Solution Saddles

[Sportznight]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone had any experiences or view on Solution saddles? http://www.solution-saddles.co.uk/?gclid=CMnE3Ma5mbICFVF0fAodey4AHg I saw them at Burghley and was intrigued, but don't know anyone who's used them. Would be really interested in points of view please, PM if you prefer. Thanks

 

[wench]

Think there's quite a few in NL who have them - I was looking at one a while ago for one of my horses. Never needed it, but I did have a sit in one over the weekend at Burghley.

Have to say - it didnt feel any different to a normal saddle, and looked nice! Not ridden in one though, so hard to say. I think it can vary if your horse likes it or not though!

 

[Capriole]

There are quite a few people with those on here. I have one and really like it, I use it on a few horses. It fits all ours apart from the new horse and its not suitable for her, but generally Im very happy with mine.

 

[BronsonNutter]

I have an older style one (Freestyle GP) as my horse is pretty much impossible to fit a treed saddle to He likes it, but I find it very different to a 'normal' saddle - much wider/bulkier and impossible to do sitting trot in! But I find some treed GPs too bulky, having only ever had jumping/CC saddles before, and others like my saddle.

However, the newer saddles (smart & sport) feel much more like a 'normal' saddle to ride in sadly they rarely come up on ebay in the size I would need!

 

[MiaBella]

I have the older style as well, the freestyle dressage. My mare hasn't been easy to fit a saddle to (and is a princess about any soreness) and she is really happy in this, have had it now for nearly 3 years and she is competing elementary (I also used to hack and jump in it but haven't for a while, mainly because I needed a more forward cut saddle to help my jumping and now have a treed jump saddle so use that for hacking as we do a lot of fast work). Never had an issue with it. Its not a beautiful saddle and doesn't give the rider as much support as some dressage saddles do, but most people don't realise its treeless and mare has never had a problem with it (we do sometimes get problems from the treed jump saddle...)

 

[Pascal96]

I too have a Solution Freestyle. I chose the Freestyle as my bigger horse didn't like the more solid pommel of the Smart - she does have a fairly high wither and that may be the reason. I use it on 2 warmblood mares one much wider than the other and they both go very well in it. I find that riding in it doesn't play my back up like a treed saddle and I think you get a much better feel for the horses movements through it.

The nice thing about a Solution Saddle is that you can have it on trial to see if you and your horse likes it.

 

[Rowreach]

I have more Solution saddles than OH knows about Personally I prefer the original models, but the new SMART saddles (post 2010) are very good, and the new new Sport saddles are lovely. They are much more like a traditional saddle to ride in, but I do feel that because of this they have lost some of the advantages of the original truly rigid-free models.

 

[Capriole]

I have more Solution saddles than OH knows about .

My OH wants his own one but theyre no good for the horse hes riding.

I like the original models better too, mine is the Freestyle but I also liked the Energist equally well. Next on my list is a GP.
I havent tried the very newest Smart saddles, but was told not to get one of the early models by a fitter. She now has upgraded to the newer Smarts so Im assuming whatever she didnt like about them has changed.

 

[Rowreach]

My OH wants his own one but theyre no good for the horse hes riding.

I like the original models better too, mine is the Freestyle but I also liked the Energist equally well. Next on my list is a GP.
I havent tried the very newest Smart saddles, but was told not to get one of the early models by a fitter. She now has upgraded to the newer Smarts so Im assuming whatever she didnt like about them has changed.

[whispers quietly I've got 2 GPs in different sizes, a Freestyle and my favourite which is a Jumper but my son seems to have nicked it ]

Your fitter is absolutely right, don't go for the earlier SMART saddles .

 

[Sportznight]

Gosh, thank you for all the feed back guys Really appreciate it! Lots of food for thought