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[RC] [Guest] American-Flex saddles - Ridecamp Moderator

Chipnml@xxxxxxx
I bought an American-Flex saddle in April, but didn't get it until the middle of September. I did probably 3 conditioning rides before doing a pretty tough ride (the Midwest Mountain Quest.....lots and lots of steep hills). It seemed fine and was very comfortable for me. At the halfway point of the 50 mile ride the vets had us pull our saddles and checked backs and girth areas carefully. I mentioned this was a new saddle and my first competition with it. They said he looked great, which made me very happy considering the big bucks I spent on it. But at the final vet check he was so sore over his loins I thought he was going to drop. Later, I spoke with Roberta Harms who's used Ortho-Flex for years. She told me this was a problem with small, short-backed horses like mine, that it was a chaffing problem, and I should try a pad under the booties. I tried her suggestion a week later on a light conditioning ride
and he was fine, but then again he was fine until I did 50 miles. My problem is he seemed fine when I conditioned, and even halfway through the ride, so I would have to risk him getting that sore at another ride before I really know if this works, and that's a risk I'm not willing to take. I did a slow two-day 100 at my last ride of the season with my beat-up 10-year-old Wintec Pro Endurance and he was fine. The reason I bought the new saddle was that he had started getting white patches on his withers just in the last year or so. He is 16 years old and I've owned and competed him for 11 years. He is high in the croup, but I've found the Wintec to be the best fit for him, and using a crupper helps the saddle from sliding forward. Could the Wintec just be worn out? I'd appreciate any feedback. Also I might have a barely used American-Flex Versatil for sale in a couple months!
Thanks!
Chip


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