Ordered a Fhoenix!

[carrieh]

Well, we tried the Fhoenix today and it was wonderful! Mike Bannister, an EE agent, was so kind and patient with both Benson and myself and spent ages making sure that we were both happy. At no time did I feel under pressure to purchase and I really appreciated that. He just spent time and effort making sure I understood everything and that the saddle was right for Benson. We only took Benson in walk up the road [he's been out of work for 3 months due to back problems and this was the first time I had taken him out since being given the all-clear by the equine physio] but he walked out beautifully in the saddle and seemed really happy in it. Benson was happy to trot out, but I was all over the place in trot - going to have to get used to this new riding position! - so we didn't do a lot of that. But it was so nice to know that he was going forward again in such a relaxed and calm manner. And the saddle stayed in position just beautifully, no slipping sideways or forwards.

So the upshot of this was - I ordered a saddle! :D I hadn't been planning on doing so, I was actually going to ask for a trial saddle on loan for a few days, but quite honestly having sat in the Fhoenix and gone up the road in it, there wasn't any point in delaying any longer. Out came the credit card . . .

After discussion with Mike, we settled on a 17 inch Fhoenix dressage. The GP panels just looked too big on a 13.1hh Fell, and since we don't jump any more and I ride long anyway, the dressage cut suited us fine. I've gone for the lovely soft leather version in black, and it will arrive with the new panels!

Apparently it's about 5 weeks wait for the saddle now and I'm really impatient to get going again. I'm not going to ride Benson at all until the new saddle arrives in case I undo all the physio's good work on his back, so it's going to seem a long wait . . . his old saddle just isn't right for him any more.

Will post a photo later today if anyone wants to see what a little tubby overweight 26 year old Fell looks like in a Fhoenix dressage . . .

[fitz]

Will post a photo later today if anyone wants to see what a little tubby overweight 26 year old Fell looks like in a Fhoenix dressage . . .

Oh Yes Please!

There will be a lot of jealous NR members.

[No_Angel]

oo great:D
Piccies please:D I bet the dressage is stright cut,my gp is straight cut enough for me,lol.

[KarinUS]

You lucky thing! ;)
Enjoy

[carrieh]

I think my bank manager is going to have a blue fit when I ask him for a loan to cover the credit card bill! :D But what the hell, it's only money. And these saddles are an investment aren't they? ;)

Anyway here's a pic of Benny in the trial 17 inch Fhoenix dressage, exactly like the one we've ordered for him. Mike suggested using the Back Saver underneath it because of Benny's history of back trouble, and it certainly kept the saddle completely in the right place, no forward or sideways slipping. We had just plonked the saddle back on to take the photo, so it isn't 'adjusted' exactly right but will give an idea of what he looks like in it. I love the way these saddles sort-of fold round both you and the horse once you sit in them. It looks to be sitting a little proud in this photo, but once I'm on, it's great! I can't get over how well he went in it. I was the one having the problems with my leg position . . . but that will come with practice.

Ah well, 5 weeks and counting to the arrival of the new saddle . . . . <twiddles thumbs, whistles impatiently>

So here we are, one beautiful little fat unfit 26 year old Fell modelling a Fhoenix dressage saddle. And a big thank you to everyone on this forum who have been so kind in offering comments, help and suggestions over which saddle to get. All so much appreciated.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/carriebear1955/10-10-06_1325.jpg

[KarinUS]

I was envious about the saddle. But now... forget the saddle! I want the cute little chunky monkey underneath it.

[carrieh]

Oh yes Karin, he can be a monkey all right! ;) But I love him to pieces regardless :D He was really good today though and put up with being messed around for 2 1/2 hours whilst we swapped saddles, girths, pads, and had me on and off his back, and even went round the lanes to test the saddle. But in this photo he's got that "Mum, have we finished YET?" look!

[No_Angel]

arhh bless him he looks like a little thelwell pony:D my welshies are going that way.
Will your saddle have the new girthing system on it? I think thats better for ponies with round tums/forward girth grooves, as your saddle does look a bit far forward on him. I always pull my girth straps forward on mine as now maddie has some weight on her, and because ted is a barrel and i feel like im going to go over his head if its far forward.
An equitex pad might be a good investment if he gets a bad back. Maddie is very naggy when it comes to saddles and bites alot, but with her equitex and her prolite girth sleeve on shes alot better, she was almost instantly bettter with the equitex, gives alot of extra cushioning.

mine sits here with my barell, and thats the equitex under it, with some non slip stuff underneath as im lazy and dont liek cleaning things:D
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/PICT0147.jpg

[carrieh]

Yes our saddle with have both the new girthing system [that's what we tried today on the GP version] and the new panels which apparently are more shaped at the cantle end. I really do think the new girthing system is a blessing for the more rotund of shape! But I will certainly bear in mind your suggestion of an Equitex pad Tasha - thanks.

