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T O P I C R E V I E W
Claire
Posted - 21 Jun 2011 : 2:04:02 PM Hi everyone, just after a bit of advise. I bought a balance saddle for my boy at vast expense about 6 years ago. Generally I have been really pleased with it and felt that he went well in it. Occasionally it has slipped forward and just recently it has been doing this more and more. I was very keen to buy the system as it is supposed to allow room for the horse to lift the back and engage, and as such has a very wide gullet. My previous instructor was also very pro these saddles. My new instructor however thinks that a traditional saddle would be better and would free up the shoulder and has pointed out that in the correct position my balance saddle is over the last rib, until I ride at which point it moves forward and up behind the scapulae. Does anyone have any experience with this saddling system or any thoughts on how it 'fits', I have the balance saddle fitter coming this week but now am seriously confused as I bought it thinking I was doing best by the horse and now I'm wondering if I was wrong!!
4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
BeckyBoodle
Posted - 22 Jun 2011 : 11:30:34 AM Good luck - Lavinia Mitchell is fab.
With Eba's Wow, it started coming forward, then we readjusted the straps and played with a foregirth and problem solved.
Hope it all works out well.
B
Claire
Posted - 22 Jun 2011 : 11:03:27 AM Thank you both for your replies- they've reassured me, I'm just struggling at the minute re padding, I've always adjusted pads as neccessary but at the moment whatever combination I try results in saddle coming forward. I'm just very concerned re the length, as to be honest I just trusted that they were selling me the correct size for my horse, but perhaps with hindsight I should have been more assertive and questioned the length as everything I read suggests the saddle shouldn't sit beyond the last thoracic vertebrae. Silver I have looked at L.M. saddles with interest as was wondering if her Working Hunter saddle might be more appropriate (at the moment I have a zenith GPD) or whether it is similar in terms of cut? At the end of the day I just want what is best for my boy!
Silver
Posted - 21 Jun 2011 : 9:37:10 PM I Have two Lavinia Mitchell saddles and am really happy with them,one of our mares wasnt happy in any of the traditional saddles we tried on her untill we tried Lavinias.It makes perfect scence to me to give your horse room to lift into its saddle.With the shims you can alter the fit as your horse changes without having to change your saddle.Claire if your saddle is to long perhaps thats the only problem not the concept.Goodluck sorting it out.
BeckyBoodle
Posted - 21 Jun 2011 : 2:31:30 PM I waas going to get a Lavinia Mitchell saddle for Eba but ultimately ended up getting a Wow. Despite that I really rate the balance approach and have several friends who swear by them and I found their saddles extremely comfortable to ride in. I also buy in to the idea that if you fit to the shoulder, when the back raises then there isn't room in a close fitted saddle.
I assume you need to do as you are in terms of getting a balance rep or Lavinia in, to look at the flocking, the girth straps and what shims you have. horses' backs change shape depending on time of the year, level of work and food intake! Saddles are going to need refitting, and the shims with the balance allow for that. You just need to know how to do it.
You need to go with your gut instinct of what you think is right for you. If I had listened to traditionalists I would never have bought the Wow, which according to some, it and its air flocking was almost the work of the devil you would have thought from their tone of voice.
Stick with it for now, see what happens after the fitting and then re-evaluate.
