Re: Saddles - again
This message is from: "Karen McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi Debi - what is "up" w/ the 4th billet? (sounds like a book title...) Does it require some sort of an optional overgirth? veey curious! Kmac Original Message Follows From: "Deb Williams" "I purchased a Griffin Ap and LOVE it !!! It has 4 billets one is up front and 3 are grouped like the usual placement on English saddles... " Join the worlds largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. Click Here
Re: Saddles - again
This message is from: "Deb Williams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Question 1: You guys out there who HAVE a Thorowgood, how did you get hold > of it? Any tack stores out there that have them in stock? I don't mind if > it's on the other side of the country as long as it can be shipped... To all interested in the saddle discussion: I purchased a Griffin Ap and LOVE it !!! It fits my horses an appie 1000 lb and broad rounded back but has some withers and my Rosie,, Fjord 14.2 1200= lbs and no withers and Elvis, Fjord 1000lb plenty of wither. It stays put on both mares, (stallion not riding in the English yet) and IS COMFORTABLE! It feels like it is made out of firm foam over a big tree. The flaps are longish and seem straighter nearly like a dressage saddle. The materials are soft brushed synthetic very much like suede on the seat and soft leather like feeling flaps. It has 4 billets one is up front and 3 are grouped like the usual placement on English saddles. I have used Wintec webbers for leathers and really like them. and a neoprene girth which may help with the security in placement. Debi Williams Williams Hill Fjords Waterford, Pa Home of Tolgar, Belle,Hilda, Senja, Beckett, Rosie, Levi and Daniel
Re: Saddles - again
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi there, don't get too frustrated with the saddle search I know ours took forever. Now about the Thorowgood seems the company was in some financial trouble or something but they do still ship (using Miller's) it just takes awhile. I had ordered the extra wide thru my Tack Store but they, the tack store screwed up and got us the wide. It's not quite wide enough for Nina (very drafty) but fits Frodo like a glove. I have seen one of the ThornHill saddles on a very wide backed Morgan and it seemed to fit well. Really didn't investigate any further since the Thorowgood was cheaper. I should since I understand their headquarters is only half an hour from my house. Hope that helps. Robyn in MD (surviving but barely summer camps)
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Denise Delgado <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This message is from: "Denise Delgado" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > thanks mary, > your post was educating for me in regards to > saddles. why do so many people > out there like (love) those aussie saddles? Good question. Admittedly, they are not cheap if you buy the 'real thing' made in Australia! I think it is because they are more secure than an english saddle, but not as 'restrictive' as a western saddle. Plus the 'style' of them is more english looking. Also, for people who are looking for a non-english saddle to fit a Fjord, they used to be about the only game in town. I've seen a couple of recent posts which say they are 'heavy' - 30 to 32 pounds. Guess these people haven't lifted an older western saddle lately! The really new western saddles - made of Cordura and other synthetics - are around 25 pounds, but my old one weighs around 40 pounds. Uff Da!! However, my horse is pretty short so it isn't all that far up to his back from the saddle rack. what > are the benefits verses > disavantages to the forward sitting placments and > also the legs? The Aussie puts your seat at about the same place as you would sit on the horse if riding bareback. It's easier to balance there, and it's easier on the horse. He can balance the rider's weight better if it is more towards his withers. If you sit right in the middle of his back, his back gets tired, and the gaits feel rougher to the rider. Also, if he makes a sudden movement, it's harder to catch your balance if you are right in the middle of his back. An Aussie has 'free swinging' stirrups, like an english saddle, so you can position your legs forward, center, or in between - keeps your legs from getting as tired, takes the strain off your lower back, makes balancing easier. You actually sit in it with your thighs under the "poley" ears, knees slightly bent, heels down, leg going slightly forward of your butt. In the older western saddles this was NOT possible. Your leg went straight down and stayed that way. Not very comfortable over a long ride. but then i/ve > heard they can be a bugger to get out of in a > hurry... I've never had any trouble 'bailing out' of one. Only did it a couple of times, though. Guess you need to be familiar enough with the saddle to remember that your leg has to come back - out from under the 'poley' - before you can jump off. Believe me, you are more apt to get your jacket or shirt caught on the horn of a western saddle when bailing out, than to get stuck in an Aussie. Of course, the idea is supposed to be that you don't "bail out" - that's why the Aussie is built like it is, so the rider can stay put no matter what the horse does. Mary = Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> thanks mary, your post was educating for me in regards to saddles. why do so many people out there like (love) those aussie saddles? what are the benefits verses disavantages to the forward sitting placments and also the legs? i understand the security of the deeper seat, that's easy. but then i/ve heard they can be a bugger to get out of in a hurrydenise
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: Don & Jane Brackett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Denise - My husband bought an Aussie saddle this spring and loves it. He says it's impossible to fall out of! :) But his is heavy, around 30 - 32 lbs. After trying to make my old all purpose work on my wide mare, I started shopping for a new saddle. I wanted (and still do) a dressage saddle for arena work but found a nice light 20 lb aussie saddle that was affordable. It fits my mare wonderfully and is a great trail saddle. Scrambling up and down steep hills, scary chainsaws starting up and other more "athletic" moves are no problem. Very sucure deep seat and spreads the weight out over a large portion of her back. And on her wither-less back it doesn't slip! Amazing! Jane, in Maine where it is way too cold (-15 this am) but where we finally got some snow.
