Does anyone have a barefoot london? Or try one and decide against it..
Thoughts.. opinions and of course photos..etc?
Thoughts.. opinions and of course photos..etc?
Barefoot London
- Thread starter Shadowlark
- Start date
We tried one and it didn't work for us -- I posted about it here. It was possibly the girthing arrangement he took exception to. He's just a wee pony and we ended up having to get a 16" dressage girth -- he's wee, but not that wee, and I think he wasn't comfortable with such a short girth and so much girth strap. Plus it wasn't stable on him, though I admit we didn't try tremendously many ways to fix that -- after he had a bucking fit (this is a pony who never normally bucks) we called it a day and moved on to other options.
I did a lot of research before we tried it, though, and it got great reviews, so none of this is to say that it won't work for you!
I did a lot of research before we tried it, though, and it got great reviews, so none of this is to say that it won't work for you!
I was considering it for Minose and as a secondary saddle for Bixby. Basically it was down to either the Sensation Saddle or the Barefoot London.
I felt more comfortable with the weight distribution system on the Sensation saddle. (The Barefoot London really doesn't have a weight distribution system
). I already have a Torsion for Western riding (where stirrup pressure isn't much of an issue) and really was shopping for a saddle that I could use for English riding.
I then had a chance to demo a Sensation and that made up my mind. Loved how structured it was, etc. The Sensation just seemed to me more like a regular saddle and less like a glorified bareback pad.
The only downside to this is that there's a waiting period (I am still waiting!) and you hardly ever find any on sale used. I've never seen a Sensation G3 for sale used but you can frequently find Barefoot Londons for sale used, if that's a consideration.
I felt more comfortable with the weight distribution system on the Sensation saddle. (The Barefoot London really doesn't have a weight distribution system
). I already have a Torsion for Western riding (where stirrup pressure isn't much of an issue) and really was shopping for a saddle that I could use for English riding.I then had a chance to demo a Sensation and that made up my mind. Loved how structured it was, etc. The Sensation just seemed to me more like a regular saddle and less like a glorified bareback pad.
The only downside to this is that there's a waiting period (I am still waiting!) and you hardly ever find any on sale used. I've never seen a Sensation G3 for sale used but you can frequently find Barefoot Londons for sale used, if that's a consideration.
i have a mark two barefoot london, only just available( i had to order it direct from germany). it has foam panels underneath to give a proper channel and decent wither clearance. i am using it on a 14.1 new forest pony who is very round and flat and so far she has gone beautifully in it and i am very pleased. my ri said "what the hell is that" when i turned out for my lesson but had to concede by the end that she had gone much better in it than in my treed saddle. i have also previously used a trekker talent on her but wasn't happy with the lack of wither clearance it gave. overall i am very impressed with the quality and design of the new london, it is such a relief to be able to saddle up without her pulling evil faces at me!! if you anticipate problems with the saddle slipping forwards you could alwalys try a crupper. make sure if you intend to buy one that it is the new model though as they are not yet being advertised over here. hope this helps, annabel
I have one.
Havnt ridden in alot yet, I think I managed to put the pommel block in the wrong way around as it kept smacking me as I trotted. The kneerolls seem pretty low down, and the girthing isnt the best for a horse with a forward girth groove.
heres a picture of me on ceryn in the barefoot (the black thing behind my leg is a fender) she has a dippy back which makes the seat look more snug and sits further forward than I would like.
Havnt ridden in alot yet, I think I managed to put the pommel block in the wrong way around as it kept smacking me as I trotted. The kneerolls seem pretty low down, and the girthing isnt the best for a horse with a forward girth groove.
heres a picture of me on ceryn in the barefoot (the black thing behind my leg is a fender) she has a dippy back which makes the seat look more snug and sits further forward than I would like.
I tried one and sent it back. The main reason is in this country it is very expensive because it is imported. I was not at al happy with the workmanship and it just didnt look like the 'quality' of comparably priced treed saddles.
I tried it on both my horses. It was comfortable to ride in- took a bit of getting used too. On my 15.2 TB gelding it sat on his wither too tight I would have had to pad it up more. It took him about 20mins to start showing me it was uncomfortable. Once I got used to it on him, it was lovely. He is extremely springy in his trot and I felt a little floppy for the first 10mins. This is a small size and it looks pretty big on both of them.
Here he is:
My mare however liked it a lot I think. She has never had any back issues or saddle soreness as I have just broken her in. The only thing is I hit the pommel on her in trot- very painful. So I would have had to replace that with something soft. It was also comfortable but she is very broad and I felt a bit stretched. She is solid and around 16hh.
Here she is:
The workmanship on the saddle I tried was substandard. There was stitching on the cantle coming undone and around the knee rolls you could see where the leather was cut and it wasnt straight. The grandeur pad that came with it had fleece on the under side that didnt go to the edge on one of the pannels. I really wanted it to work with that saddle, but I have my eye on some other options. I think in countries wher the London is a relatively inexpensive option it could be extremely good. But for me, the cost was too high for what I was getting.
I tried it on both my horses. It was comfortable to ride in- took a bit of getting used too. On my 15.2 TB gelding it sat on his wither too tight I would have had to pad it up more. It took him about 20mins to start showing me it was uncomfortable. Once I got used to it on him, it was lovely. He is extremely springy in his trot and I felt a little floppy for the first 10mins. This is a small size and it looks pretty big on both of them.
Here he is:
My mare however liked it a lot I think. She has never had any back issues or saddle soreness as I have just broken her in. The only thing is I hit the pommel on her in trot- very painful. So I would have had to replace that with something soft. It was also comfortable but she is very broad and I felt a bit stretched. She is solid and around 16hh.
Here she is:
The workmanship on the saddle I tried was substandard. There was stitching on the cantle coming undone and around the knee rolls you could see where the leather was cut and it wasnt straight. The grandeur pad that came with it had fleece on the under side that didnt go to the edge on one of the pannels. I really wanted it to work with that saddle, but I have my eye on some other options. I think in countries wher the London is a relatively inexpensive option it could be extremely good. But for me, the cost was too high for what I was getting.
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