My Fhoenix saddle has arrived!

[carrieh]

Really couldn't believe my good luck when I got a mobile phone call from Mike Bannister [EE Agent] earlier today to say that my saddle was on the way from Nurseys - it was only ordered last week, and I was expecting a long wait. When I got home this afternoon, there was the Fhoenix dressage saddle waiting for me, in all its' glory! That's tremendous service, really impressed.

Now all I need is for a nice morning weather-wise either tomorrow or Saturday so that I can try it out <. . .does happy dance. . . >

Pictures of me and my little tubby Fell in his new saddle to follow over the weekend, I hope!

:D :D

[No_Angel]

whooo hoooo:D Have fun:D

[carrieh]

Cheers Tasha! It's thanks to you and others on NR that I've ended up with such a great saddle really - I would never have found out all about treeless saddles without the help I've had on here.

[monique]

Ohh Carrieh you lucky thing I am so Jealous, one day I will have one, really keen to see if they do a portuguese type as that is what I would really like, can't wait to see piccys of you and your little angel;) and your lushious new saddle.

[carrieh]

I've got a smashing Mum - she paid for it - early Xmas pressie! :D

[martini55]

I've got a smashing Mum - she paid for it - early Xmas pressie! :D

How lucky :) I'd love a fhoenix but unfortunately its just out of our budget. I hope the weather improves for you so you can get out and about in it :D

[carrieh]

After all the personal trials and tribulations of the last couple of years, Mum thought I needed cheering up! :) And Benson's old saddle just didn't fit him in any more - we've had a summer of physios and back specialists and we haven't been able to ride. Just hope Benson likes the new saddle as much as I do. Will post piccies when I can.

Martini and Monique - hope you can both afford to get one very soon! They are expensive, I know, and even with Mum's money I thought long and hard about spending so much. But Benson chose it during our trial of it, and he's an elderly boy now and deserves a good comfortable saddle if we are to carry on riding.

[martini55]

I'm glad you found a saddle that you both really love. You'll have to take lots of photos when you first ride in it :)

[mad mare1]

That is great news carrie...you will have to come back, and this time ride Crystal...the vet said she has no tenderness and muscle stiffness in her back now...thanks to you!

[monique]

Oh so do I, fingers crossed our house sale in North Wales seems to be going full steam ahead and darling non horsey oh has said I can have what ever saddle I want when the house sale completes:D , So I maybe trialing a Fhoenix in the not too distant future. Just hope the horses like it, hopefully one out of the four should do:D

[carrieh]

If anyone is interested, there is a lady on the Enlightened Equitation forums who is planning to put her Fhoenix Dressage saddle on eBay this weekend - I think she's looking to get about £850 for it, but that's still a lot cheaper than a new one. I don't know if she's open to offers on it before putting it on eBay but PM me if anyone wants to know her name.

Mike from EE has been great over this. He's even lending me a dressage girth until his stockists have a black one in the correct size for us. He is also going to send me a set of the new shaped panels for the Fhoenix when they arrive next month. I'm now just waiting for the backsaver and stirrup leathers to arrive from EE themselves, hopefully today, and then we can ride again!

Mad Mare 1 - will certainly get to see you and Crystal again soon! Am so glad that the Cheyenne sorted out Crystal's back and that she is going so well for you.

[MelanieD]

I've got a brand new 17" prolite fhoenix in black with suede seat and suede knee rolls, butt leather flaps. It has the new style girth straps and stirrup bars. Open to offers if anyone wants it.. Going to be advertised on EE or ebay soon anyway just haven't got around to it.

[carrieh]

Hi Melanie

Just out of interest - what were the girth straps and stirrup bars like in the original Fhoenixes? As you say you have the new ones on yours? I hadn't realised they had been changed so am very interested to know the difference. Got a friend who may well be looking for a second hand Fhoenix in a month or so, so it would be useful to know what we changes we should be looking for. Many thanks!

[No_Angel]

hi carrie, i can get a pic of my fhoenix with the stirrup bars and girth straps if you like, mines the original one:)

[carrieh]

Great thanks Tasha! Useful to know the difference if my friend is going to look for a second hand Fhoenix. Were the girth straps and stirrup bars in a different place or something?

[No_Angel]

the girth straps are different, and i think the stirrup bars may be of a different style, will pop up in a min to take photos, just typing up some uni work and getting pics off camera:)

[Bay Mare]

Congratulations :)

My next saddle (ok, my additional saddle) will be a Fhoenix Portuguese :) I like the idea of the suede seat and it looks lush :)



ENJOY :D

[mad mare1]

you are welcome whenever hun...Crystal is on a diet...so that should sort out the slipping problems I had...anytime you want to ...come and see us, crystal owes you, big time!!! and so do I!

[KateWooten]

melanieD - can I ask why you are selling your Fhoenix ?

[carrieh]

First ride out in new Fhoenix today! Just round the country lanes for 40 minutes in walk, nothing exerting as Benny is overweight and unfit through not having been ridden properly for weeks. Wow - this saddle really puts you in the correct position doesn't it, and you have no choice but to stay in that position. Or at least that is certainly so with the dressage model. Felt very safe though - had the knee blocks on which held my leg in place and stopped it drifting forward - and once I had sorted out the correct length of stirrup all seemed well.

About half way round I had to get off Benny to help sort out my friend's mare, who was being a bit of a prat today - and then found I couldn't get back on again from the ground! When I got on at the farm before we went out, I used the mounting block as always. But when I tried to mount from the ground, the saddle slipped round, and I couldn't do the girth up any tighter as I'd run out of holes in the girth straps. But hopefully that will be solved by the new smaller girth that Mike from EE has sent me in the post today. So I ended up walking the next 20 minutes or so until I could find something to stand on to get back on, by which time there was only 5 minutes or so of the ride left.

Never mind, I loved the saddle and so did Benny it seemed. His stride really lengthened, his shoulders were going with a swing to them that I haven't seen for a long time, and he was happy to reach down and really stretch through his back when I asked him to. Am keeping my fingers crossed that this is the saddle that is going to do the trick for us! All I need to do now is to sort out that problem of not being able to get on from the ground when out hacking - although I have a feeling that Benny being somewhat the shape of a large beach ball at the moment really doesn't help! :D But hopefully the new girth will stop that problem.

Tasha - did you manage to get the photos? :)

[No_Angel]

here we go carrie:)

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/PICT0003-1.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b242/madams_walk/PICT0004-2.jpg

[carrieh]

Cheers Tasha! Yes I can see the difference now. The girth straps on the new Fhoenixes hang separately don't they. And the stirrup bars are different.

I'll post pictures of the new panels as soon as Mike [EE agent] sends them to me.