Sore Butt.

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

K S SWIGART   katswig@earthlink.net


You probably aren't going to want to hear this, but in my
experience, the only way to make a saddle that has to wide of 
a twist comfortable is to get a different saddle with a narrower
twist.

I have never heard of anybody sending a saddle back to a saddler
to have the twist narrowed, but if the saddler is willing to 
try it, THAT is the way that I would go.  I would not try to
"pad" the saddle in some way.  If the twist is too wide, you have
to take some material out, not add more.

And being someone who also needs a saddle with a pretty narrow
twist, I can tell you that if you don't fix this, your saddle 
will make you miserable if you try to ride in it for any length
of time (and miserable rider pretty quickly leads to miserable
horse, so no matter what anybody else says, putting up with 
discomfort of your own because the saddle fits the horse well, is
NOT in the best interests of the horse--for endurance, the saddle
needs to fit both the horse and the rider).

But, if I were you and I had a saddle that I was comfortable 
riding in, I would send it to Sharon Saare, along with the one
that fits the horse and see if she can get it to "match" (so 
you will have a saddle that fits both you and the horse).

Not being a saddler, I do not know if this is something that can
be done (I have always found it cheaper to get a different saddle,
but then I have never had a saddle custom made to fit my horse,
so different saddles are much cheaper for me than they are for 
many people).  Saddles, obviously, CAN be made with narrower
twists, but I don't know if the underlying structures of a saddle
with a narrower twist are different or if it is just some of the
stuff on top which could easily be changed/adjusted.

kat
Orange County, Calif.