>>> Is it true that if a horse has a damaged back due to a badly fitting >>> saddle they sometimes can't tolerate bareback and need a well fitting >>> saddle? That makes some sense to me.
Go to this site and poke around a while: http://www.balanceinternational.com . In particular, go to his page, http://www.balanceinternational.com/downloads.asp and download the "remedial program" and read it. I was lucky enough to go to a Carol Brett clinic about 4 years ago, and was so impressed I called Cary to bring Sina over for a saddle fitting. It turned out that Sina couldn't use any of the Balance Saddles that Carol had with her, but I learned tons - and it made everything I'd see to-date with Sina fall into place. Note that bareback is part of their remedial program. Carol was just one of several saddle fitters who told me that some Icelandic's (Sina particularly) simply can't be fitted with a treed saddle, fwiw. Carol didn't sell any treeless saddles, but she told me what she thought was best for Sina nonetheless. She was not a pushy salesman, but was more interested in what's right for the horses. She didn't seem to be a big fan of treeless saddles in general then, but I know that treeless saddles have come a long way even since then. I was very lucky to find the Sensations about two months after that clinic. They were our answer. BTW, their saddles ARE lovely, and if I had a need for a treed saddles, I'd certainly look at the Balance saddles. They make some quality, WIDE saddles, even though many were simply too long for Sina. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
