Ansur Safari Saddle

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Chelle Sherman cms@fluent.com
Hi all - I am posting as a guest because Ridecamp doesn't seem to let me post messages, though I am a subscriber - probably something to do with the way I access my e-mail. Anyway, a while back I remember seeing somebody asking if anyone has tried the Ansur Safari treeless endurance saddle, and though I didn't have any feedback at that time, now I do, so I thought I'd share it. I ordered one of these saddles and tried it yesterday. My mare is on vacation and shoeless, and its rifle season, so we just did a 5-mile loop in the woods (on posted land), but it was very hilly and we trotted and cantered a lot. I give it rave reviews, at least on this initial try. For me, the stirrup placement is very legs-under, and very balanced. Posting was effortless. The seat feels like an English saddle, and although it isn't as narrow as a narrow twisted saddle, it felt comfortable. It was much more supportive than a sports saddle, though not confining at all. I liked the knee roll and the dressage billets - the saddle stayed put- up and down hill without undue girth tightening on my ROUND bodied mare. I tweaked my stirrup leathers so the buckle was down by my stirrup, to avoid the bulk of the buckle under my thigh, and used a full sheepskin cover - the whole package was very comfy and not bulky at all. For my mare, I liked the spine channel, which did not squish down onto her spine when I was riding - she had clearance the whole time. It balanced well on her back and she moved very freely, even when walking down very steep hills. She felt very responsive to my seat and leg aids. Because of the ample padding in this saddle, I did not feel that I needed a skito pad with this saddle and used just a cotton pad. I might add the skito for longer distances if it seems to be needed. The saddle looks pretty much like a dressage saddle with D-rings. It has quite a bit of rigidity, and does not buckle in half when you pick it up, for example. You wouldn't know to look at it that it doesn't have a tree. When I removed the saddle, I had no s
riction or broken hairs. It was as if it hadn't even been there. The workmanship on the saddle seems very good. Time will tell if this saddle will work for us over the long miles of conditioning and competition, but it sure looks promising at this point. The price of this saddle is comparable to Ortho-Flex and SR ($2,000 - yikes!), but for me, its worth it to have something that will fit more than one horse. The service from this company was good, and the saddle came in 3 weeks, just as they said it would. Like I said, time will tell the story, but I wanted to share this info. in case somebody else who has been frustrated with saddle searching might appreciate another option to try. Their Web site is www.ansursaddle.com.

Happy riding!

Chelle Sherman
Plainfield, NH