Karen’s Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff

Bo with the Bob Marshall Sports Saddle and the Freeform HAF pad - it fits together really nicely especially in the back!

I’ve been fiddling around a bit with my saddles and pads lately.  I have two saddles that I ride in – a Bob Marshall Sports Saddle, and a Freeform Classic.

I use the Sports Saddles on endurance rides and mostly use the Freeform for conditioning rides at home.  I like the Freeform because it’s so light and easy and fast to throw on a horse to go out for a conditioning ride.  I don’t have anything attached to the Freeform since I’m usually riding for three hours or less and don’t need anything for that short of a ride.  I can also ride in shorts, which I do all summer.

After I started riding Bo more and more in the Freeform, it became obvious that he didn’t like where the girth is set.  It is a more forward girth with no ability to move it back.

The Sports Saddle, which is what I’ve been riding Bo with on rides since I got him — has a centerfire rigging (see photos) and moves the girth a little farther back and distributes the weight of the saddle and rider differently.

After some sorting around, I ended up trying the HAF pad that was being used on the Freeform, and putting it on the Sports Saddle.  WOW!  It was a pretty nice fit.  A little different from the barrel shaped HAF pad that the SS had been using – but what I liked the most about it is that it was SHORTER!  I like that.  I really don’t like having a bunch of stuff sticking out past the saddle, or past the saddle pad for that matter.  So I was really stoked to see this fit.  I think that this HAF pad fit the Sports Saddle better than it fit the Freeform!

Bo with the Freeform on (same pad here as in the first photo with the SS).

The test now was to ride in it – which we have done a couple of times now.  I really liked how the pad fit all the way around including the front where the pommel packs come down on the side.  There is nowhere that anything attached to my saddle touches the horse.  Well, except for the hoof pick that is clipped on, of course – but that isn’t going to cause a problem. (see first photo at top)

I’ve been riding Bo for about an hour a day with almost half of that being at a trot.  He’s progressing really well recovering from his leg injury and as soon as I get him back over to see Marty (the vet) I’ll find out if he’s ready to go back to real work.  I am too conservative to take Bo on Tevis without time to do at least another 50 so will wait and keep increasing the work load and then hope to get the A-OK to take him to Bryce.

Center fire rigging on the Sports Saddle. This works really well.

In the meantime, I’m hoping to get Bo situated well in a saddle that’ll keep him happy and moving well for riding in an hour or two every day.  I’d really like for the Freeform to work but the rigging can’t be changed easily.  I could have a saddle maker take it apart and rework the rigging but I think it’s better to sell it and get another model (looking at the FreeWest).  I put a photo of the saddle down below.  Email me if interested.  It’s a 16.5″ seat, black, great condition and I’ll sell it with the girth and stirrup straps (no stirrups or pad, though).

I’m going to stick with using the Sports Saddle on Bo for now.  That saddle actually belonged to Weaver – it’s got a purple pommel on it.  I remember when I first got it and took Weaver up on a really nice ride on the Tahoe Rim Trail.  We stopped for lunch in a nice meadow and I let him graze.  I swear I only turned my back for half a second and he was down rolling – ON HIS BRAND NEW SADDLE!  Fortunately the only harm done was a green grass stain on the purple pommel <sigh>.  Anyway, that saddle was made with a peaked pommel for Weaver’s high withers and so it works perfectly on Bo – who also has withers.  I estimate that saddle has about 28,000 miles between the two horses competition miles and training and conditioning miles.

Chief is okay with the Freeform rigging - but when Bo moves in it like Chief does here he gets irritated

Chief in the Freeform

Chief doesn’t seem to mind the Freeform rigging – but, he is built differently than Bo.  Chief has the typical back that a treeless saddle works on – not a lot of withers, wide and short.  Everything seems to fit him easily and without much ado.  Just get on and go.

Bo is more of a challenge because he does have withers and is narrow before widening out.  I’ve been able to add additional padding into the pad on the Freeform so that it works for him.

Both the Freeform and Sports Saddles work well on the horses backs – there is always a dry channel down the spine when I take the saddles off.  Both saddles are also really comfortable for me, the rider.  I like the Sports Saddle rigging for multidays because I can ride with it fairly loose since I use both a breast collar and a crupper with it.  Chief is much happier when I don’t tighten his girth very tight.  Just snug enough mom, he says!

Now about the HAF pads – I really like them a LOT.  I think that they could be better with a few improvements.  I wish somebody could design a saddle pad that would be suitable for use on a multiday horse.  I mean really – why make a pad with trim facing down onto the horses coat?  They ALL DO!  Unless you are using a woolback type pad which has no seam or edge on it.  I don’t get it.  I am constantly rearranging the inserts in my pads to keep the trim up as high and off of the horse as much as possible, to eliminate the chance of rubbing.  Why not just make the pad that way to begin with?

16.5 Freeform Classic - For Sale - Email me if interested. Excellent Condition!

I like the HAF pads because they ARE cooler.  I have a temperature probe that I’ve placed under the saddle pad when riding so I know this to be a fact.  I’ve also ridden 50 miles with a friend with us both using the same model of saddle – the only difference is her horse used a woolback pad and I was using the HAF pad.  When we finished and removed our tack, Bo’s back was completely dry – and the horse using the woolback pad had a wet back everywhere the saddle had been.

My next favorite pad would be the Toklat woolbacks – simply because you can reverse them and use both sides before they need to be washed.  I haven’t been using them though because the last two that I got — were not anywhere near as good quality wise as the same pads I bought a decade or more ago.

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