Aussie saddle test ride... wow! Comfortable and secure!

[SandyMM]

Greg had been talking about how much he liked the Aussie saddle he bought off eBay - until the tree shifted 2-3" after the 3rd-4th ride.... Soooo - thanks to PasoPleasure, we have upgraded to a much nicer Aussie - and Greg _really_ likes it - very secure, but not confining... and about 16 places to tie gear - great for trails! We choose from the 'short list' of Down Under Kimberly Collection that pasopleasure has found to fit the large majority of their Pasos. I rode a Superior Poley yesterday on a test ride and was astonished at how comfortable it was and how well it fit Emi... who also liked it. He _will_ let me know when I put an uncomfortable saddle on him - thank goodness!

Here's what Greg is now riding.... well - he chose the black version...
http://www.downunderweb.com/images/Kimberley_Superior_NH.jpg
and I've got my eye on the same - or maybe at some point the High Country
http://www.downunderweb.com/images/Kimberley-High-Country-NH.jpg
- heavy duty construction and also w/self-adjusting serge panel. Pasopleasure's very experienced trainer has used this same saddle on all their young stock (it fits a variety of backs and self-adjusts) for several years and won't ride anything else (hope I've got that exactly right!:-) The Superior Poley is 24# w/o fittings, High Country is 23# w/o fittings. Also, some people have wondered about the comfort of riding with an overgirth... I have to say I never noticed the overgirth on my ride and I normally prefer riding in 'minimal' English saddles. I was surprised at the close contact on the sides. I feel like the saddle rode most like a dressage saddle - with lots of D's and knee/thigh support (poleys). There is a break-in period on these saddles while the panels conform to the horse's back. A wither pad is suggested if the break-in period causes any temporary inconvenience (the rear end of the panels apparently take a few rides to 'settle' in... causing the saddle to sit with a slight forward pitch during the break-in period).

Check with pasopleasure as her family and trainer have much more time in these saddles, but we think we may have finally found the perfect saddle for our needs - mostly trail/pleasure w/occasional local shows and a saddle legal in PFHA pleasure classes - not sure about performance or fino - but they _should_ be allowed considering all the knee/thigh rolls/pads etc now allowed in those classes in the high dollar (Ortho/Timberline) saddles.... And, thanks to pasopleasure - at a terrific price (under retail!) for riding more safely! I don't know about the rest of you all, but these bones are getting more creaky by the day! I can't afford an unnecessary fall or slip (can _anybody_?????)

Not saying these saddles are perfect for every horse and every rider, but we are really happy to find what fits us, our horses, our style of riding, and our limited budget after going through a wide variety of saddles....

[appyday]

Well great Sandy...what are they running??

[SandyMM]

Pasopleasure currently has a standing offer to sell these saddles at her cost plus shipping in order to get the word out that there are safer saddles for our riders, trainers, and horses.... and that they don't have to cost in the thousands! I like the fact that she, her family, and long-time Paso trainer all ride these saddles on a regular basis and are able to give first hand information about which saddles actually fit Pasos and which don't (big clue w/Down Under saddles: fleece panels are generally associated with longer/wider bars for flat-backed, qtr types... serge panels are shorter and angled more suitably for Paso types.).

You will need to check with her on current pricing, but there is a significant discount while she is able to continue this offer. I think it is admirable that she is concerned about safe riding for all our Paso people from pros to novices.... I have to say, I was not an easy convert - I had a lot of misconceptions about fit, ride, quality, price... I am happy to say we're very pleased with our saddle(s).... ooops - hey, Joan, one more saddle may have been purchased... will let you know for sure in a day or so... ;-)

[PASOFAN]

Glad you tried and now love assies!! I lvoe my assie too!! I bought mine off ebay too for only $82.. It is an authentic assie w/the good wool padding. I too am still breaking it in on storm. If you saw my post w/storm you see the assie.

I love the two tone look of that first assie in your pics. . Very very nice. I was considering buyin thru pasopleasur but $$ tight at the moment..

Those polleys have saved me more than once from fallin off..lol Just love the security of those polleys.

Congratz on your new saddle!!!

[Descornex]

I like my Outback Aussie but I hate to girth it up. It has all those buckles and I end up fighting the big leather flap that covers them. I took it to a saddle shop and had it converted to a western girth with a latigo instead of buckles. Aaugh, much better, even if that flap is still in the way. It doesn't flop up over the back of the saddle like a western stirrup leather does.
I love to ride it though and so I put up with the minor inconveniences of girthing it up.

