ihorse
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equestrian
Another Saddle Post!
As I've been riding Andie more regularly, I've been noticing that I've been really uncomfortable in my current saddle. It's beautiful, and I love it, except I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't fit me right, and it's causing a lot of my problems with my lower leg and my position in general. So today, I towed a friend along with me to a couple different tack shops that have saddles on consignment. I looked at an Antill (I think Triple Crown? It was so worn on the insides it was hard to read), but wasn't super impressed with the condition it was in. The leather looked nice enough, but it had several faded/discolored patches, and I want something that I'll feel comfortable showing in. It was the only used saddle in good enough condition, and of good enough quality in my price range at the two places I looked. I'm not done looking yet, but I came home with this on trial:
It's a brand spanking new HDR Advantage all purpose saddle. When I looked at it I was pretty impressed with the quality of the leather, and it really is a pretty saddle. It appears to be nicely made, all the stitching is straight and clean, and the seat is a nice medium softness. I've heard a lot of crap about HDR, and I even tried out an older HDR close contact and gave it back in disgust, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I was very comfortable in it and I felt like it fit ME really well, which really has never happened before.
I've been struggling to stop riding on my crotch and sit deeper in the saddle for two months now, and it's finally dawned on me that my saddle was giving me a really hard time, pitching me into a chair seat and making riding just plain HARD. I finally felt supported in the right areas, and I felt secure in it. Now, I certainly haven't fallen in love with it or anything, because I do have some issues with it.
First of all, I would like to hear your opinions of HDR saddles. If you felt comfortable in the saddle, did it end up working out for you? Those of you who own a newer HDR (I think this one was made in 2005?), are you happy with it? How is it holding up to wear and tear?
Second, I need some advice about fit. When I put it on Andie, the only problem we noticed was that it sits a little low in front, so it tips downward a little bit. She still needs a little weight, and I'm pretty sure she'll fill in around the withers more (behind her main shoulder muscle) and gain some muscle mass in that area, but obviously I don't want to go out and buy a saddle that doesn't fit her, and likely won't in the long run. I'll take some photos of her back, and the saddle on her, and I'll post them to my journal tomorrow so I can give you all a better idea of how it's sitting on her so you can give me more accurate advice.
It's a wide tree, and I'm not quite sure if she needs a wide tree or not, so I'm kind of wondering if it's just the tree that is too wide, and that is why it's not sitting on her correctly, or it's just because she lacks any muscle or fat in the area the saddle should be sitting. Would a riser pad, a pommel pad, or something like that be a reasonable "fix" until she is better conditioned?
One last question. If a saddle is foam flocked, can it be changed to wool flocking? From what I have heard wool flocking offers a more custom fit. Thanks in advance for all the wonderful advice I know I will receive from you guys. You're such a big help! :)
It's a brand spanking new HDR Advantage all purpose saddle. When I looked at it I was pretty impressed with the quality of the leather, and it really is a pretty saddle. It appears to be nicely made, all the stitching is straight and clean, and the seat is a nice medium softness. I've heard a lot of crap about HDR, and I even tried out an older HDR close contact and gave it back in disgust, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I was very comfortable in it and I felt like it fit ME really well, which really has never happened before.
I've been struggling to stop riding on my crotch and sit deeper in the saddle for two months now, and it's finally dawned on me that my saddle was giving me a really hard time, pitching me into a chair seat and making riding just plain HARD. I finally felt supported in the right areas, and I felt secure in it. Now, I certainly haven't fallen in love with it or anything, because I do have some issues with it.
First of all, I would like to hear your opinions of HDR saddles. If you felt comfortable in the saddle, did it end up working out for you? Those of you who own a newer HDR (I think this one was made in 2005?), are you happy with it? How is it holding up to wear and tear?
Second, I need some advice about fit. When I put it on Andie, the only problem we noticed was that it sits a little low in front, so it tips downward a little bit. She still needs a little weight, and I'm pretty sure she'll fill in around the withers more (behind her main shoulder muscle) and gain some muscle mass in that area, but obviously I don't want to go out and buy a saddle that doesn't fit her, and likely won't in the long run. I'll take some photos of her back, and the saddle on her, and I'll post them to my journal tomorrow so I can give you all a better idea of how it's sitting on her so you can give me more accurate advice.
It's a wide tree, and I'm not quite sure if she needs a wide tree or not, so I'm kind of wondering if it's just the tree that is too wide, and that is why it's not sitting on her correctly, or it's just because she lacks any muscle or fat in the area the saddle should be sitting. Would a riser pad, a pommel pad, or something like that be a reasonable "fix" until she is better conditioned?
One last question. If a saddle is foam flocked, can it be changed to wool flocking? From what I have heard wool flocking offers a more custom fit. Thanks in advance for all the wonderful advice I know I will receive from you guys. You're such a big help! :)