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Dan LOVES his Freeform |
May 26, 2020 |
| Reviewer:
Jaime W. from NC
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My husband started riding a little over a year ago and has progressed to finishing a 100-mile endurance ride in that time! He started riding with “my†gentle horse, and I told him he had to ride in my Freeform Ultimate Trail, both because it fit my horse, and because I wanted him to learn how to balance himself, not to be able to get into a sloppy position and grip the saddle and later have to un-do all of those bad habits. However, when he grew as a rider and wanted his “own†horse, it was also time to get him his own saddle, so off to Paulita’s we went, with Dan and his big green Arab. Dan sat in several saddles and liked the Scout right away. It looked like the Ultimate Trail he was familiar with, but I also think the pommel was smart (did I mention his horse is green!?). It has a wider twist, which honestly isn’t the right fit for my body, but he felt really good in it. His horse was “up†even on a short test ride, and I was trying to talk him into something with a bit “moreâ€-maybe a Classic?-when Paulita found the “Classic Scoutâ€. It has flaps, which believe me, make a big difference to have that bit of traction under your leg when your horse is being spunky. It also has a small knee roll. Dan originally worried about the extra weight on his horse from the flaps, as he is a heavy weight rider, but we held up both saddles and really there is no noticeable difference. I’ve seen him sit some pretty spectacular bucks and spins in it, and even when he’s been tossed, and his own body loses balance-the saddle has caught him. We still have the gentle horse, and when people come to our farm and want to get on a horse for the first time-the Classic Scout is what we put them in. Or when friends who are expected riders talk me into letting them ride some of the hotter horses-they are always glad to have the Classic Scout. The flexibility of the saddle has also been nice. When he started, he wanted his leg a little more out front, as he would catch himself on his feet when his horse got spooky. As he got better, and rode further, he realized that position was putting pressure on his knees and thighs, and transitioned to a dressage seat, with his feet under him. It was no problem in the Freeform, as we just moved the leathers back a fraction of an inch at a time as his body adjusted, something we’d never have been able to do in a treed saddle-we would have ended up buying multiple saddles.
It’s comfortable as well as secure-we adjusted several saddles to his horse and body when he started his 100 mile ride, thinking that no matter how comfortable a saddle is, at some point, his body would appreciate a change, or something would start to bother his horse-but nope, he was comfortable in it the whole time, and I could never find any points of soreness on his horse, who I was checking carefully every 15 miles or so.
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