Customer Comments

Hi Gerri,
Well, I just wanted to let you know that since I picked up my saddle from the Equine Affaire I have ridden in it just about every day on several different horses & draft ponies.

I LOVE IT. I don’t get sore & none of the animals have been sore either. It’s like riding on air.

Many people have asked me about it & ridden in it . I tell them every time that I got it from you & it’s just wonderful!

THANK YOU SO MUCH !

P.S. I bought the black 16″ endurance saddle.

Sincerely, Deta Miller

Dear Gerri,

Thanks for your speedy reply. I have always ridden in a 21 inch cut back saddle (on American Saddlebreds) so this western business is new to me.

My husband is thinking of having my 2 year-old Saddlebred filly started and trained for the trail (not really what she was bred for) for himself. He has done jumping in the past and prefers a horse he can post on.

Although he will be using her for trail riding he also prefers an English saddle. Do you think your endurance saddle would be good for this? It looks rather English to me! Please advise. …

Best Regards, Deborah

P. S. You may be interested to know that I first heard of your treeless saddle while in England. A lady who rides with Prince Charles said she had one and loved it – as did her horse!

Hi There,

A few months ago, my sweetie bought a treeless saddle from you. It was one of your “Show” models. I had no idea what a treeless was, and was a little apprehensive about it.

However, she did a lot of research on the topic and against my better judgment, purchased it. On her first ride, she raved so much about the comfort, not only for her horse (a Fjord), but her own.

After about a week, I could stand it no longer. She saddled up my horse (also a Fjord) and off I went. It wasn’t far before I knew I had to have one too.

Returning to the ranch, I reluctantly gave her back her beautiful saddle. I have not had a more comfortable ride since. This story has a very happy ending.

Fortunately for me, her saddle was a little too small for her and asked me if I wanted to buy hers and she would look for another. Of course I jumped (to say the least) at the opportunity.

She is now purchasing a Deluxe Trail saddle. You can see both of these saddles at “Saddles in Stock” Ever since my first day of sitting in a treeless saddle, I have become a firm believer in your product.

After reading some of your e-mails, it would be difficult to say it any better than what has already been said. You have a wonderful product that saturates both horse and rider with the ultimate riding comfort that is hard to find or match anywhere.

Thank you. As soon as we receive the new saddle, we want to send you pictures (as though you don’t have enough) of two very pleased customers, on two beautiful horses, accented by two beautiful, comfortable saddles.

Jack Long
San Francisco Bay Area, CA

I just wanted you to know how much I love my new Endurance Sport Saddle. My leg has healed and I’m back in the saddle.

This past weekend, my horse and I traveled to the Green Mountains for some very challenging trail riding terrain. People were stopping to adjust their sliding saddles, but not me.

No sliding, no hot spots, no sores (for me or my horse). My horse just loves it too. His attitude on the trail is so much more cooperative. I think he’s just more comfortable.

Thanks again, Jennifer.

I ran across your website and found it very interesting with a lot of good information. I have had a Bob Marshall saddle for several years, it is a barrel saddle and I love it.

I originally got it for an Arab that I was having trouble fitting but found that it has worked on all the horses I have ridden. A friend of mine in high school rodeo used it for barrel racing.

She is now in college and wants to begin barrel racing again and is trying to buy it off me. I don’t want to part with it.

I am trying to convince my husband to buy one. He bought another really “good” brand a few years ago and has been having problems with it making his horse sore.

Anyway, I hope you are really still in the distribution of selling these wonderful saddles. And I wanted to ask about a rumor I just heard that “he”, meaning Bob Marshall, is no longer making the saddles and it is changing and all that.

I hope the same saddle is still being made. As I said, I would like my husband to try it and I would kind of like to get the square skirted one if I break down and sell mine. But I certainly won’t sell it if something has changed about them.

I also want to add that I bought the saddle for my horse’s back but what I found was it was so much more comfortable for me too. I have a hip joint that gives me some trouble. One hour in a conventional saddle is very painful, I can ride many hours comfortably in the SS.

