1. Buy the pad that Genie Spears sells for the saddle. It is a fair price
for a well made pad and you need to cover the rigging on the sides. No
other pad I found does that. Your horse will get sores otherwise.
2. Wear half chaps to protect your legs from the flaps covering the
rigging.
You can also then get rid of those huge covers on the stirrup
(leathers).
3. Use a breast collar and/or crupper to help hold the saddle in place.
Remember you have no tree.
4. If you are ordering a new one spring for having the stirrups moved back.
This is particuarly important if you are used to an english saddle. Mine
also came with a raised pommel which I feel helps me sit down in the
seat.
5. My girth strap began to tear right away. What you need to do is
loop the webbing around the rigging 2 before you use the buckle.
No more tears. People who own western saddles already know to
do this.
I love my saddle now. It was not however love at first seat. It took some
getting used to and fine tuning. I am still having 2 problems perhaps
others have solved.
1. I use a neoprene girth which I like however, I can't get my heart
monitor to stay on it. I've tried the peel and stick velcro.
I've tried the wax they put in candle bases to hold them. Nothing
seems to work. I do ride with a fairly loose girth which I'm sure
doesn't help.
2. The flaps that cover the rigging get bunched up and caught in my
half chaps. Has anyone tried just cutting them off? I had a
saddle cover made for it and it tore the cover in that spot, within
100 miles or so.
I use this saddle on all 3 horses being ridden. It seems to be fine for
them all. I can see this saddle not working on horses that do not travel
straight because you would be crooked and very uncomfortable. Horses that
are one sided would also torque your body and I think be painful. I can
tell when Tink needs her Chiropractor and when I need mine. You can
really feel what they are doing with their backs and how they are using
their butts. I think I may have adapted well because I rode bareback
until 1989. Hope this helps someone anyway.
Sandy, and the crew. Impy, Tink, Taz, and Mage.