Riding: Saddles/ Tree-less saddles & bareback

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Barb Peck bpeck@together.net
From Barb Peck
bpeck@together.net

I posted my opinion on this subject before, and here I go again,
(hope I don't get flamed).

The horse DOES NOT  care whether you ride bare-back, English, Western
Tree or tree-less.  The horse just wants you to be balanced up there,
and he wants to *not*  hurt at the end of the day.

There's probably some truth in every opinion (good and bad) you're going to hear
about saddles.  And there's also alot of "stretched truths" about
the abilities of alot riders.  I can just hear 2 horses at the end of a 50 miler:
Bay says"  Oh Yah, after about 35 miles, my human was really starting to flop
around up there.. I really had to stay under him/her."  Grey says " Yah I know what ya mean..
I really wish they understood us better, they can be so difficult to handle. "

Use what *works* for you & your horse.  Of course that may mean one may have to try
a few things before you find what works for you and your horse, and unless
you're pretty lucky, probably no cheap way to go about it.

Sometimes people's sizes are mismatched to their horses (and believe
me people do not want to hear *that*).  Some times, a VERY short backed horse
will have a rider that needs a 16 or 17" (western meas.) seat..
and in this case, there will probably be pressure where there shouldn't
be regardless of the saddle.  Some horses (altough we love them) just don't
have good back conformation, and the most well intentioned owner can spend
a life-time and never get a good fit.

I'm a fitter for Sharon Saare, and I'm pretty familiar with Ray
Millers EquiScan. I've never heard Ray make a sweeping negative
statement about any specific brand.  His service measures bearing surface psi under
any kind of saddle.  He doesn't push one brand over another, and he knows
there's a ton of variables in fitting horse & rider.

It is true though, that while one person's horse can get all As
on a multiday in a sports saddle... someone else horse may get
white spots where the riders seat bones go riding 1 season in
a sports saddle.

Horses and riders are a living, changing, and dynamic duo..
Changes in either part of the team affect the other.

If you buy a saddle and it doesn't work for you, sell it and
try something else.. most of the endurance-type saddles have
excellent resale value.

B.


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