saddles
Laney Humphrey (laneyh@mbay.net)
Sun, 10 Nov 1996 19:20:48 -0800
Hi endurance/CTR & other long distance riders -
Diane is to be commended for her efforts at making sense out of what
people feel about their saddles! At the risk of being flamed for being a
commercial entity, I spent an awful lot of hours researching saddles and
finally decided that I could save a lot of people the time and effort of
reinventing the wheel by writing down what I had learned. My research was a
labor of love and so is my book, "Choosing a saddle for endurance & long
distance riding." I don't expect to make a profit from it; I did it for the
horses' sakes.
There is no perfect saddle. BUT...it is possible to eliminate a lot
of saddles that aren't perfect for a particular horse/rider team by using my
series of questions to arrive at a "picture" of what your and your horse
really are.
To me, the hardest part about buying a saddle is figuring out what
kind of use that saddle is really best designed for and then whether that's
how we ride. Saddlemakers, just like car makers, or jeans designers, think
theirs is the best, the one-the only, the one that is right for everyone.
But I'm not Becky Hart so the saddle that works for her and Rio may not be
right for me and Dudley at all! Some saddlemakers don't have any idea of
what is really important in a saddle for our sports because they don't do
them. Some saddlemakers are endurance/long distance riders and they have
designed a saddle that works for them but that still doesn't mean their
saddles are right for all of us. So, its our job as buyers/users to know
what we do need and also to keep up a dialogue with the saddlemakers about
how their products meet our needs.
There is strength in numbers and Diane's database is an important
resource which should be used, by both buyers and saddle makers, in the
spirit in which she is creating it - to help our horses and ourselves stay
sound and comfortable!
BUT, we as buyers have a duty to inform ourselves about what is
really important for us in a saddle so we don't buy a saddle that is wrong
for us and then blame the saddlemaker. This is getting long but let me just
give you one example: a heavier rider needs a heavier saddle than a lighter
rider does because the heavier saddle absorbs and distributes the rider's
weight better than a lightweight saddle (think of a Cadillac vs. a Geo).
Joyce Harman, DVM, in VA has done a lot of research using pressure sensing
technology on saddles/horses backs. She has found that the Sports Saddle
does a very good job of distributing the rider's weight but that doesn't
make it the perfect, or even the best, saddle for every horse/rider team.
So, before you send all your gripes and complaints about saddles and
the people who make them to Diane, buy my book and make sure you are
choosing the best kind of saddle for you and your horse.
Happy trails, Laney
(the book can be ordered from Filaree Press PO Box 1361, Carmel Valley CA
93924 for $7.95 plus $1.25 postage and 53 cents tax for CA residents)