Heather Moffett saddle users that have switched to another brand

webble

webble

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I know that hm saddles aren't for everyone but I have had them for a few years and have loved them. I'm not 100% convinced that they suit my current boy though and have been looking at other options.

I had a wow saddle fitter out a couple of weeks ago and they suited the pony but I found it really uncomfortable. I guess I have got used to the comfort of heathers seats. I am considering trying a solution next but wondered before I do if anyone has any experience of going from one to the other having liked the hm
 
I have to say, I struggle with comfort in other saddles now after the HM ones. But agree that they don't suit every horse, solution may be the way to go for a similar feel for the rider? I know there's a lot of solution users on here.
 
I have a mix of HM and Treefree in my tack room. I have heard good things about the new Tor range that Treefree have, but alas, I am not rich enough to afford one brand new and it will be a while before they start to surface on the second hand market. If you have the dosh though, they might be worth a look?
 
Can't help with the HM side of it but I had a solution trial and a wow trial in the same week and my horse and I both preferred the solution (and bought one). I did really want her to want a wow but she made it quite clear that was a no!
 
Well I liked the comfort of my HM, but my knees were wrecked in it. It also didn't suit my youngster at all although the TB and the old girl liked it. I've switched back to a Torsion, but I am thinking of a Solution when I'm back in the saddle, so to speak.
 
FfionWinnie said:
Can't help with the HM side of it but I had a solution trial and a wow trial in the same week and my horse and I both preferred the solution (and bought one). I did really want her to want a wow but she made it quite clear that was a no!
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Yes I have been following your thread on here and the unofficial solutions fb page. I hadn't realised you had tried a wow though. Did you find the edge of the seat was hard and dug into your thigh? That was my issue with them
 
webble said:
Yes I have been following your thread on here and the unofficial solutions fb page. I hadn't realised you had tried a wow though. Did you find the edge of the seat was hard and dug into your thigh? That was my issue with them
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I tried black county as well, such was my determination to get the right one!

With the wow I just didn't feel like I could sit properly in the ones I tried, and when I got back into my solution saddle it felt like an old friend. It was mainly the horse however who showed her dislike and the next day she was really angry about being saddled, which is what she was doing prior to me using the BB pad/ S saddle. She has had the S for 7 weeks now and has never done it with that other than the few days after she had worn the wows. At the wow fitting I felt they were totally over girthed but when I looked back at the video it also lifted significantly off her back over every jump. The solution lifts sometimes depending on what shape she makes over the fence but not every time. So which thing it was she didn't like I don't know but she certainly made it clear she wasn't "wowed" ;)
 
I went from HM gold flexee to a Solution, which didn't suit us, and back to the finesse flexee which I love.
 
I rode my coloured pony in a HM Phoenix with a suber pad for about 8 years, it was very comfortable for flat work and endurance/hacking but I could not jump higher than about 2ft 3" in it for toffee! However, I now ride (other peoples' horses/ponies) in a treed saddles and feel so much more secure, I do wonder why I persevered with the treeless for so long. I would have loved to have tried my own in a Solution but she is now retired.
 
I had a flexee, hated it, then got an older fhoenix with a suber pad which I liked but felt very perched whilst on it, so then switched to a newer fhoenix with the panels and no suber pad. I used to for about 3 months but my mare developed a strange walk while using it and also became difficult to tack up. I concluded it was something to do with the saddle so sold it and went back to a tree'd saddle. Problem in walk stopped. I think the fhoenix saddle are good but in reality they are very long, I was using the 17" but looking back I think it was far too big for my girl and perhaps that is part of what was causing the problem at the walk.

