Marciante "length"

["Raymond O'Donohue" <rayo@cfw.com>]

Kathy,that is one dimension you can't worry about until you try the 
saddle in question,for that "dimension" is generally gibberish.Two 
typical western saddles,identical except for the fork,will often be 
listed as having two different "lengths".A seventeen inch Ortho-Flex is a 
very big saddle.A seventeen inch Buena Vista is not.Seat contour as it 
rises up to the pommel or cantle,stirrup leather fore& aft 
positioning,etc,etc,all combine to make this dimension nonsense, except 
in comparing two otherwise identical make and model saddles.You just 
gotta try 'em.I moved the stirrup leathers forward a bit on my beloved 
tiny (so-called 16")Buena Vista,and gained a bit of breathing 
room/length.I think that the ladies generally need a bit more length than 
men,but lately,I'm not even sure about that.I call  this sort of thing 
"Trying to Quantify the Unquantifiable",and try to work around it or 
avoid it.Maybe Marciante can arrange a test ride?