This message is from: "Karen McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I've been totally buried at work and haven't had hardly a second to respond to Pat's query re. Wade tree saddles, but here goes...IMO, I really think Wade style western saddles are the way to go w/ just about any horse, not just a fjord! Most, if not all of the naturall horsemanship folks use this style of saddle..
Here is a link to a pic of my wade style saddle http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=599383&uid=472954 It was made by Rick Ricotti @ Ricotti saddle Co. http://www.ricottisaddle.com/ I did a trade w/ Rick for some landscape work (otherwise I'd NEVER be able to afford this saddle!) Being an english rider, the primary consideration I had in selecting a western saddle was that I didn't want it to weigh a ton and I didn't want to ride a BOARD! The stirrups had to have an unrestricted swing, the seat had to have a narrow twist, and it HAD to fit the horse through the back...so, I brought 3 fjords down to his shop parking lot and we must have tried on over 20 different trees, then he had the tree made up in Utah. We had a 2nd parking lot fitting, made some adjustements, and voila, 2 months later I had a saddle! Rick is a retired civil engineer, so he is very much into the practical side of things, so his saddles really do fit and work well and look pretty as well. Ricotti's beautiful workmanship has a huge reputation here on this coast for producing incredible top of the line show saddles for pleasure + cow horse events. Beth B has a really nice saddle made by a fellow up near Ft Collins, Co. - Dave + I stopped at his shop after visiting Beth + Sandy just after the New year, and his saddles were awesome - the seats were unbelieveably comfortable, just grabbed your butt, and the adjustable rigging was really smart + innovative. I can't remember the guys name for the life of me (I am at work and can't do much research ;~) Maybe you can let us know, Beth?? I'd grab one of his saddles in a heartbeat if my Ricotti saddle wasn't doing so well still... Karen McCarthyGreat Basin Fjords :: Carson City, Nevadahttp://www.picturetrail.com/weegees -------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Pat Holland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com To: <fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com> Subject: Re: Dennis George saddle - ever hear of it? Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:58:28 -0500 This message is from: "Pat Holland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Those of you near Wyoming might already know of this saddle maker, and if you do I'd like to know if your take on them is the same as I recently found. It's made by a company called G Bar G, two brothers ....the one is Dennis George, from Riverton, Wyoming. A western saddle. Recently a friend of mine came to visit and threw this make of saddle on our one Fjord that I've found very hard to fit saddles to and I was amazed of the quality and fit for our Fjord. They have a website - and the description is: standard tree has 6 1/4 wide gullet and is 8 1/2" high with 3 1/2 Post Dalley Horn, bars are modified QH Arizona Bars, rig is a little fuller than a 7/8 and fits the largest variety of horses. Somewhere in the description it says a Wade - A - Fork. ( never heard that before - anyone know what that means?) All I know is it fit our odd Fjord really REALLY well. These saddles range in price from $2,000 to $3,200 so they are not cheap. I guess these saddles were originally made for rodeo people - my friend works on a ranch where he guides hunters and lives in this saddle....it was very well made. If anyone has one of these or heard of one of these, please let me know - I am trying to find a saddle for my husband, who is particular about his butt....... so far every saddle I've tried to buy for him he says doesn't fit him.....then I have to match it to our one gelding, Ivan....who also is different to fit. I pride myself on good saddle fit, but Ivan has always been somewhat of a challenge to fit - and talk about difficulty cantering - if you have the wrong saddle on him, he absolutely will not work at all - stiff, defensive, short choppy, resistant - with this Dennis George saddle he picked up his canter like a normal horse and was bendable and relaxed.... we even got a soft correct flying lead change - which before would have taken a helicopter to life him off the ground to do to it. So let me know if any of you have one of these - I'll pluck down the cash for my husband and have one made. Thanks Pat Holland
