knee roll or not knee roll

newforest

newforest

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2008
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As a former non-jumper I always had WH style saddles (or treeless) for Albi, so knee rolls were minimal. However, one of the saddles in the early days of Gracie was a GP with decent knee rolls and that was around the same time that we started jumping. Then she outgrew that saddle and the next few had crap knee rolls and I didn't feel secure.... I'd got used to the damned GP's security . We now have a Monarch jump saddle so peace and harmony is restored.

Let us know whether a knee roll on the Barefoot makes a significant difference.
 
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I've not had knee rolls for years. It will at least fix the issue of my knee not being in contact with the saddle. There hasn't been anything for it to settle behind!
 
I personally dislike knee rolls, my body is very grouchy at the best of times and really does not like being forced into a specific position and they always seem to be in the wrong place for me. I hope you are successful with them though :)
 
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the new saddle I have for Buddy is a vsd but it has more of a knee roll than the other one and it definitely is easier to stay in position than the old one
 
Mine is a vsd but it stands for
"very slightly depressed"
It's got a different seat on the top and now it's getting knee rolls on the sides.
 
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I love the knee/thigh rolls on my Christ bareback pad, they make me feel secure but also make me think I'm sitting in the right position and I do wonder if that's why Raf goes so nicely in it. Of course I don't have stirrups so my legs can dangle straight down. I can't achieve the same position in my saddle no matter what. I just can't do it when my legs are bent.

Will be interested to know what you think.
 
Mine has knee rolls, they are moveable so can be positioned where you like, I don’t really think about them now to be honest.
 
This is what it looks like set up ready to ride.
I went for a hack, got back and realised I had forgotten to put them on. So this is it ready for next time.
PicsArt_05-10-08.43.35.jpg

I'm not 100% sure if the stirrup will behave like a hard use for those of you familiar with attaching to the strap at the base. Any clues? @mystiquemalaika

There is only a little bit of leather at the bottom of the fender and I can get measurements because I have seen a reason for selling is because you need to ride long or have a xx size inner leg. My guess is these are designed to go on the western treeless so perhaps longer length anyway.
But if I need to shorten my stirrups say three homes I might not be able to for jumping, will find out.

Ok the fussy bit. I think this fender is probably new, either that or I don't like the overall finish of the leather. I know Barefoot did change the finish of the saddle from the suede type to a weird plastic looking feel.
But my comparison is what I've just attached it to and that's the Freeform Italian leather and my gaiters are Ariat- soft. This doesn't necessarily say quality to me.
Is it worth the money, jury is out as not tried it yet. But it looks ok and it suits the saddle.

Note that spare leather can tuck in, it's just left there.
 
No reason that you can't use them with the hard use set up with the sensation leathers NF apart from they may be too long for you to attach it properly and get the leathers on the right hole if that makes sense?

They do look huge on the FF though!
 
mystiquemalaika said:
No reason that you can't use them with the hard use set up with the sensation leathers NF apart from they may be too long for you to attach it properly and get the leathers on the right hole if that makes sense?

They do look huge on the FF though!
Click to expand...
That's just normal leathers. I didn't keep the hard use Sensation ones.
 
Bodshi said:
I love the knee/thigh rolls on my Christ bareback pad, they make me feel secure but also make me think I'm sitting in the right position and I do wonder if that's why Raf goes so nicely in it. Of course I don't have stirrups so my legs can dangle straight down. I can't achieve the same position in my saddle no matter what. I just can't do it when my legs are bent.

Will be interested to know what you think.
Click to expand...
Have you tried lengthening your stirrups on your saddle?
If it's a dressage type or vsd it may allow your leg to hang?
 
Hacked out despite the fact that it wasn't sitting flush on the saddle. Where my stirrup plate is, it meant there was knee roll in front of the saddle and therefore it wasn't moulding properly.

If Barefoot allowed the knee roll to be moved with velcro it would have been a win win product. I would just move that back.
However they are heavy as in adding noticeable overall weight to the saddle. I notice things like that. :)

The knee roll to a point was good and gave the illusion of more security. I actually liked them. I think my leg itself was more secure.

The product is aimed at the Cheyenne, Arizona and Atlanta Barefoot models. I know it's been used on a Trekker Talent. I just thought I would give them a whirl on the FF.
It's sadly a no go purely because I cannot reduce what's in front of my saddle without taking a knife to them!

If anyone wants to have a play with them, can you pm. You need to either ride long or be a 29" or more inner leg as there isn't much space, fits any leather 1" or wide.
 
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