I tried out my Pandora saddle today! I went for a little ride to test it out in the arena on my SUPER rough mare. She is a show horse, not my typical endurance mount, and has tons of action, a huge stride, and is the roughest ride Ive ever had- but shes also the best horse Ive ever met. I felt very secure, and comfortable in the saddle. My first impression was that I hate English stirrup leathers! I quickly realized that it would be more comfortable to flip the leathers over, so that the buckle was on the side closer to the horse, not my leg. Unfortunately, I didnt think of that until after rubbing off the coating, and putting big dents on the saddle under the leathers. It would have been nice to know that was a possibility beforehand, had I done a long training ride I worry it would have broken right through, and possibly cracked the cutouts where the leathers attached. My horse moved out happily in the saddle. She was her usual perky, happy self. But this mare is so excited to be ridden you could strap a rock on her back, sit on it, and she would be perfect. No complaints from the horse, but that doesnt mean much coming from this horse. I tried covering it in a fleece seat cover, it was comfortable, but took up lots of the seat, and it didnt even need it. And there really isnt much to spare. I think the max it would fit is a 16inch seat, and the 16inch rider might be more comfortable in the larger seat size. I am quite comfortable in mine, and I think anyone in the 14-16inch range would work in the normal seat size. On trail I did about 12.5 slow miles in 2.5hrs. I always get 10x as sore on walking rides. We did lots of hills, so our horses chose to walk the majority of the ride. My butt is not sore. The seat is shaped well, and I assure you it doesnt need any padding at all. I did not use a breast collar, and I did not need one. The saddle stayed firmly in place down steep downhills, and steep uphills. It did not shift at all when I got on and off. It was comfortable the entire time, did not rub, pinch, or pull anywhere on me or the horse. This horse has very sensitive skin, and even fleece breast collars have been known to rub her shaved chest until its red and raw. Having a saddle that doesnt move forward or back is especially awesome for this horse. The spinal clearance on the saddle is great, and it clears her wither with plenty of room to spare. The pommel is out of my way, and its easy to get in and out of the seat. I like the look of the saddle, its modern and minimalist. It has enough ties and clips for my gear, I plan on putting my little ride bag up in the front next to my water bottle/ go pro holder, and that will be it. My stirrups are not quite finished being made, so I used these basic english stirrups. Man my tooties hurt! But that is the only part of my that was sore from this saddle. My booty feels great, my back, thighs, hips, legs, knees, all feel great. And my horse was happy, perky, and content to go up and down hills. Overall I am in love with the saddle, and VERY happy with my purchase. If you have any questions I will try to answer, but keep in mind Ive only ridden in it for only 3ish hours. If you have questions about the price, how its made, or any other questions of the like, direct them to the people at Pandora- because I just cant answer those! :) https://facebook/PandoraPerformaceSaddles
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 02:32:44 +0000
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