Sensation Saddles – Is Your Horse Suitable?
Sensation Ride Saddles are designed to fit a wide variety of horses – but no saddle can fit every horse and rider combination. Sensation saddles are particularly popular for short backed, round horses, especially breeds such as the Icelandic, Haflinger, Fjord, Draft Breeds, Arabians, Gaited Breeds, Quarter Horses and Stock Breeds.
If you are unsure whether or not your horse is suitable for the Sensation Saddle, please feel free to contact us and send some pictures like these pictured below (angled shots are best! No grazing horses in a faraway field, please!) as well as any relevant information including the type of riding you do, your own height and weight, your horse’s past experience and what your goals are. We are happy to help you find the perfect fit, and all of our dealers around the world are experienced in helping you find a saddle that will work for you and your horse.
Round back:
These backs are round, flat, and low withered – these horses are ideal candidates for treeless saddles. These horses have a spine that almost creates a channel in the back, with well sprung ribes and a well muscled topline.
Medium back:
These horses are also ideal for treeless saddle use. Wither and spinal processes are a bit more defined than with the round horse’s back, but all of these backs are suitable. Some horses may have a higher wither and a rounder back, these horses can be easily accomodated with shims. Horses with a similar topline to these may use the Sensation with no problems, so long as the rider is well suited to the back and proper padding is used.
Higher wither, “A” framed horses with prominent Spines:
These horses are not well suited to treeless use in general, HOWEVER – most horses with this conformation have some muscle wastage as well, from ill-fitting treed saddles that perpetuate the condition. If you are a lightweight rider and are doing mild to moderate work, the Sensation may be able to help your horse further develop his topline. We have many riders who are riding high withered or “A” frame horses with some specialized padding with great success. If in doubt, send us some pictures!
Atrophied Back:
This horse shows a classic case of an atrophied back – You can almost see the imprint of the saddle on his back. If you follow the roundness of his rib cage, the roundness ends abruptly where the muscle has atrophied from an ill-fitting saddle. The muscles drop away from the spine, and from looking at the rest of his body, its easy to see this horse was not born with this topline. For a lightweight, skilled rider, this horse could be outfitted in a Sensation with a special shimming system designed to “fill in the gaps” until his muscles begin to rebuild. As the topline develops, the rider can adjust the padding as necessary. Each case like this is individual, so be sure to send pictures if your horse’s back is similar to this, and you think he could benefit from a treeless saddle.
