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Re: [RC] endurance saddle revised question - Laney HumphreyHi Robert,I can just imagine what you spent for a show western pleasure saddle! The answer to your question - "who makes the best endurance saddles" - isn't nearly as simple as the same question about your show saddle. The reason is that that show saddle was on your horse's back for a relatively short period of time, especially compared to the length of time an endurance saddle is on a horse's back. The answer to your question is: the best saddle is made by the maker that makes the saddle that fits your horse, and also fits you! (And continues to fit and be comfortable for both of you for hours and hours and hours and miles and miles and miles.) Sounds simple doesn't it? Well, as you say, it may be a long search. Your search should begin with learning to really "read" the shape of your horse's back. Horses are no more shaped the same than people are. Think of your shoes. You can try on several pairs, all the same size, and they'll all fit differently. Same is true of saddles. The reasons are the same for shoes and saddles: people's feet and horses' backs are all the same and not all saddles claiming to be the same size are shaped the same. Then there are other aspects to consider: english/western style (even among endurance saddles), the type of terrain you ride on, how long you ride on training rides, how often you ride, what distance endurance rides you plan to ride and how many per year, new or used, treed (traditional, or flexible, or adjustable) or treeless, length of time you are willing to wait to get your saddle (can be quite a long time for a custom made saddle), your horse's age and stage of development, how many horses the saddle needs to fit, your riding skill level. That's most of the aspects of saddle fit but surely not all! Is it obvious that there isn't a simple answer to your question?! But, the search can be fun and is always educational! Laney PS I have written a book called "Choosing a saddle for endurance and long distance riding." There are now many more saddles available than when I wrote it but the process of choosing a saddle is still up to date. If you'd like to buy a copy, it's $10. Email me privately & I'll send you ordering information. Robert R wrote: Ok, I found their prices. Let me ask differently because I was a bit taken aback by the price in a good way. I'm not saying I'm rich which certainly isn't the case but the last good saddle I bought was for the western pleasure show pen, talk about sticker shock!! Anyway, I figure I ought to be able to spend as much on my saddle as my wife spent on hers, so who makes the best endurance saddles? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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