Thursday, March 31, 2022

Saddle Fitting Round #2

 I have fallen behind on my saddle fitting recaps, but I'm going to try and remember what happened. The Voltaire rep did in fact keep her appointment and we ended up trying three different saddles that day. She did want me to try a fourth, their monoflap, but since I want to focus on the hunters and eq with Cinder, monoflaps aren't going to work. I'm sure for schooling shows I'd get away with it, but I know at rated shows that would be a big strike against us. 


The only pic I took when the Voltaire rep was here

I ended up liking the Voltaire Palm Beach. The Stuttgart felt like it put me in the back seat, while the Palm Beach felt much more balanced and my leg fell perfectly into position. We also tried the new Essential saddle, which is a semicustom, interchangeable gullet saddle. Basically, it comes with a narrow, medium, and wide gullets, and you can pick your seat size and either a short, medium, or long flap. I didn't like it, felt like it put me in a chair seat, but it was a 17" seat while I usually ride in a 18" so that could have part of the issue. 

The rep did note that Cinder is deceptively wide, especially through her shoulders and since she's still filling out, will most likely need a flap modification for her scapula. For Voltaire saddles, the rep recommended their Fin panels, instead of the Pro panels. All the saddles she had that day were Pro panels, so I couldn't see what that Fin would look like on Cinder. I did find a used Palm Beach with Fin panels in a 17.5" and a short flap, so I'm taking in on trail. Should be here Monday.

Anyone know how to read this?
 

In the mean time, I'm borrowing friend A's old Crosby Equilibrium saddle. It's a narrower than my County, and Cinder seems to like it currently, so yay! It's not a great fit for me, and is slicker than snot, but if works for Cinder I'll make do.
 

2 comments:

  1. I hope the Voltaire you found works! It would be lovely to get saddle shopping over with...
    I had a Stuttgart for awhile which I loved, but I do prefer a deep seat. The Palm Beach is a lovely saddle too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Every Voltaire I've sat in I've hated and put me in a weird spot, which is too bad, they are nice looking saddles!

    ReplyDelete