Specialized saddles and fur bareback pads

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Margie and Magic

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Jan 14, 2020
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Has anyone ever purchased one of these saddles or know someone who has? I'm very interested but I'd like to hear from other customers rather than a sales person if possible.

Specialized Saddles

Specialized Saddles was created to solve the problem of getting good saddle fit on any horse. And to create a saddle that is really comfortable for the rider.
specializedsaddles.com specializedsaddles.com

mountaintopsaddlery.com

Bareback Pads

Werner Christ Lammfelle Horse bareback pads and Barefoot Ride On bareback pad.
mountaintopsaddlery.com mountaintopsaddlery.com
 
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I had the Austrian version of The Christ pad on my previous pony, loved it but it was too small for me.
I did treat myself to the Christ pad and the current lass hated it, so sold that.

We now have a best friend comfort plus and I love it. If her girth won't do up that's what we will be reaching for /use for wet weather.
I would look at what you want it for. What weather you plan you use and how much maintenance you want to do. My current pad is a roll up and shove in the machine. It says you can with the fur but I wouldn't fancy testing that theory.

@Bodshi has a Christ.
 
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I do indeed have a Christ and I love it. I often ride in it when I'm just going for a relaxed mooch, I find it comfier than the saddle and feel very secure due to the large thigh/knee rolls. I have a better position cantering in it than I do in the saddle. it's cheating to call it a bareback pad, it's nothing like riding bareback. It has attachments for stirrups but I've never used stirrups with it as I understand this can cause huge issues due to the pressure points.

BTW @newforest I have washed my (lambskin) Christ in the washing machine on a gentle wash and it comes out fine. Shove it in the tumble drier to fluff it up too (got that tip off H&H!)

@newforest has a good point though - you wouldn't want to ride in the Christ in the rain, unless you wanted to end up with a very soggy bum and a cold squelchy woolly pad on your horse's back! However, riding in the cold is fabulous in the Christ.
 
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newforest said:
I had the Austrian version of The Christ pad on my previous pony, loved it but it was too small for me.
I did treat myself to the Christ pad and the current lass hated it, so sold that.

We now have a best friend comfort plus and I love it. If her girth won't do up that's what we will be reaching for /use for wet weather.
I would look at what you want it for.
Click to expand...
Fantastic. When you say too small, is it something about their sizes? Do Christ pads run small or something? What did your current lass hate about the Christ pad you treated yourself to?

Oh! That's good to hear. I was originally looking at a best friend comfort plus but I don't know anyone who has one and I was a little turned off due to the price. I'm going to order one.

When it comes to tack I only care about my horses being comfortable and looking great, a lot of maintenance doesn't bother me. That's why the Christ pads really caught my eye, they look luxurious and have different styles. I like the idea of having a obviously western style pad when I don't need/want to fully tack up my mare that I keep in western tack. Same goes for my mares that I keep in English tack. ?

Yes, if you haven't already figured it out I am one of those equestrians that buys her tack to match but its really just to help me stay organized. ?
 
Bodshi said:
I do indeed have a Christ and I love it. I often ride in it when I'm just going for a relaxed mooch, I find it comfier than the saddle and feel very secure due to the large thigh/knee rolls. I have a better position cantering in it than I do in the saddle. it's cheating to call it a bareback pad, it's nothing like riding bareback.

BTW @newforest I have washed my (lambskin) Christ in the washing machine on a gentle wash and it comes out fine. Shove it in the tumble drier to fluff it up too (got that tip off H&H!)

@newforest has a good point though - you wouldn't want to ride in the Christ in the rain, unless you wanted to end up with a very soggy bum and a cold squelchy woolly pad on your horse's back! However, riding in the cold is fabulous in the Christ.
Click to expand...
That is great to hear that Christ pads are comfy to ride in and can be washed.
 
I had this pad that was too small, I needed the adult size but the child size came up for sale.

L 'Apogee French Saddles, World Class Saddlery from Garrity-Smith, LLC

Garrity-Smith, LLC Imports, L'Apogee Saddles, Luc Childeric Saddles, French Saddles, Used French Saddles, , France, World Class Saddlery, Horse Equipment
www.lapogeesaddles.com

Current lass hates wool and I didn't know that then but I found out.

My comfort plus pad was second hand, keep your eye on ebay.
Already done a review.
thetreelesssaddle.wordpress.com

Best Friend Comfort Plus Bareback Pad

Its taken me a while to get round to do a review of this. Mainly because I only use in the Autumn/ Winter and because I had a second pad that also liked and wasnt sure which to keep. This is the bl…
thetreelesssaddle.wordpress.com thetreelesssaddle.wordpress.com
 
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Jane&Ziggy said:
I adored my Christ pad. Unfortunately my pony hated it, and I ended up selling it.

I wish I had kept it for my new boy.
Click to expand...
Oh ok. You're the second person to mention having a horse that didn't like it. Was it the fit or the fur?

I'm very curious because aside from comfort it never occurred to me that a horse may not like the feel of the lamb's wool.
 
Margie and Magic said:
Oh ok. You're the second person to mention having a horse that didn't like it. Was it the fit or the fur?

I'm very curious because aside from comfort it never occurred to me that a horse may not like the feel of the lamb's wool.
Click to expand...
I think it must have been the fit, or the way I sat on it, because Ziggy always liked his lambskin half-pads under his saddle. He didn't mind me riding bareback, but he was sluggish and resentful in the Christ pad and as a result I didn't feel secure. Such a shame, it was the most comfortable thing I ever sat on.
 
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If mine didn't like the gel of something you know about it. She's always been upfront.

I don't wear anything that's not comfortable, neither will she.
She likes a sympanova base, and if you ask, there will be people who say theirs hates that.
 
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Margie and Magic said:
Has anyone ever purchased one of these saddles or know someone who has? I'm very interested but I'd like to hear from other customers rather than a sales person if possible.

Specialized Saddles

Specialized Saddles was created to solve the problem of getting good saddle fit on any horse. And to create a saddle that is really comfortable for the rider.
specializedsaddles.com specializedsaddles.com

mountaintopsaddlery.com

Bareback Pads

Werner Christ Lammfelle Horse bareback pads and Barefoot Ride On bareback pad.
mountaintopsaddlery.com mountaintopsaddlery.com
Click to expand...
You can also check some good options from this website. They have a very good collection of Saddles.
onestopequineshop.com

Bareback Saddle Pads with Stirrups | One Stop Equine Shop

Bareback Pads: Bareback riding can cause soreness and can get your breeches dirty. Bareback pads with stirrups are a great solution to both problems! Check out our inventory today!
onestopequineshop.com onestopequineshop.com
 
I can't comment on the Specialized Saddles, though I do like the look of them!

On the saddle pad, I have a Christ Lammfelle sheepskin bareback pad https://www.comfyhorse.co.uk/product/christ-lammfelle-basic-plus-bareback-pad/ . I've used it on all 3 of the horses I have owned and ridden and they have all liked it. It has D rings to add stirrups, but my research indicates that stirrups on a bareback pad are generally not a great idea because of the risk of pressure points. The pad has no framework to spread the pressure. So I would say yes to a pad but no to stirrups.
 
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