Farrington saddle with flair system

[manda1908]

Hi
Im looking at purchasing a farrington GP with the Flair air system fitted (for £450), i have a 5yo TB and would be buying the saddle from a professional fitter so no doubt it is the right size. Ive traditionally had flocked saddles, but he assures me, with the age of the horse and the liklihood of her changing shape somewhat, having the adjustable air system will be better as i wont need to change saddles....has anyone out there 1)got the air system and whats your review and 2) got a farrington GP saddle with air and overall whats your feedback on the saddle its self and then the pros/cons of air.
Many Thanks

(feedback on the price too pls is 450 low/fair/high_

Amanda

 

[unbalanced]

Even with Flair your saddle still needs to fit your horse. It is not a substitute for a poorly fitting saddle. Flair has a sister company which makes Korrector numnahs which can be used on traditionally flocked saddles which are too wide. If you want something that you will not have to change as your horse changes shape you might be better off with a Wintec so that you can change the gullets or perhaps look into getting a wider saddle with the Korrector system? Personally I hate wintec as the stirrup bars are in the wrong place for me and I haven't used Korrector so this isn't something I would do but if not changing your saddle is a priority then maybe these are options to talk to your saddler about.

I used to have Flair panels in my Ideal dressage saddle. When I got it I loved it and I found that it gave me excellent feeling for what my horse was doing, more so than in a flocked saddle and it was very comfortable. However, about ten years later one of the bags got punctured and I rode on it for a while without noticing as the pressure gradually went down over time so there was no noticeable dramatic decrease. I only figured out that there was a problem because my horse was refusing to move forward and after having the vet/physio/dentist/saddler check every part of her anatomy (she was having hock problems at the time so I thought it was more likely to be her hocks causing the trouble) it was eventually discovered that it was the saddle that was causing the problem. The problem is that Flair is supposed to be soft and it doesn't feel like anything else in the tack room so if the pressure changes slowly you don't have anything else to compare it to. I felt absolutely awful because the tree had been pressing directly on my horse's back.

I have now converted my saddle to traditional flocking particularly because my horse needed a completely different feeling to get her confidence back. I wouldn't trust Flair now and I would be worried that if there was a problem with it I wouldn't be able to recognise it, having failed my horse once already. It was really great when it was working but it was absolutely horrific when it went wrong.

 

[Kat]

I have a Farrington Working hunter.

 

[bedbug]

Both me and OH use farrington sadlles, the normal flock ones are very comfy for both us and the horses go well in them to. they can be adjusted a little by a saddle fitter as long as they have the correct tools.

OH also borrowed the sadle fitters own Farrington that had flair and he said it was the comfiest thing he has ever sat in and isbusy saving his pennies to get his changed to a falir saddle, yes they can be done retrospecitivly.

 

[manda1908]

I have a Farrington Working hunter.

Hi is traditionally flocked or flair? whats your view on it as a rider and for your horse, have you ever had an issue with it? thanks

 

[manda1908]

Even with Flair your saddle still needs to fit your horse. It is not a substitute for a poorly fitting saddle. Flair has a sister company which makes Korrector numnahs which can be used on traditionally flocked saddles which are too wide. If you want something that you will not have to change as your horse changes shape you might be better off with a Wintec so that you can change the gullets or perhaps look into getting a wider saddle with the Korrector system? Personally I hate wintec as the stirrup bars are in the wrong place for me and I haven't used Korrector so this isn't something I would do but if not changing your saddle is a priority then maybe these are options to talk to your saddler about.

I used to have Flair panels in my Ideal dressage saddle. When I got it I loved it and I found that it gave me excellent feeling for what my horse was doing, more so than in a flocked saddle and it was very comfortable. However, about ten years later one of the bags got punctured and I rode on it for a while without noticing as the pressure gradually went down over time so there was no noticeable dramatic decrease. I only figured out that there was a problem because my horse was refusing to move forward and after having the vet/physio/dentist/saddler check every part of her anatomy (she was having hock problems at the time so I thought it was more likely to be her hocks causing the trouble) it was eventually discovered that it was the saddle that was causing the problem. The problem is that Flair is supposed to be soft and it doesn't feel like anything else in the tack room so if the pressure changes slowly you don't have anything else to compare it to. I felt absolutely awful because the tree had been pressing directly on my horse's back.

I have now converted my saddle to traditional flocking particularly because my horse needed a completely different feeling to get her confidence back. I wouldn't trust Flair now and I would be worried that if there was a problem with it I wouldn't be able to recognise it, having failed my horse once already. It was really great when it was working but it was absolutely horrific when it went wrong.

Hi thank you very much for you response, the saddle in question is the correct fit for my horse and as far as im awares the gullet can be adjusted slightly. Im not a fan of the wintecs either, for the same reason as yourself. I didnt think about the fact the air bags could pucture, however its seems you are talking about some time ago that the flair system in your ideal would have been fitted, so i will ask my saddler the question as to weather there has been any advances in the technology, to either prevent punctures all together or any other safety aspect to prevent the situtation you speak about occurring. I do believe now there is a layer of foam surrounding the air bags, what this is for i dont know but will hopefully now be able to find out. Many thanks again

 

[manda1908]

Both me and OH use farrington sadlles, the normal flock ones are very comfy for both us and the horses go well in them to. they can be adjusted a little by a saddle fitter as long as they have the correct tools.

OH also borrowed the sadle fitters own Farrington that had flair and he said it was the comfiest thing he has ever sat in and isbusy saving his pennies to get his changed to a falir saddle, yes they can be done retrospecitivly.

Thanks for the reply, how did OH feel there horse went compared to the conventional?