My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
One of the complaints that people have about treeless saddles is that it is difficult to mount from the ground without turning the saddle. I always do my best NOT to mount from the ground, even when using a treed saddle, as: My horses are big, I’m not as supple as I used to be […]
Read MoreAn article in the UK on-line magazine, Your Horse, has published an article about treeless saddles that has a lot of people talking, No Advantage to Treeless Saddles. The Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) in England has conducted pressure testing to see if treeless saddles have an advantage over traditional saddles with trees. There conclusion […]
Read MoreI was once in a tack shop looking at rows of used dressage saddles. I asked the owner why they were mostly 17″ and 17 1/2″. She told me that people often bought saddles in smaller sizes than they actually needed, mostly, she speculated, out of vanity. “People just don’t want to say that they […]
Read MoreThe Barnes Buckle is an innovation that doesn’t get much mention here in the U.S. — but it should. The Barnes Buckle is a stirrup release mechanism that fits between the stirrup and the leather and releases the stirrup should the rider’s foot become trapped during a fall thus preventing the rider from being dragged. […]
Read MoreTreeless saddles are all the buzz. While conventional saddles with wooden or fiberglass trees have reigned supreme for thousands of years (the first “treed” saddles appeared in 200 BC in Asia), during the last decade there has been a vocal movement toward treeless saddles. Some people claim they are more natural, a throwback to saddle […]
Read MoreI frequent the saddle listings on eBay, looking for those great deals on saddles that I’ve always wanted to try. Sometimes the deals are too good to be true — for a reason: they are scams. Mostly, these are people who don’t have an item to sell but have pirated the photo from another auction. […]
Read MoreThe trouble with eBay is that it’s too darn easy to buy things. I know better than to visit tack stores because it’s hard not to resist impulse purchases, but eBay has brought that temptation to my computer screen. Now I can peruse an endless parade of saddles (my greatest weakness) and any number of […]
Read MoreLooking at the equine on-line forums, it appears that many of us equestrians have “collections” of items. For some it is blankets, or saddle pads, or polo wraps. For me, it is saddles. At last count, I am astonished to find that I have owned 31 saddles, although, luckily, not all at one time. It […]
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