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Denise Delgado <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This message is from: "Denise Delgado" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> what type of > riding do you do now as > opposed to before with the aussie saddle? Denise, When I used my Aussie saddles only I pretty much rode everywhere - they are not limited in their use that way. I rode in parades, at the beach, down the road, on trails, etc. However, when attending shows back then an Aussie saddle was a bit of a quandry for the judges/class stewards. They weren't sure what to do with it. Western riders complained that it was NOT western style - even though I used a western bridle and bit. And it DEFINITELY was NOT English!! What to do with it? In the early Libby shows everything and everyone was pretty "laid back", so there really was no problem with it. I dressed western and went in the western classes. As things became more "organized" it became obvious that the saddle was a "misfit" and I would have to do something else - or not enter in shows. About the same time I began taking riding/training clinics given by Wil Howe. For these you REALLY DO need a true western saddle - for various reasons related to the training - which is ongoing - part of the method. So I found an old western saddle - about 40 years old - that is comfortable and traded my newer Aussie in on it. This old saddle is very comfortable and secure, has lots of ties for trail equipment, has a low, flat horn, AND has a silver horn ornament that is coveted by every cowboy I meet! Extra bonus! I kept the old Aussie to use on Line when I ride her and to use on her for the grandkids. I don't like to put them on her bareback. She's so wide I'm afraid they'll slide off with nothing to hang on to! Hope this answers your question. Also, I know some people question whether a saddle riding further forward on the withers is a good idea. The "further forward" here refers to the fact that an Aussie - properly fitted - rides in the hollow behind the shoulder muscles similar to where a jumping saddle rides(so I've been told), as opposed to a western saddle which puts the rider's weight mostly in the middle of the horse's back - especially on Fjords which tend to be short backed. In fact, that is the reason I bought an Aussie saddle in the first place. Most of the western saddles available at the time were so "long" that I was sitting in the middle of the horse's back and the saddle extended over their rump. Not good. Nowadays western saddles are available in smaller models which fit a Fjord better. The REALLY old saddles - like mine - had only one cinch, called a "center fire" cinch, so the saddles were shorter. Then everyone got the idea they needed TWO cinches (a la roping saddle) to look "macho" or "western" so the saddles got longer - too long for a short-backed horse. Now we are swinging back towards lighter, smaller western saddles again, thank heavens. Those of us with "iffy" backs appreciate the lighter weight when swinging those saddles up on the horse - and I'm sure the horses appreciate it after a long day. There, now you know pretty much everything I know about saddles, which isn't much. Hope it helps. Mary = Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: "Marion Bijster" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -Oorspronkelijk bericht- Van: Denise Delgado <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Aan: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Datum: woensdag-januari-2000 3:53 Onderwerp: Re: saddles...again!! >This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >what can any of you tell me about aussie saddles and fitting fjords. a >friend told me they are very light, comfortable and can be made to fit any >horse and you use minimal padding underneath and they are deeper and you sit >up closer to the withers, over the shoulders. any experience with these >saddles, out there? denise in rainy and windy northern calif. > >Hi, I have always ridden my Fjords with a Kieffer dressage saddle, which has e special belt for horses built like Fjords. Round like an egg, so to say and the saddle fits weel Marion
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] We've got 2 aussie saddles in our tack room. Mine is nice and light and comfortable. Also has a nice deep seat. My old hunt seat trainer hates it, thinks it puts my legs out too far front, but it's not MEANT to be hunt seat. My husband's saddle, well, he needs to trade it in. It's got to be the heaviest saddle I've ever picked up in my life! I don't know why it is so darned heavy, but it is. He needs one like mine, but with a slightly larger seat. Shop around if you want an aussie. There are good ones and bad ones out there, like anything else. Pamela
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> dear mary, thanks for the note. what type of riding do you do now as opposed to before with the aussie saddle? denise
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: Debby Stai <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> My friend has one, for her QH. I know this saddle is very heavy, as heavy as a western saddle. I don't know about them sitting up on the withers, right over the shoulder, doesn't seem like a good idea to me. How would the horse be able to reach with his shoulders? I ride in a dressage saddle, wide tree, to fit my Arab and I can only hope that it will fit the Fjord when she's able to be ridden again. He's short backed so I might get lucky. Good luck in your search. Debby in TX Denise Delgado wrote: > This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > what can any of you tell me about aussie saddles and fitting fjords. a > friend told me they are very light, comfortable and can be made to fit any > horse and you use minimal padding underneath and they are deeper and you sit > up closer to the withers, over the shoulders. any experience with these > saddles, out there? denise in rainy and windy northern calif.
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: Mary Thurman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- Denise Delgado <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This message is from: "Denise Delgado" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > what can any of you tell me about aussie saddles and > fitting fjords. Denise, I used an Aussie saddle - actually two of them - for many years on my Fjords. The older saddle was made in Australia, has a very wide tree, and fits our old "work style" mare who weighs in at around 1250 to 1300 pounds. I even used it on her when she was in foal - until she became too wide to ride. The newer saddle was made in either India or somewhere in Asia (a copy, I believe they call it). It was narrower and worked well on my younger Fjords. I really liked the more forward seat, the deep back, and the "poley ears" that kept my legs in place no matter what the horse did. My Ausies had no horn, but I never felt like I might "come out" of them because of the poley ears. Having had back surgery several years ago, I liked the free movement of the stirrups as well. Unfortunately, I needed a Western saddle for the kind of riding I now do, so I sold the newer Ausie and bought a very old "beartrap" western saddle, which also gives good leg stability. Hope this helps. Mary = Mary Thurman Raintree Farms [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com
Re: saddles...again!!!!!!
This message is from: "Denise Delgado" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> what can any of you tell me about aussie saddles and fitting fjords. a friend told me they are very light, comfortable and can be made to fit any horse and you use minimal padding underneath and they are deeper and you sit up closer to the withers, over the shoulders. any experience with these saddles, out there? denise in rainy and windy northern calif.
