>>>> I strongly disagree with that. The "sweet spot" on many Icelandic and >>>> "gaited" saddles is further back, and the stirrup bars are still quite >>>> forward. While it might be possible to fight the saddle and sit in a >>>> more classical alignment, the saddles are pretty much designed to >>>> place you in at least a subtle chair seat.
As I said earlier, I don't have that much experience with genuine Icelandic saddles, but that is definitely true with the old-style American "gaited saddles." I used to own a Barnsby Lane Fox (flat-seat gaited horse show saddle) and it was much different in rider positioning than, say, the Courbette Charles de Kunffy dressage saddle I bought during that same period, and also very different from my daughter's Crosby Prix de Nations jumping saddle. The Barnsby's flat spot was very far back. Karen Thomas, NC
