English Saddle Suede I was looking at saddles today...?
Okay, so im getting started riding western, ive been riding english for about 3 years. Lately ive been just doing a bit of western with my horse in my english tack, and we both love it! It just seems a bit more calm and everything. So ive been looking at western tack, and I went to the local tack shop today, after no luck looking at the roomful of used saddles, I went into the new, and saw this very nice synthetic/suede saddle, tried sitting in it, its very comfortable. The person working there says she has 3(for her family), and loves them. So I wanted to know your opnions, should I get it
i have been riding western for about twelve years and synthetic saddles are excellent but beware. they are not as easy to stay in as leather saddles. the leather is less slippery against the seat of your pants and with leather saddles you can buy leather covers to help keep you in the seat. if you plan on using the saddle for trail riding then a synthetic saddle is an excellent because they are quite comfortable but in competitions like pole bending, barrel racing, calf roping, and tricks like key hole it becomes far easier for a good sharp turn to unseat you. other things to take into account are how the saddle fits your horse, wether a girth is included and if the girth is comfortable and will keep the saddle from slipping because synthetic saddles also slip easier on the horse. when you try sitting on it make sure to try all the different movements like digging yourself back into the seat, and sitting forward you have to mind how the horn affects your freedom of movement. another to remember about getting the right size saddle for you AND your horse is that english saddles are way smaller. a western saddle should have enough to it to feel like it will keep you on the horse a bit better than an english saddle. in comparison how an english saddle fits you is JUST ENOUGH to keep you on the horse. western saddles are made to always keep you on the horse. another thing about the girth is it is smart to get a fleece lined girth for synthetics because that helps stop the saddle form slipping because the blanket will lift it a bit.
make sure to take all of these into account. a good saddle could save your life just as much as a good horse. i just shattered my arm about two months ago because my horse spooked and the saddle slipped and i landed on my arm and broke it in seven places.
Just arrived! Only lost one bag of four in transit!
Anyway, the point about blogging/dept. culture is an interesting point. Being at AIP, I wasn't in a department, per se, so blogging was a good outlet for ideas that otherwise would have remained undeveloped. That said, I was in close collaboration with Chris Donohue at the University of Maryland for about a year, and there were times when this blog seemed to be cream skimmed from the surface of our conversations.
I'm curious to see how my blogging here will change now that I'm at Imperial, which, from when I was here before, I remember for its really good departmental culture.
Just arrived! Only lost one bag of four in transit!
Anyway, the point about blogging/dept. culture is an interesting point. Being at AIP, I wasn't in a department, per se, so blogging was a good outlet for ideas that otherwise would have remained undeveloped. That said, I was in close collaboration with Chris Donohue at the University of Maryland for about a year, and there were times when this blog seemed to be cream skimmed from the surface of our conversations.
I'm curious to see how my blogging here will change now that I'm at Imperial, which, from when I was here before, I remember for its really good departmental culture.