Re: [RC] making SS front into cutback? - Karen Sullivan
Regarding knee rolls, this was one of the very
first questions I asked the Sport Saddle folks years ago. I was told they
had experimented with it and people did not like the result. Given the
relatively short skirt to the saddle, there is really no place to put
a knee roll, unless you have a more of an
extended flap or skirt.. But that lack of knee roll was why I went to the bigger
pommel models for years; as I had spooky or young horses. The failure
THERE was that the bigger pommel models are also a different angle and so don't
fit the wider horses, so ended up not working for my two current horses.
This is why I am now looking into other saddle
options after so very many years with sport saddles.
Karen B., we went through every configuration of
thicker pad (skito with laminated top shims; equipedic; skito dryback), to try
to avoid the spine rubbing and totally had to give up. IT's taken my mare
since mid Oct., to recover from the loin rubs I could not even SEE; under the
winter coat.....I had initially found glued-down hair next to the back, but you
could not see or even really feel it as the top coat covered it. I
hand-clipped hair away and found two quarter-size spots, that had oozed like a
blister....I warm-water washed and got hair loosened, clipped whole area and
kept antibiotic ointment on it to keep bacteria and fungus from entering abraded
skin.....THEN, 3 weeks later, the remaining hair just fell out, leaving a bald
spot I was convinced would be there for eternity or would grow back white;
showing the world how I wrecked my horse. Finally, the hair is growing
back,,,,it's buckskin!!!!!! I am so excited. In any case, have been
experimenting with shorter saddles that do not contact that far back; but
basically gave her those months off to recover.
Another friend has horse out to pasture; back injured by some sort of
configuration of sport saddle/pads, early October....was still a bit sore a few
weeks ago.....
There just may be treeless saddles that aren't going to work unless designs
are changed to accomodate prominent spine horses. Everyone claims since
they are not hard saddles, there is no problem being right on the spine or
withers. Indeed, I never saw problems for over 10 years with any of my
horses. I think I was able to do fine as the regular skito pads gave
enough spine clearance on those horses......but even things soft can feel hard
and unyielding when bearing down hard.
Karen, I would be also curious also to see what your slit back ends up
looking like and how you finish it off!! Sounds like you do have the right
idea (sort of dig out middle to reconnect or stitch top leather back curved
under...one thing to watch for when you do that is that you don't end up pulling
down the top, making a curve that presses on the horse.
I WILL try to get some photos of the saddle I sold, and get them posted to
the photo section of the treeless discussion group....would be great to have
your modification there also. You also might want to post your question to
that group and see what folks have to say....
Pam, currently there are some English style saddles, treeless with knee
rolls with new ones about to be launched. There is extensive info on the
treeless group. You can look at Ansur (the new Carlton model has a
gullet), Freeform, the new Sensation pad soon to be launched by Skito
enterprises, and an English model, sbs flexion, which possible can be found
used.
Speaking of Sports Saddle modifications, has anyone added knee rolls
to the endurance model? I would love to have more support for jumping
and spooking.