And aren't the Heather Moffett stirrups FAB?

The GP saddle flaps just looked too much for a little round pony somehow - in the 17 inch GP saddle he looked all flap and no pony! He would have been ok in the 16 inch GP saddle, but my bum wouldn't fit into that.

What's that non-slip stuff you've got on underneath everything? Looks great! I hate cleaning things too, especially in winter when Benny becomes a round ball of muddy wet long hair.

[No_Angel]

Ive been looking at the new panels but as I swap horses so much im not sure if they would work or not on my rounder horses, how shaped were they?

[carrieh]

I didn't actually see the new panels in the flesh, but Mike did say that they weren't that shaped and that they would be fine on Benny's table-top of a back. Once I get the saddle, I'll get some photos taken so that you can see what they look like on the more rounded horses.

Yes on looking at the photo it does look a little far forward on him - but that's just because we had plonked the saddle on his back again just to take a photo - not for me to get on. We hadn't even done the girth up properly for the photo. When I rode him earlier it was all adjusted correctly.

[No_Angel]

ooo, great thanks carrie:D

[carrieh]

No problem - it will be a good excuse to show off the new saddle ;)

[Bay Mare]

Yay! Another convert :D

Enjoy ... and wait until it softens up and moulds .... yummy :D

[carrieh]

I'm all excited now and really don't know how I'm going to wait the 5 weeks they have quoted for the saddle! Benny is SO tubby at the moment through not having been ridden for so long - though most of the 'tummy' in the picture above is actually hay belly. When the first big round bale of hay goes into the field for winter the two of them always over-eat in the first few days and then settle down.

I had begun to despair of ever finding the right saddle for him with his history of back and shoulder problems, and having to retire him. But he rode out so beautifully in the Fhoenix!

[Herbie's mummy]

awww cute pony :D
i am not keen on the saddle though .... sorry
but i want the cutie benethe it hehe

[carrieh]

No problem, we all like different things! :D What don't you like about the Fhoenix saddles, Herbie's Mummy?

If I'm very honest I probably preferred the Freeform for myself - I liked the very deep seat on that although it wasn't as soft on my bum. But my pony preferred the Fhoenix dressage so that's what we're having! He's very particular in his choices. Doesn't like forward cut saddles or saddles that are too big, and makes his opinions known! It was second on my list of preferences, but as he's the one that has to lump me around on his back, only fair he got his first choice! :D

Isn't it lovely though that nowadays so many more of us are taking our horses' choices into account as well? We are all much more aware of their needs and wants as well as our own. It just didn't happen 20 years ago when I got my first horse - hardly anybody would have even thought of it then. If a saddle fitter came out and said "that fits your horse" that would have been it.

[Giveitago]

Aw, the pony looks fantastic! I bet he'll move like a dancer when he's all tacked up in his comfy saddle.

I too have a fheonix on order, I chased it yesterday after 3 weeks just to see if it might be on the way and it's ready:D - only problem, my cheque was lost in the post and thats why they hadn't despatched it :eek: :mad: Hopefully sort it all out tomorrow.

Just to add, my EE rep recommended a Stephens Lambswool, 1/2 numnah to go underneath and it certainly worked a treat So I also ordered one of those off ebay. Backsaver pad should be on the way too by now.

As for the funky stirrups- does anyone know of another supplier?

[Bay Mare]

As for the funky stirrups- does anyone know of another supplier?


You can get them from the EE shop, I got mine from Neigh.org and I think (but don't quote me) that Better Saddles do them too. I love them :)

[No_Angel]

I got mine from horsing around saddlery I think, a bit cheaper than everywhere else:D
Icelandic shops and robinsons sell stirrups with the icelandic tops (keep the leather straight on the saddle) but not the wide tread

[carrieh]

Those stirrups of Heather Moffett's are great aren't they! It's amazing what such a small difference can make to the way your legs feel.

Mike of EE did suggest the Stephens lambswool half pad to me, but I'm not sure Benny likes them, although I could try. I think it's possibly because they make him sweat a lot when he grows a long winter coat. But the HM Backsaver was fine and did the job well. But I may well do Tasha's trick with the anti-slip stuff from Halfords as a dirty thick-coated pony who lives out in winter is impossible to keep clean - and I hate cleaning tack all the time! The other possiblity is just to use an ordinary cotton thin numnah I guess, but if I put this underneath the Backsaver would that then make the Backsaver slip? We were using it because it kept the saddle nicely in place.