Thanks, Maggie Whitlow

Good evening Gerri,

I just wanted to tell you thanks for all the help with the saddle. I rode in it this weekend for the first time on a 15 mile ride. To my surprise I had no aches and pains like I usually do in a Western Saddle.

Also, my horse had no back pain at all. It was absolutely wonderful. I don’t think that I will ever ride in any other type saddle for the rest of my riding years!!!

Once again, THANK YOU!!!!!

Betty McDaniel

Hi Gerri – many thanks for your emails and updates on the saddle-

It came yesterday – just 2 days after your note – finally!!!! I didn’t have a chance to try it on MY horse yesterday – but did try it on a similar shaped and gaited Icelandic horse that I ride frequently with a very good friend of mine. Fenja (the icy) loved it!! No surprise to me.

I rode a SS on a different Icelandic, a while ago, which is what convinced me to go the SS route, because I loved feeling the horse move freely underneath me. We rode out on bush trails, hills and flat last night, and the feeling and contact from her was amazing – my friend tried it on the other icy (different shape altogether) and both of them loved it too.

Maybe another sale – and many of my customers and people I know, will get to try it Maybe, now I can sell all of the other saddles I’ve tried (or most of them). I’ll be trying it on my 2 horses today – with I’m sure wonderful results – especially my soft gaited mare. I’ll let you know how she likes it, after a few rides and tests.

Thanks, Maureen

Just thought I’d send you a picture of my 4 yr. old guy. This was the 1st time I rode him here in CA (last week)….I did ride him several times in KY this summer.

Notice he got the PLEASURE of a treeless saddle for the 1st time! I tried all my other saddles on him…Big Horn Cordura, ortho flex, and a custom made saddle that was for my other horse, Rocky.

I got some REALLY dirty backwards glances from this guy. Put on the treeless & he didn’t even look back, ears up…so I said “Well, once again…THIS IS IT!!!!!”

I started with a Bob Marshall on my 1st horse 5 1/2 years ago. Somewhere along the line I thought I needed “more” saddle. But everytime one of the other ones started bothering Rocky after a couple of months…we’d be back to the treeless. So, I’m a “lifer” now!!!  .

As you can see from the picture…these saddles are not only close contact…they allow for a good HUG too!!!!!!! So, here is Mr. Morgan….4 yr. old Rocky Mountain Horse.

Cindy Tarver

I have ridden these for 9 years, successfully. The reason they work (at least for my family) is that they conform to the shape of the back as it moves and changes shape. They are not entirely TREELESS.

There are two tree pieces, the pommel and cantle, and are connected between the top and bottom of the saddle by a V shaped rigging. This helps distribute weight evenly. So, if you are standing in the stirrups, the weight is spread out…

Keep in mind, a traditional tree can only distribute weight evenly if it fits the back exactly, and how can this happen when the back changes shape as the horse raises and lowers his head and bends his body?

Anyway, I have 5 sport saddles, and use them on all my 5 horses…. I find them lightweight, extremely well balanced and my horses travel better. I ride with a loose group of 12 or so friends who all have them, on a variety of horse colors and shapes.

I have NEVER seen any back sores, pressure marks or white hairs caused by these saddles. I cannot even begin to list the number of people I know that used traditional treed saddles for YEARS, only to find damage; that switched me to the sport saddles.

It’s essential, I believe, to use a Skito pad with Equalizer foam. This pad is shaped to the back and has a small air channel down the spine.

I check my horses backs after any rides; have not found soreness, and at the few endurance rides they do, they are A’s on their backs.

Best example of successful use is Karen Chaton, who has THOUSANDS of AERC miles in Sport Saddles, including Tevis and the summer XP rides, day after day.

I find that the normal stirrup position is too far forward; my saddles have them moved back 2″ under me.

Karen Sullivan

Hi Gerri,

I am getting along great with the saddle. It was truly a god sent when my new horse, Raku showed up from Oregon. He is 16-1 and 1200 lbs. I even had to buy this gorgeous custom bridle made by A&M Tack for his big head.

The saddle went from a 850lb Arab mare to a 1200 lb NSH without a problem. Here is a picture of Raku and I a few days ago.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Waters