i made it. i had originally constructed it
for an english saddle, just drawing the pattern from the saddle pad. had
to get off and redo it many times before it finally fit well enuf.
oh, the sheepskin is actually what a saddle maker
uses and is bright yellow, (thanks fritz), and it is holding up
well.
i hope to refigure my marino sheepskin cover that i
purchased for my old wintec to fit the torsion...want to do that this winter
when i'm not riding much.
if you don't already have some wool
fleece/sheepskin,you can get it from a local fabric or leather shop. or maybe a
saddle maker in your area will give you some scraps (thanks agan, fritz
hooper) it's easy, really, as sheepskin
doesn't fray and you can glue pieces together to get the shape you want.
i am riding a torsion treeless, trekker
model. as many of you know, this is the fourth saddle for my much
loved arab, artie. he and i both love it. his back has shown no
sign of soreness since we started using the torsion.
as catherine said, it does take some relearning
to mount without a block, but i seem to have mastered this. i do
prefer a block or a bumper or a rock as i feel it is better for my horse's
back.
yes, my balance is better than ever (so
far...knock wood). it does seem to throw me forward, so i have to
concentrate on sitting or standing up straight.
i have no problem holding onto the pommel
at the start of a ride, in case of bucks or jumps.
i added custom western fenders from a local
guy, and a sheepskin cover.
i use a mohair girth from sportack, as the
billet buckles are wider than most out there. it works
fine.
i have done one 50 in it and lots of hills in
training. i've almost come off the back more than once, so i suppose
it's all a matter of getting used to it.
i will use this saddle for all my riding.
i'll let you know how it holds up on multi-days after the high desert
ride. i hope we love it, as if it doesn't keep working, i guess i'll
have to learn how to drive this horse.
I have one and used it on CTR once.
It is very comfortable. You definitely need to have good
balance. I find that it is forcing me to learn balance. If you
are doing any steep hills you will need a crupper because there is nothing
to keep it from sliding forward. It fits around the horse, not down
into the groove behind the withers. Also difficult when the horse is
watering and the reins are not long.
I like where the stirrup
leathers hang, very natural placement. Definitely buy their stirrup
leathers and girth because it is designed so that nothing else will easily
work.
Some people struggle getting on without a mounting
block because it can easily turn. I am 125 and find that if I have
it cinched tightly, I can mount from the ground if I do it quickly and
curve my body over her back putting as much weight on the other side as
quickly as possible. It is great feeling her back movement.
I would NOT recommend it for a horse in training because even
though there is a pommel, there isn't anything for your legs to press up
against when it gets a little "western". I found that if I pull the
velcro underneath the pommel away from the saddle, I can wrap my hand
around the pommel and get some security but that leaves me only one hand
for the reins.
I am having problems fitting my horse with any treed
saddle because of her wide ribs (see recent email with subject line
?Saddle for wide-backed horse?). This saddle works for her, but is
more of a fancy bareback pad with nice stirrup setup.
I
recommend you try one first. It has its advantages but is not a
replacement for a traditional saddle.
