This message is from: Cynthia_Madden/OAA/UNO/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Just a short note on saddles. I ride Tank in an OrthoFlex Dresseur model saddle with breast collar and crupper added when I am riding in hills. This saddle is a perfect trail riding saddle. I have ridden a lot with two English women lately and they think riding trail in a dressage saddle is pretty weird, but I remind them that with the longer leg and padding to hold your leg in place, it is a perfect trail saddle. I also have Quick-out stirrups as an added safety feature. I don't have the problem with a fixed leg position that you get in a western saddle which means I am able to dismount after a long ride (older knees and all that). The saddle, being a dressage saddle, has a relatively deep seat and I feel very secure in it.
Steve rides an OrthoFlex American Outback. It is a western stock seat with no horn and flexible stirrup (biothane) leathers. OrthoFlexes, while being designed for the horse, are also designed for the build of the rider and distribute the rider's weight more broadly than other saddles that end up with a lot of the saddle's weight on the horse's withers. The freedom of shoulder movement that is obtained in the OrthoFlex is remarkable. My saddle was orginally meant for my Morgan, but I have had no problem in it also fitting Tank and switch between the two horses with absolutely no difficulty. Cynthia Madden Omaha, Nebraska USA email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
