Ansur Saddles

[SavannahIce]

Hi, I am new here and loving it so far. I have a 10 year old andalusian cross mare. We are currently studying level 2 Parelli. So about Ansur saddles, does anyone here use/have them? What type of back does the horse have that you use it with and what additional padding do you use? Any pictures, and your experiences. What model do you have? Do you suggest the flat backed models or the newer panel ones? If you are tall and thin, what size do you have? Likes/dislikes. Pretty much just anything about them. Thanks:)

[Bay Mare]

I've seen them but haven't ridden in one. My friend had one on her horse and didn't like it. She found the leather quite stiff and not very comfortable for a treeless plus it rubbed her horse's withers. She also felt that it didn't put her in a very good position.

She had a 16.3hh warmblood, 'normal' withers (ie not high withered) and she's about 5'6" and slim. I *think* that she had the Konklusion but I could be wrong.

She now has a second hand SBS GP which she loves and her horse's back is much better for it AND it hasn't rubbed the withers.


Personally I wouldn't touch Ansur with a very long barepole because of their business ethics. If I was looking at Ansur type saddles I'd go to Total Saddle Solutions (owned by Peter De Cosemo, creator of the Ansur saddles and who used to be president of Ansur).

[No_Angel]

I had the konklsuion that baymares friend had, I used it on a very high withered ex racehorse with no problems at all,I only sold it as I felt it was to forward cut for the work I was doing with my horse. I used a prolite riser pad underneath that gave 1 finger of clearance when I was on board. I did however not place the saddle up the horses wither, it was placed on her back at the start of her wither. I now have a fhoenix and place it in the same place.

I also have an ansur classic, used it on a hw cob, and owner before used it on an Andalusian stallion. Used a suberpad under it.

konklsuion on my tb
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/saddles/Picture0094.jpg

classic on hw cob
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/saddles/SADDLEMOMS.jpg

[Iron Maiden]

I had NoAngel's old Konklusion for a while. My old horse, a heavy cob but with a good sized wither, was fine in it - I used a gel pad with removeable shims to get wither clearance. I liked it, it's a comfy saddle and fab to jump in. My current horse was less suited by it though, she is high and long withered & I really struggled to get wither clearance - I ended up using the gel pad, double thickness shims and a prolite underneath, I felt like the princess & the pea! Then I tried a suberpad, which may have been OK long term but I sold the saddle in the end for much the same reason as NoAngel - the Konklusion does have very forward stirrup bars becase it's an out & out jumping saddle, and I wanted to bring on my horse (she was only 4 at the time) so huge amounts of jumping weren't on the agenda. I tried her in a treed saddle and she seemed happier so I bought an adjustable treed saddle, which has been great.

[SavannahIce]

Bay Mare- Why would you not recommend Ansur?

[Lgd]

My older mare was tried in an Ansur and very impolitely said she hated it. She dislikes all true treeless saddles I've tried on her but she never had the violent reaction with those. She now has a WOW which is 'treeless' in the conventional sense and goes well in that.

As a rider I found it put me in a poor position - pushed me into a 'chair seat' and I had to work darn hard to stay in the correct place. Also very unimpressed with the quality of the finish - would expect far better for that sort of price.

[SavannahIce]

Anyone have pictures of the Ansur dressage models.

[No_Angel]

the second picture i posted is a classic, which is the original dressage model.

jumping in the same saddle
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/murf/murfjumping3foot.jpg

the saddle itself
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/saddles/PICT0024-1.jpg

[SavannahIce]

Thanks for the pictures.

[SavannahIce]

Ansur says that you don't need spinal clearance because there is no rigid parts. Do you really need it? Why do so many people make a huge deal over it? Do you really need a pad like a skito, don't you want to be close to your horse's back? Thanks

[Iron Maiden]

I'd be a bit wary of that - the rolled leather piping/binding at the pommel of the Konk was flippin stiff & you would NOT want that sitting on the wither! The saddles have a gullet so you should be able to get clearance over the rest of the spine, but Ansur supply a gullet pad that's a bit like a sausage that they say you should stuff into the gullet it the saddle sits too low to lift it up. Now I may be being thick, but I thought the muscular areas either side of the spine were the areas which should bear the weight of saddle & rider, I always thought the spine will get sore if there's pressure on it :confused:? I never used the gullet pad, it just seemed all wrong to me.

[SavannahIce]

Would anyone recommend a thinline, mattes, or skito pad with an ansur?

[No_Angel]

the classic saddle doesn't have a gullet, the konklusion and the carlton do.

I think as long as you have enough wither clearance (at least one finger) then lots of spine clearance maybe isn't a necessity. Keeping an eye on your horses back and any weight or muscle change they have you can adapt the padding to suit.
Horses with wide muscled backs will probably not need as much padding/spine clearance as horses with less of their own natural padding.

[No_Angel]

Equitex pads are good. I have used an equitex on my gelding under the ansur, he does have a very wide muscled back.