Heather
27th Jan 2003, 11:38 AM
Well it is here! I haven't yet had time to take pics, but suffice it to say that you wouldn't know it wasn't a normal treed saddle.
I have just ridden Debbie, my yard manager's horse Fly in it. Fly has awful conformation, despite being homebred from a nice mare and Queens Soldier, a TB now standing at the Luoella stud and who has got some very nice stock.
Fly looks like a hammock without his tack on! So if ever there was a good horse to try this saddle on, he was it! The panel stayed totally up off his back, the gullet did not splay out or push down in the middle. Fly has terrific movement despite hs conformation, and is not the easiest to sit on as his movement is so big- he is only 15.1hh and I have sat o 17 hand warmbloods with less movement!
Poor chap had actually just done Simon's lesson so was a bit tired, but I just put the saddle on him for ten minutes - we woudl have done the lesson in it had itarrived sooner- and he just rounded up and stepped through more than I have ever felt him- beautifully light in the hand too.
The saddle is the nearest thing to siting in an armchair, but not in a chair seat I hasten to add. It put me dead centre and my thigh just hung down easily- didn't feel at all wide, despite Fly being a very wide fit across the withers andshoulders
The floating head froont arch worked brilliantly, to adjust from Fly to putting it on the very wide simulator to try as well, although I am not yet convinced that we even need this feature. I think that because the gullet is so defined, I am certain that with no more than an actual front gullet plate sitting merely up off the withers, that it will give plenty of wither clearance without any added complexity.
My seatbones were not in any way pressing down in to the back and causing possible preesure poits, becuase teh way that Barry has made the saddle makes this impossible- the rider's weight is so supported and spread that it just won't happen.
To say that I am over the moon with this first prototype is a bit of an understatement.
There are one or two minor improvements that I feel can be made, which Barry will soon sort out, and then, I truly believe that we will have a saddle that allows total freedom for the horse with a degree of comfort for the rider that you will not believe until you sit in it!!!
Heather
I have just ridden Debbie, my yard manager's horse Fly in it. Fly has awful conformation, despite being homebred from a nice mare and Queens Soldier, a TB now standing at the Luoella stud and who has got some very nice stock.
Fly looks like a hammock without his tack on! So if ever there was a good horse to try this saddle on, he was it! The panel stayed totally up off his back, the gullet did not splay out or push down in the middle. Fly has terrific movement despite hs conformation, and is not the easiest to sit on as his movement is so big- he is only 15.1hh and I have sat o 17 hand warmbloods with less movement!
Poor chap had actually just done Simon's lesson so was a bit tired, but I just put the saddle on him for ten minutes - we woudl have done the lesson in it had itarrived sooner- and he just rounded up and stepped through more than I have ever felt him- beautifully light in the hand too.
The saddle is the nearest thing to siting in an armchair, but not in a chair seat I hasten to add. It put me dead centre and my thigh just hung down easily- didn't feel at all wide, despite Fly being a very wide fit across the withers andshoulders
The floating head froont arch worked brilliantly, to adjust from Fly to putting it on the very wide simulator to try as well, although I am not yet convinced that we even need this feature. I think that because the gullet is so defined, I am certain that with no more than an actual front gullet plate sitting merely up off the withers, that it will give plenty of wither clearance without any added complexity.
My seatbones were not in any way pressing down in to the back and causing possible preesure poits, becuase teh way that Barry has made the saddle makes this impossible- the rider's weight is so supported and spread that it just won't happen.
To say that I am over the moon with this first prototype is a bit of an understatement.
There are one or two minor improvements that I feel can be made, which Barry will soon sort out, and then, I truly believe that we will have a saddle that allows total freedom for the horse with a degree of comfort for the rider that you will not believe until you sit in it!!!
Heather