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Post by fran on Sept 3, 2006 18:35:52 GMT -1
anyone got one, how do they differ to other saddles ?
anyone had the demo apparently it,s about £50 plus petrol. wondering if it is worth it.
karen
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Post by shaklana on Sept 3, 2006 19:23:45 GMT -1
You need excellent "Balance" yourself in my opinion before having one of these. They move around very easily, so if the rider causes this the pony can easily get rubs. Unathletic riders can also find themselves on the floor when mounting. I've seen horses moving lovely and freely in these, but also seen some with large patches of white hairs from pressure points.
Like all saddles, try before you buy, some suit, some don't. I don't like them, I feel very far away from the horse on all the pads. I think it was Ingela Larsson who said you should be level3 PNH before buying this saddle, presumably because you've proved your balance by then with all the bareback exercises.
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Post by tinkerdorisalison on Sept 3, 2006 19:34:03 GMT -1
AlisonDuke (who owned Duke) before I got him had one of these, she did not like it, I think there was a lot of padding involved and she felt quite perched on it.
Hopefully she will see this and can comment on it further
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Post by jacquidales on Sept 3, 2006 19:50:20 GMT -1
I had a few rides on Rikki on one of these(it belongs to my freind) and felt very stable and comfy. Felt happy sitting any spooks as this was when he was being started. Although a few years earlier I'd tried one on an Arab and that was horrible, I felyt too far away from the horse. I think the modern Balance saddles have less padding than they used to have. Some models are okay and some feel terrible. I think the knowledge of the fitters may vary also.
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Post by alisonduke on Sept 4, 2006 7:30:15 GMT -1
Hi Karen
I bought one of the soft option balance saddles which has half a tree in the front. Unfortunately I did not get on with it even though when I had trialled them a few years previously I had been very impressed.
The basic idea with the full treed saddles is that they are fitted far wider than your pony and then padded out. I feel they are more geared to horses with high withers so that the muscle wastage can fill back in and that on the ponies that are more barreled shape, they can be a bit unstable. I had a bad fall from my saddle trying to get on before the whole thing slipped!
I felt I paid out a lot of money for the consultation, travel expenses, stirrups, padding and saddle and then when I had problems would have had to fork out again for someone to come and help and I was skint by then.
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Post by jacquidales on Sept 4, 2006 15:02:43 GMT -1
I've found that to be a problem, Alison, with these 'different' saddle stockists. They work out so expensive sometimes, it's almost cheaper just to keep re buying new treed saddles.
I've never yet damaged a horses back with a saddle, treed or not, so I think the main thing is to ensure the fit is excellent at all times.
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