[finolover]

i found a really old aussie saddle with a western style braided horn..$150
it seemed to be still in good shape, i'm going back to check the underside
later......padding and bars

[greyhorsewoman]

I bought a Kimberly off ebay 7 years ago and it has been both comfortable for horse/rider and, yes, there were a few times when Honey spooked sideways that it helped me stay in the seat!

I recently bought another well made Aussie off a neighbor who had it sitting unused in their barn for $100 ... it fits my husband's young gelding great. He is training this fellow by himself and he has never seemed anything but comfortable with the whole idea of taking his best buddy for a ride!

As with anything else, there are well made Australian Saddles and poor substitutes (Sandy, I also bought my first aussie saddle off ebay and experienced the tree shifting).

We also bought an Australian Stock saddle/endurance blend which we use sporactically. It doesn't provide as secure a seat as I like with my regular Aussie, but is a bit lighter and fits our stallion and several other horses.

I love our Aussie saddles!

[motorgypsy]

For those of you who want a point of comparison, two high end Aussie saddle brands are Syd Hill and James Saddlery - hand made in australia and really nice. Look at one of these and compare because we tried a cheap one and it was terrible and put us off on Aussie saddles until we got one of the good ones on consignment. All the difference in the world between the two. The good ones is a dream to ride in.

[SandyMM]

I definitely wouldn't recommend a low-end, no-name Aussie, English, or Western saddle - been there, done that with the tree-shifting, but the Kinberleys I saw had all been in heavy use for over ywo years and their owner/riders were very pleased with them.

[pasopleasure]

For those who cannot stand the double girthing system of the Aussie Saddles. ..Down Under sells a converter that adjusts your girthing to plain old western. Speak to Sandy or I.
Agree the Toowoomba and Syd Hill saddles are SUPER...But few of us can stand the price. I have ridden the Kimberley High country for years now. LOVE it...But finally getting monies together to try the Kimberly Superior Polley, HAH! No comparison. The Superior has a suspended seat. Like riding on AIR. Combine that with the Paso Fino gait and you are truely FLOATING. But the double wrapped High Country tree makes it IDEAL for breaking out rough stock or just plain HOURS of usage. It is built to be TOUGH. And the Basic Kimberly is an ideal try it or short budget utilitarian saddle. Comfortable and safe. I believe Sandy has one is stock for a larger person. Set up or some tall big guy. Is it a 19"? I do not believe you can purchase a better saddle for the money.
ANd still saddles in EVERYONES budget. I hope to someday get so rich I can afford one of the HIGH end Syd Hill Down Under saddles like Motorgypsy. In the mean time, I am SO pleased with what we have gotten from Down Under. As our MASTER Trainer, Eduardo Figueroa says about them...."The horse jump and I am laying there. But No with these saddles." Bit by bit more trainers are catching on. Sandy sold one to United Paso Finos Edgar Ortiz.(am I right?) OOPs, actually she sold her husbands new saddle out from under him! Should I say bad girl or good girl?<LOL>
In any case, I think it is obvious that the Aussie saddles are catching on. Not like once upon a time when I was demeaned for recommending them. So our next project....how do we get more acceptance in the show ring?
All us baby boomers are NOT getting any younger. And how many trainers have health/disability insurance? We appreciate and cherish the BRIO in our horses.....but shouldn't we protect ourselves as well?
I have been made a joke for promoting the "safer saddle". Viewing this thread has truely redeemed all that. I REALLY wish to thank you all. Sandy and I have now PARTNERED and can offer deep introductory discounts on all of Down Unders products. This INCLUDES Syd Hill and Toowoomba. Please contact either of us for pricing.
Our Paso Finos have Brio, they have fire, they are FUN to ride, we LOVE them . BUt YEP, train wrecks can happen , especially with young stock. YEs you can fall off an Aussie saddle. But it is a lot harder to do than Anything without a seatbelt. <LOL>
Additionally, Aussie saddles must FIT the rider. This is a saddle with a 4 1/2 inc deep cantle PLUS the polleys. The saddle must be ordered to FIT your BUTT! So if Sandy or I ask you specific questions about your height, weight, pant size, inseam. ..it is ONLY to fit you properly.
Our trainer , Eduardo Figueroa , previously had ridden an Aussie way to big for him
As a result, he disliked the saddles for years until he had the opportunity to ride one that fit. Now, he promotes them.
Fortunately, with the discounted pricing we can offer temporarily, most people can afford the different sized saddles required for all family members. I confess we are LUCKY. Eduardo , myself, and my son are all the same size. Hubby is much larger. Still we now have 6 saddles . Not counting the McClellan and Western and english and dressage. Guess that makes 10. But what gets ridden is the Aussies. These saddles WORK every day. THey are sturdy and not Prima Donas yet dust off for the Show ring, only in Pleasure yet, but we HOPE PFHA will expand this IF many of us ask. Myself....I am old and handicapped....NO WAY will I get on a hot horse on an english pancake. That is just an accident waiting to happen.
SO (in my best Walter Brennan voice)......all you old gimpys out there.....petition the PFHA to allow Aussie saddles in Performance and FIno Divisions. No reason for us to get hurt just loving our horses. m

