Trying out a Torsion was going so well.....

KTSmini

KTSmini

Happiest on a horse
Aug 5, 2004
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I was borrowing a Torsion deluxe for my pony- and after a lovely ride in it on Tuesday-decided to see how it felt with a bit of schooling. Particularly canter work for jumping.

Anyway, even though I'd stopped after 5 mins to tighten the girth... we did a bit of a tight turn in canter- must have lost my balance and the saddle slipped - pony panicked seeing me hanging off the side- so I bailed out- and landed with a thud on my right hip.

Ouch- PAIN!

So I'm in bed today- finding sitting down a little sore :eek:


I was really impressed with the Torsion up until then.... so how can I do the girth up while on board?????

Thanks,

(A very sore) Katie
 
how long was the girth? usually a slightly longer gieth helps when on board.
The torsion types have a tendency to slip a bit anyway, have you got a non slip pad under it? I have sewn non slip car boot liner to the bottom of my equitex pad which helps slipping underneath and the microfibre on top helps slipping there aswell. :)
 
It had the equitex pad on beneath it- nothing else. It was a long ish girth- so long it was a bit lumpy underneath my legs!!! Guess I'm not agile enough to tighten it up while on board then!

I would say I do definately put a lot of weight in the stirrups as well. Never really noticed until I tried the saddle out.

Such a shame as pony was REALLY responsive (normally he's a bit dead to the leg!).

I'm not beaten yet on my treeless mission.... although the 5 min struggle to the loo does make me wonder if I'm a glutton for punishment!
 
You know how to do up a girth while mounted on a treed saddle, you'd swing your leg forward? Well on a treeless with a dressage girth, you need to bring your leg back and lean down - easier said than done, I know!

I'd also avoid elastic girths if your pony's round and you need to be able to balance without using the saddle and especially the stirrups to stay on if you really want to avoid slippage.

I expect your pony's moulting at the moment as well which also won't help the slippage problem. I found my Fitform to be all over the place when Dolly was changing coats although it was very secure and stable the rest of the time.

Good luck! :)
 
Similar thing happened with me in the early days when I hadn't been riding Mayo long. Thought it would be fun to ride in the paddock on my torsion. So off I went, got on as soon as I did the bl**dy thing slipped to the side leaving Mayo doing fantastic sideways and me trying helplessly to get off wich I just managed to do before he went bolting round and round the paddock at a gallop with his saddle under him :eek: After that I got rid of it, now I'm soo anoyed at myslef as I realise I had little idea of what I was doing and the girth was no ware near tight enough. Just do a bit of circling on the ground till the girth loosens and then get on when you've tightened it right up, thats what I have to do with my cashel!!
 
Thanks Showjumper- I thought with all those treeless &/ or dressage saddles out there that there would be a trick to it! Probably right about the moulting- looks like there was a snowdrift after grooming. BTW I love your website :) I try and check in at least once a week to see if there have been any more reviews posted ;)

BTW- Pony isn't round all the way down - in fact high withered and the top then round at the bottom- which is why I gave treeless a try! Would love to try a freeform but looks like you'd be the closest to me.

Mayoguiness- I don't feel half as silly now I know it hasn't only happened to me!

Thanks again,
Katie
 
Just looked on Google maps and I am the closest. I don't have any plans to be that side of the country for a little while but if you decide you want to try a Freeform, please PM me :)
 
:)

Showjumper- the New Forest is lovely this time of the year- all the new foals being born :) you know you want to visit! ;)

Seriously though- am going to let the pain subside a little, have a good look at my options- so will keep you in mind. That is unless you would totally not recommend a freeform for jumping- we currently jump in 3'0 classes. I have seen so many mixed messages about whether treeless are suitable or not- hence why I've been going down the "let your horse tell you if he's happy" route. Our last made to measure saddle was HUGE- so I'm used to avoiding pommels and cantels- and the saddle before that didn't have knee rolls (at all!!!)- so I'm pretty confident that I can cope with most things!
 
Trying out a torsion

The other thing that might help is to def not have too much weight in the stirrups - with treeless you need to develop a really independent seat with your leg in the right position (which will feel WAAAY too far back if you're me!). That way even if the girth is a little too loose you should be able to remain balanced - But at canter you will def need the girth firm and tight.

My treeless (Dartmoor treefree) is good in that it actually will slip round when I get on if its too loose - if it doesnt slip then, it never slips later. Mind you I do most fast work in a treed saddle just cos if my 3yo haffie freaks, I will be able to use the stirrups in my braking!

hope this helps and good luck:D
 
I have the same combination as you, i.e: torsion plus Equitex pad, though recently I have been putting a thin saddle cloth underneath as well. Mainly because my native was moulting and it was really hard to get all the hairs off the pad when I washed it!
It is hard to tighten up the girths on these saddles, as you have to lean right down and forward. I learned the hard way to train my horse to stand absolutely still while I fiddled about. And as someone else just said, its a good idea to do a couple of circuits of the school or whatever and then check again. If theres someone around, I get it checked from the ground again as well. But they are lovely comfy saddles, even if you cant jump very high in them.
 
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