Would you use the Stephens Lambswool half pad underneath the Backsaver or over it?

The Equitex pad looks wonderful Tasha but it looks the wrong shape for a dressage saddle [??] otherwise I'd have that! I think the HAF pads are the same shape aren't they?

Great to hear your saddle is ready Giveitago! 3 weeks is very good - I've just been quoted around 5 weeks for mine :eek: So either they have had a rush on them and are a bit behind with orders, or perhaps they just overquote the time and then have happy customers when they deliver 'early' [she says hopefully!] Do let us know how you get on with it!

Benny really did go well in the dressage Fhoenix, I still can't get over it. I've never seen him walk out so confidently and happily, a real long stride. He even did that long low 'free walk on a long rein' that you get in dressage tests at the end of our test ride! Really stretched down. He's never done that before. It just really proved to me how restricted he was by his old saddle and I never realised how well he could go. I only did a little bit of trot with him because he hasn't been ridden for a long time and is terribly unfit and overweight - as you can see by the picture! But he happily went into trot, ears forward, striding out, and the saddle didn't slip at all. I was the one who spoilt it by suddenly being all over the place in the saddle in trot - really strange feeling isn't it at first! Not used to such forward stirrup positions - so Benny just stopped and went back into walk again. Think he thought Mum was going to fall off! :D

Those Stephens Lambswool half numnahs - what size would you order for a 17 inch dressage saddle?

I'm a really happy bunny now having ordered this saddle. I hope it's the end of the long haul trying to find the correct saddle for him. And even better my wonderful Mum said to me on the phone last night that she would help pay towards the purchase cost! :D :D

[Gill]

Your pony is lovely, what a cute boy!

I have the SBS for my Highland and I'm really happy with it. I had a sit in my daughters Fheonix on her horse and was really surprised at the different feel of it for basically the same saddle, rather too neat a fit for my posterior I'm afraid to say. I think the SBS is much more suited to my needs, but they really are a great invention all round.
Have fun when yours arrives.

[carrieh]

Thanks Gill! :D Have you had any problems with your Highland with the SBS slipping? I presume he'd have the table-top back that most native ponies have, like my Fell?!

As a far as I can tell, the only real difference between an SBS and an early model Fhoenix is that the Fhoenix has the part-tree underneath the cantle - is that right? The new model Fhoenix now has free hanging girth straps to help horses with forward girth grooves, and the new shaped panels.

I love Highlands, they are gorgeous. Got any pics of yours in his SBS?

[No_Angel]

my equitex is the endurance shaped one (better for my saddle bags to fit on to), usually for under the torsion type saddles, but you can get different shaped ones (heres the website http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.equitex.de/&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=6&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dequitex%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D) but you can go on to german ebay and pick one up from there thats cheaper

[carrieh]

Brilliant! Thanks Tasha - oooooo look - I can have a blue dressage one to match his bridle !

[MelanieD]

I used a thin saddlecloth then backsaver then saddle with my SBS and it worked really well, happy fatty and no slipping. Used the same combination with a Fhoenix and still ended up with a horse with a sore back though, but I guess I have one of the horses a Fheonix doesn't suit.

[carrieh]

Hi Melanie

That's interesting - was it the same horse in both cases? With both the SBS and the Fhoenix?

[MelanieD]

It was the same horse. I think the difference was the SBS was a bit softer and molded to her shape better whereas the Fhoenix wasn't the right shape for her and was too hard to bend to accomodate her shape.

[carrieh]

I know the Fhoenix is part treed - has a small tree in the cantle only - whereas the SBS doesn't have a tree at all. So maybe that was part of the problem?

The new Fhoenixes are being made with shaped panels at the back now.

But as you say, there is no saddle on the market that fits or suits every horse. I am aware that after a while it may turn out that saddle isn't suitable for us either, but at least with Fhoenix they do hold their value well on eBay if we have to sell! :D

[MelanieD]

I'm pretty sure the part tree is the problem, my old SBS was great on my cobby one and could even use it on my TB-shaped one with a backsaver pad underneath. The Fhoenix is so flat across the back it doesn't sit right on the TB at all and is even too flat for the fatty cob, the moulded panels should help with that but after the hassle, time off and chiropractor bill I'm not risking trying it again even with the new panels.