[Ginger]

How heavy is the second one?

[SandyMM]

Here's a link to all the Kimberly Series with the weights listed for each. We can get any of them to you for less than the advertised price...
http://downunderweb.com/kimberleysaddles.htm
The Superior, High Country, Stock, and Poley have all been used on a variety of Pasos and seem to fit nearly all of them. All fittings and girth are included. They are a bit heavier than a standard English saddle, but about the same as a Western endurance type saddle. There was a very short learning curve on the girthing system.

I liked the Aussies because they ride more like an English saddle, but have all the places to hang things for trail riding like a western saddle... plus - getting pitched off the front or side when a horse stumbles or spooks is less likely - not impossible - but a lot less likely. I did not feel trapped in the saddle - as I feared - in fact, I felt extremely secure (a nice feeling since my center of gravity has changed a good deal over the years!)

I did feel a bit higher up off the horses when I first rode in an Aussie, but all were new saddles - not yet 'conformed' - which takes a few rides... The more you ride, the sooner it conforms... Because the back tends to sit a little higher initially, I use a wither shim until the whole saddle settles in.

Western and Aussie saddles were both developed to handle livestock, long hours in the saddle, and rough riding, but the Aussie was developed based on the English style of riding/saddles as opposed to Spanish/vaquero style...

[Bonnie LR]

I really do want one, but methinks being way up here in Canuckville means I will have to buy more locally--shipping and exchange would eat up any discount, I am sure. I have wanted a decent one for years--for all the reasons pasopleasure just listed, lol.

[SandyMM]

If I was the slightest bit unconvinced about the safety factor of the Aussie saddle, yesterday cemented my appreciation. The horse I was riding slipped on a soft, wet grassy patch and went down face first - scrambling like crazy. She threw me to one side, the saddle slipped a sideways, but I was not pitched off forwards as I would have been on a coventional saddle. We came to a stop slammed up against another horse and rider who braced us long enough for me to push off and straighten the saddle - and continue the ride. Horse, rider, saddle fine - and a potentially hard fall averted. The polies gave me enough support to stay on top (sort of :shock: ) and not get hurt. My center of gravity has shifted dramatically over the years (see post on steroid side effects) and this really helped!

[PASOFAN]

That is great sandy!! I too have averted falling w/my aussie! But unfortunatly I am selling mine it doesnt fit my storm, I am perched.. I bought a columbian...

Someday I will own another aussie saddle!! :D

Your experience is a great testimonial for aussie saddles..

[motorgypsy]

I ride our James Saddlery Aussie and an orthoflex faux aussie and like them very well but Kyle has gone back to his part synthetic Western even though the James saddlery is very comfortable and secure. The leather of the aussies is very slippery and unless you wear chaps, if you lose your balance you can just slide off which happened to him. Sultan spun very quickly when asked for a turn and then stopped. Kyle was on him and although Sultan stayed at a dead stop Kyle just slid right over the side and fell off because he had no horn to grab and no chaps on that slippery leather and he's not used to trying to grab a poley. So be aware that if you're used to a western and use the horn for things like running barrels and have a roughout that is very stickey - wear chaps and put a grab strap on the aussie. Some aussies sit waaay too high off the horse also and really messes up your center of gravity so don't buy unless you try it first! The good ones are great - but the bad ones are horrible!