very round. If you use a thick pad, that is always a possibility though. I use a thin wool pad and a Thinline if I need one.

There are many reasons for the dry spots under the saddle, one of which is the horse is going with a dropped back, head up in the air and causing the saddle to dig behind the wither. That is a pretty common one. It does not always mean the saddle is too small either. Most times the saddle is too wide and slips back - that is the most common mistake folks make, they think they need a wider one. Gosh, I have been through it all!

The saddle can also cause dry spots up there if the rider sits forward and digs the saddle in, or leans back but pushes forward with thier butt and/or feet out in front of them or rides with weight in the stirrups. If the girth is set too far up on the saddle also will make it dig in when it is tightened (or TOO tight!). Many people check for girth tightness above the buckle (where it can stand away from the horse due to pad thickness or build of horse) - tightness needs to be checked at the bottom of the girth under the horse and you should be able to fit your hand in there without the blood getting cut off.

Also if the horse has fat pockets behind the shoulder near the wither, there is about nothing you can do to make that saddle fit comfortably. That will continue to be a source of pressure.

The BIGGEST pain in the butt with saddle is that as your horses changes in growth or development - your saddle DOES NOT! Ugh! I have found due to the way the trees are made in these saddles, they will fit through the changes...that has been the BEST feature for me!

[angelsdream]

Yes, the $1350.00 was in US dollars. Michelle, how heavy is the saddle? Maverick has pretty high withers but my quarter horse has none at all and is wide as a tank, do you find that they fit both types of horse's pretty well? Sorry, I may have already asked you this question before, Im really considering purchasing one of these, and want all the info I can get since I can't physically see or ride in one. How does it sit you in the saddle - back, up, from the looks of the seat, looks like it sits you down pretty good.

I wish someone around me had one I could test drive for a day..

Here is the explanation of the tree she sent me:

"it is flexible in the middle so it has give both ways. It has a
life time warranty on the tree.
It opens up the shoulder movement for the horses. Horses with alot of action in the shoulder seem
to really like the flexible tree. We have others also with the flexible tree. It is fiberglass that is together
with the flex in middle. We have seen them made and ride them ourselves and we love them. They are made in Spain"

[dazzlingduns]

Angel,
You might be interested in this type of saddle. It is treeless and made by Holistic Saddler named W.M.L. Huston from Baker City Oregon. [e-mail] People fly him all over the country to measure and build saddles for their horses.
Bill is also a wonderful Silversmith. He designed and made all the sterling silver on my saddle. Bill's wife hand ties the cinchas for his saddles from natural wool. Bill does not have a web site. Send him an email requesting information about his saddles and he will gladly send you much information. Actually his literature is his written book with much information and pictures pertaining to anatomy, withers, artful innovations, misunderstood bio mechanics, and much more!. He is a genius. I have spent thousands on flex trees and other treeless saddles. Nothing compares to this one!
www.kigeranne.com/images/a3ed_1.jpg
www.kigeranne.com/images/a905_1.jpg
www.kigeranne.com/images/abea_1.jpg
www.kigeranne.com/images/b04c_1.jpg
"If we as a society seek to have harmonic relationships with other species, rigid materials in contact with animals must be abandoned."
Melissa
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Pictures did not post. They can be viewed at
www.kigeranne.com/Photo-3.html Copy and paste.

[angelsdream]

Yes that is a pretty saddle Melissa. What is the price range for it? How does it sit?

[dazzlingduns]

Base price 1,800 Nice balance seat. Very comfortable.

[angelsdream]

Ok. The one I have now was hand made by a guy here who has made saddle for about 50 or so years. Its a very well made saddle, I love the way I sit in it, but its just not fitting my horse correct. So if I could fine one that I feel comfortable and secure in the seat and also don't hurt my horse's, then Id buy it.

Well Melissa, if I ever make it up there to your place, maybe I could test one of them out

[fantasykiger]

Reading over this post, I do not envy you guys and your saddle fit issues. I understand how it can be so frustrating. It is times like this that I thank my lucky stars Fantasy has withers, though when she is her fattest her back is fairly flat and wide my full QH bars Circle Y fits her just fine. I did buy the expensive Clinton Anderson pad as I ride differant horses here on the farm, boy I am glad I did. Now I don't need a differant pad for every horse.
I wish you the best in finding the perfect saddle for both you and your horse.

[angelsdream]

Ive got a lady coming out next week to help me with mav and saddle fitting. She's a licensed chiropractor, been doing it for over 15 years on horse's and a super nice lady. So she's going to check him and see if he needs any adjustments and then we're going to move on to the saddle fitting challenge. So hopfeully, I'll know something next week.

[Michelle Clarke]

Great! Let us know how it goes!

[DianneC]

How did your saddle fitting session go? Great that you have a chiropractor to help you.

[angelsdream]

I had to reschedule the chiropractor and saddle fitting session, the trainer had an opening come sooner than we thought, so mav is at the trainer's full time right now. The chiropractor is scheduled when mav returns. Training is going good, everyone was so amazed with mav. He has already won over everyone there and anyone that comes in. What impresses everyone so much is his beautiful movement and amazing mind. He was saying hello to everyone that showed up saturday when I went out to check on him. He's got a lot of fans now I can't wait to get him back home, it's quiet without him at the barn.

[angelsdream]

Has anyone ever road in a David Genadek saddle? If so, what do you think?