I had a tree'd saddle for about a year but had great difficulty finding one to fit her, her weight fluctuates quite a lot throughout the year which was making saddle fitting even harder. So I've now thrown the towel in and bought a solution. Only had it about 3 weeks but touchwood so far it seems to be working. The problem with her walk hasn't returned so far but I will be keeping a close eye out for it. Her movement feels much less stilted than it did in her tree'd saddle, but it's been such a long time since I used the fhoenix I can't really compare them directly. What I can say is that I definitely prefer the look of the solution and I'm pretty sure it feels much more close contact than even the newer fhoenix model did.
 
I tried both the Phoenix and the Vogue. I was new to treeless at the time, am used to it now, so possibly now would be the better time to try one.

I can't say that either impressed me very much, I felt I was being forced to sit in an unnatural, and tiring, position. The Phoenix felt slightly better than the Vogue.

I've also tried the HM FlexEE. The one I tried was the older type version without the gullet bar in. I hated the thing, tried it all ways, with suber pad, without suber pad, with various numnah's and paddings-out underneath, and finally gave up on the damn thing as every time I got up on it, it felt different, and would then take about ten minutes to settle down - and when it did, it was in a totally different place to where I felt it should! I just lost patience with the blessed thing basically, and it got so that it really annoyed me!

So to e-bay it went, and I didn't sit and cry for its passing.

I'm riding now in a Tree Free saddle, the new GP Tor they've just started making. Love it.
 
Following this as I currently have a flexee gold on my mare. It was great to start however now she has lost weight, despite having the correct gullet in it its not stable laterally since she's changed shape. It's comfy to hack in but has a very wide seat.

I'm considering other saddles but not sure where to start tbh. I'd like to jump a bit so I think I'd like a treed saddle. Hadn't thought about a wow!!
 
atlantis said:
Following this as I currently have a flexee gold on my mare. It was great to start however now she has lost weight, despite having the correct gullet in it its not stable laterally since she's changed shape. It's comfy to hack in but has a very wide seat.

I'm considering other saddles but not sure where to start tbh. I'd like to jump a bit so I think I'd like a treed saddle. Hadn't thought about a wow!!
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If you value non calloused thighs don't, very uncomfortable imho
 
I tried a Fhoenix on my girl (Tank like 14.3hh show cob) and it was the most horrendously uncomfortable thing that I have ever ridden in. I couldn't keep my lower leg still in it and it had absolutely no stability whatsoever. Why don't you try a Thorowgood T4 or T8 if you want something with a changeable gullet? Much better saddles and far cheaper imo!
 
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atlantis said:
I'm considering other saddles but not sure where to start tbh. I'd like to jump a bit so I think I'd like a treed saddle. Hadn't thought about a wow!!
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Did you see my solution saddle thread? My coach is jumping my 14.2 cob over metre tracks in my new eventer. (I'm still not back on, have broken ribs). It's absolutely everything I wanted and needed for my horse.

Also for your daughter have you thought about a Zoe snape pad.
 
acorn92x said:
I tried a Fhoenix on my girl (Tank like 14.3hh show cob) and it was the most horrendously uncomfortable thing that I have ever ridden in. I couldn't keep my lower leg still in it and it had absolutely no stability whatsoever. Why don't you try a Thorowgood T4 or T8 if you want something with a changeable gullet? Much better saddles and far cheaper imo!
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Also incrediably uncomfortable and used to make me fall off a LOT. You couldnt pay me to ride in one now. I love HM, thats the problem lol
 
I had a fhoniex for years with my last horse and loved it. Did everything in it (although not serious jumping) New horse just couldn't get on with them -tried various models as issues with pressure points. Tried a freeform and loved it the new panels they have allow you to fit to the horse (both shim and spine width) and give excellent spine clearance. Not as pretty as the vogue but the leather version is lovely quality.
 
Had a flexee but never got away with it. Horse seemed to love it but I couldn't find a proper fitter locally to come check and after it slid around and I broke my collar bone I never used it again :(. It's in good nick so selling. We have a Wow now, carefully fitted by someone highly recommended she was here for 4 hours. Horse very happy in it, dressage only though, not tried jumping.
 
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