sports saddles.

["T J Habberley" <T.J.Habberley@btinternet.com>]

I am using a sports saddle here in the UK.

 I cant speak as a long term user as I have had it on loan for a few
months. I do have several friends who 
are using these saddles over here with some sucess. Ones 17 stone partner
competes on his warmblood cross
in race rides on his. 
However I am a big fan now of these sadles for the folowing reasons.My
horse injured his back when he sliped on a competative
 ride, he developed a large lump of damaged tissue over his spine just
where the back of a traditional gp
 sits. he will not tolerate a standard gp on his back now, although the vet
has assured me on his numerous
visits that my horses back is now okay.

I also had a lot of problems prior to his injury in fitting a saddle to
him. He is a Welsh cob and starts the 
season as awide and ends as a medium narrow. He also developed muscle
wastage behind his shoulder 
blades.

With the sports saddle he is happy to accept being tacked up. The saddle
does what the blurb says ie
it conforms to his shape, it also has the side benifit of warming the
muscles which helps stop him
tensing his back up.A side benifit has been that his stride hads lengthend
considerably.

I too was concerened about weight distribution with the saddle. However I
have noted that his back is always
sweated out evenly under the pad indicating that weight is borne across the
surface , his gp used to just have
sweat on a narrow panel area . The stirrups are attached in an 'odd' place
but the weight seems to be spread 
across the pad surface.

I ride in one with the equalizer pads which I belive enhances weight
distribtuition.

Every one at my yard has been impressed by the saddle, including the master
saddler who supplied my previous GP!

Im so sold on the saddle Iv just ordered one with a pad, which is a major
investemnt for me. 

The general verdit here is WEIRD BUT WORKS !

ANy other quereis plaes let me know Im fascinated by these saddles!
Tamara