I have an SR Enduro that I bought used three years ago, and I really love
it. I bought it to fit a horse that had an uneven back conformation. Steve
Ray does a *great* job on these saddles, using the best quality leather.
He's a fanatic about workmanship and service. I can't say enough good about
him or his saddles.
The saddles are light, very attractive, and very comfortable for the horse
(when they are fit) and rider. Steve custom fits them to your horses back
for free, and will re-fit for a new horse or if bought 2nd hand. The SR is
beautiful and will last for decades of hard riding because of the excellence
in the workmanship and materials. And they retain their value. I sold my
first SR for $1200.00 because the tree used in it was too long, it was built
for a big horse - and it was almost 20 years old! It was still in new shape,
with lots of buck-stitching and tooling.
They are definitely my favorite "hard-tree" saddle. I also have a Saare,
Kiefer, Sport and Wintecs for kids to use, and have had other saddles
in the past... Corbettes and several nice western saddles. SR is King!
But....
Karen Sullivan convinced me to try the Sport (treeless) saddle last year,
and when it comes to *pure* comfort for me and the horse, the Sport saddle
really wins out. It's an excellent saddle in that it fits best - me and
my 4 horses - and is the one I throw on them for the long rides. I've tried
to convince Steve at SR Saddlery into building something like a Sport, but
no luck so far. The SR *is* a work of art! If you talk to Steve give him a
nudge for me ("Treeless, Steve!" ;^).
Linda Cowles
Gilroy California