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Kat writes:
On Mon, 28 Apr 1997 RUN4BEAR@aol.com wrote:
> I stick by my first statement...Sport Saddles CANNOT give support. Simple
> physics in my book...just WHAT part is giving support????
I can explain the physics of the "support" provided by a SS if you like.
> If you sit in the
> middle and the "support" parts are in front and in back of you..there is NO
> way the rigging between can provide support!!!
If the above statement were true, suspension bridges would not work.
I do, however, agree that the SS provides very little support (despite
manufacturer claims), since one of the other claims that they make (and I
have ridden in one, so I know this one to be true), is that you are
sitting on the horse's back and can feel the movement of the horse's back
through the saddle...which you can.
If you are sitting on the horse's back (when you are sitting) the saddle
is indeed, providing little to no support; however, when you are standing
in the stirrups, you are non longer sitting on the horse's back and indeed
the rigging does transfer the rider's weight to the front and back "trees"
What this means is that if you alternate between sitting and standing you
will be "distributing" the rider's weight by switching between having it
all on the horse's back and having it all on the "trees." (meaning
that your entire weight is on the horse's back for only half the
ride).
*Kat, I find one major flaw in your explanatino here. I don't feel
that the the weight distribution is an all or nothing proposition.
That the weight is either all on the back , or all on the trees. I
feel like I ride very lightly in the saddle. I never feel like all
my weight in in the stirrups. Even when I post, I post from my
thighs, with my feet light in the stirrups. YOu can ride this
saddle with a fair amount of weight in the body of the saddle, but
still some in the stirrups (putting pressure on the pommel and
cantle tree pieces. Like I said in my post to Teddy, you would not
want to stand an entire ride, or sit in the saddle without stirrups.
This is not MY definition of weight distribution (nor would it be for any
bridge builder). As a result, _I_ do not consider the SS suitable for
endurance riding for a rider who wants more weight distributive capability
from a saddle than you would get from a bareback pad if you were going
only half the distance (I do recommend it to people who would like to ride
in a bareback pad because they want to be closer to the horse, but would
like the stability of a saddle with cantle, pommel, and stirrups).
*But, you STILL might have better weight distribution than a
standard saddle which is not contacting the back of the horse evenly
becuase it had a rigid tree!! The horses back is going to be
changing shape as the horse changes gaits, and goes up and down
hills. I KNOW this, because i can feel it happening in the Sport
Saddle!
*Karen
kat
Orange County, Calif.
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
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