>>> Thought if I'd go to a 19" I would have more room, but now listening to everyone saying it is big, I don't know. I mostly would like to try it instead of a cheap bareback pad that seem to slide too much.
I really don't like the idea of a Bob Marshall saddle in a seat size that big on any Icelandic that I've seen. The BMSS get REALLY long in the larger seat sizes. >>> Karen, you mentioned once that your husband is a bit more solid built, and rides in a treeless, what size saddle does he use? He hasn't ridden in a treed western saddle in so long that I'm not sure his size, but I'd guess he'd need at least a 17", maybe bigger. His last treed saddle was an 18" Free N Easy Flex Panel saddle. Before that, an 18" Duett brand dressage model and it was really too snug for him. He now rides in a Sensation Trail model now, standard seat length. Unlike the Bob Marshall, the Sensation has no rigid parts, so we don't have to worry about loin rubs or his weight being transferred to the back of the rigid cantle. He's free to balance his weight where the horse's conformation demands, even though he is a big rider. (He still needs to ride a decent-sized, strongly-built Icelandic - no saddle will make him seem like a small rider!) >>>> Also, if a treeless saddle only weighs about 10lbs and is flexible, would it really cause that much of a problem if it sits further back over the loin, as long as the rider sits balanced in the centre? I'd say that's pretty much true...EXCEPT for the treeless saddles that have rigid pommels and cantles. The Sensations are flexible throughout, but some treeless brands have notable rigid parts. This is key: while I thought my old BMSS was fairly comfy, and Sina did pretty well in it for a while, all BMSS's have a rigid pommel and cantle and they can't be removed. There are some newer style treeless saddles similar to the BMSS (Torsion, Barefoot, etc.) that have rigid pommels and cantles, BUT their pommels and cantles zip open, and you can remove the hard pieces. That's exactly what I've done with my Torsions, and re-stuffed them with the pillow-stuffing stuff you get in the craft department at Wal-Mart. If you do that, you eliminate the rigid pieces, but it still gives a surprising amount of shape to the saddle, to keep them from rolling. (If you take the time to learn to mount carefully.) That isn't an option with the BMSS's. Even though I have to be grateful for the BMSS being one of the first treeless saddle options available, a lot of people now consider them to be "part-treed" compared to saddles like the Sensations. Did any of this help, or did I make it worse? Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.5/1148 - Release Date: 11/23/2007 7:39 PM
