The Saddle Thing

[Angstmufin <Angstmufin@aol.com>]

I use a padded close contact (Collegiate Graduate), it takes a beating and
still performs nicely and in 6 years of use neither me nor my pony has gotten
sore.  Dressage saddles distribute weight pretty well, but only the good ones.
Cheap ones will seriously HURT, trust me!  (that goes for all saddles)
Mexican saddles are a comfortable dream ride for the horse, the best for an
equine back, but you'd better have buns of steel because.........<<OUCH>>  Not
a good experience in the NC mountains!  Western styles are just about the
worst.  They pinch the horse, cramp the rider, are cumbersome and heavy, and
the horns have been known to crack ribs.  PLEASE don't find this out the hard
way!  Aussies are wonderful.  The austrailians really hit a gold mine with
them.  They evenly distribute weight, ride like a sofa, stay securly in place,
and I LOVE all the dees!  All this goes for specialized endurance saddles as
well, only the cheap endurance models fall apart and rot while a $200 aussie
will last for 200 years--there's proof!  The best you can go for in any
distance event is an English close contact or jumping saddle, a good-quality
dressage saddle, or an aussie.  You can buy any good one of these for under
$500.