PDA

View Full Version : Dolly goes treeless...

chev
22nd Jun 2007, 02:34 PM
My treeless saddle arrived this morning :D so Dolly got to try it out.

It's an Equinelibrium Dressage. Dolly is very long in the back and I am small in the hips so we have a slight problem with seat size. I fit best in a 16 or 16.5"; Dolly can carry an 18" easily and my saddle is really on the short side. So we compromised - this new saddle is 17.5".

I'm really happy with it too :D It's easily the most comfortable saddle I've ridden in, and Dolly's sweat marks were absolutely even when I untacked. She was also much happier with me tacking up - she's never been tempramental at all, but girthing has always been something I've had to do slowly so as not to offend her. No issues at all with that today.

The only pics I could get were without me on board (had nobody to take any of me actually riding) but anyway... here is the Equinelibrium Dressage saddle on Dolly. It looks as if it would rock in a couple of these pics; but that disappeared once I was on board. It has a really well designed girth system; the way the straps are attached to the saddle spreads the weight evenly over the whole panel. I mounted from the water bath rather than using the stirrup (please excuse my crappy old leathers! :o ) and had no problems at all with the saddle slipping. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the stirrup bars; they're a sort of e shape which did make getting my leathers on slightly awkward. I'm going to get some decent dressage leathers to reduce the bulk under my leg too.

Dolly sporting new saddle;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/saddlefit2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/saddlefit3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/saddlefit1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/saddlefit4.jpg

And a quick headshot... :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/Prettygirl.jpg
Mehitabel
22nd Jun 2007, 02:37 PM
ooh, that looks nice. do they all have the very high cantles? (thinking of lovely low-profile show saddles...) and can i be cheeky and ask for the ballpark price for them?
chev
22nd Jun 2007, 02:44 PM
They do all have high cantles, but it really is the most comfortable saddle I've ridden in. I've ridden in other treeless saddles that were lovely, but which slipped; this one was absolutely solid.

It also has nicely placed stirrup bars; far enough back to make leg position easy enough to achieve but not so far back you have to be perfect DQ shape.

They cost around £600 - they also make made-to-measure saddles and you get a choice of materials and colour (like suede seats, or black and brown leather, and so on).

edit to add useful website Equinelibrium dressage saddle (http://www.naturallyequus.co.uk/el_dressage.html)
Shadowlark
22nd Jun 2007, 03:10 PM
Reasonable price tag too!

Thanks for the link Chev, will be curious how you feel about it after owning it for a while :)
mayoguinness
22nd Jun 2007, 03:37 PM
Thats a very aceptable looking treeless, I wouldn't of noticed the difference from the look of it:) Nice pictures, hope it works out well for you:)
Mehitabel
22nd Jun 2007, 03:43 PM
bargain! interesting they do GP ones without the huge cantle, too. when the time comes i might be asking about a custom made one with lower profile and normal straps, but straight cut. won't be until post-sprog though (hers) so i shall be seeing how you are doing with it 18 months on!
k8schmutz
22nd Jun 2007, 04:30 PM
Ooh this wouldn't be the one that was on eBay was it? Hows the weight distribution with the stirrups?
chev
22nd Jun 2007, 04:36 PM
It was, yes! :D

Weight distribution is great so far; I do think the girthing arrangement makes a big difference. I will test it out thoroughly over the next few weeks :D :D
Showjumper
22nd Jun 2007, 09:07 PM
Sounds great! Look forward to hearing how you get on with it! Any chance of borrowing some text and pictures for the Reviews section on my site?
k8schmutz
23rd Jun 2007, 08:05 AM
There's another one on there at the moment, I'm torn whether to go for it or not. What's the pommel cut like? would it suit a rather fat pony with withers?
Thanks :D
chev
23rd Jun 2007, 08:30 AM
Showjumper, you're welcome to use whatever you like :) . I'll let you know how we get on over the next few weeks too.

k8 - Dolly's not hugely wide, but she's not narrow either. She does also have withers - the pommel is cut back and there was a decent amount of clearance between the saddle and Dolly.

Pic to show you Dolly's withers;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/bronyfelin-ponies/May07Dolly.jpg
k8schmutz
23rd Jun 2007, 08:33 AM
They look quite similar shape actually. Thanks very much. I'll have to go have a bid then. :rolleyes:
fitz
28th Jun 2007, 02:17 PM
How are you getting on with it now? It looks great I must say.
chev
28th Jun 2007, 05:55 PM
Not getting on with it at all :( I tore the ligaments in my ankle last Saturday, have been hobbling about on crutches since then and will be for another week or two at least.

The minute I figure out how to get on with only one leg operational, I'll let you know! :D
fitz
28th Jun 2007, 06:03 PM
Not getting on with it at all :( I tore the ligaments in my ankle last Saturday, have been hobbling about on crutches since then and will be for another week or two at least.

The minute I figure out how to get on with only one leg operational, I'll let you know! :D

ouch.. sounds painful...

Get well soon :)