Friday 17 April 2015

Sharon Savory and Josh are having great fun in their SMART saddle and looking forward to moving up a level next season.

“Oxnead Appleby (aka Joshua) is a tall Haflinger who stands at about 15.3hh. I was having issues with Josh going forwards, he was starting to do mini bucks in transitions and I worked out that he was filling out and his saddle was the cause. I felt stuck, I had had the saddle checked and it looked to fit but clearly he was still unhappy and unable to move freely. 
My friend came over with her Solution saddle and suggested that we tried it. I was sceptical at first but gave it go.  Well, a different horse indeed!  No ears back; no bucks and moving forward freely.  That was it!

I arranged a Home Consultation Visit from a Solution Saddles Approved Advisor and I decided on a SMART NATIVE GP for Josh and a SMART POPULAR GP for my other horse. Since then, it has been plain sailing.  Josh is now six and has changed shape a lot over the past two years and the SMART saddle has allowed his muscles to grow and strengthen without any interference.  We have lovely comments from dressage judges about how flexible and soft his movement is.




I love being able to feel the movement through the saddle, which has improved my balance and riding no end. I find it easy to stay with him, even when training a young horse which is learning to balance, bend and jump and things go slightly awry! I am only 5' tall, 7.5 stone and have short legs; this has made no difference as I am able to use my seat a lot more and feel my way through. 




 Josh is now competing in ODE's at 80 cm and training at 90 cm.  His jumping is freely and easily as he is able to use himself without any restrictions and I don’t worry about the saddle pinching or digging in.  He is so comfortable and confident in his work that I can really focus on the riding. 




As you can see from the photos, we do just about everything in our SMART saddle - horsemanship clinics, dressage, XC, SJ, hacks, pleasure rides, hunting.  I love the fact that we don't have to have endless saddle fittings and I can adjust the saddle using shims and balance pads to adapt as necessary.  They are so comfortable, light and easy to use, handle and ride in.

We are having a great time together!  I have absolute confidence in my SMART saddles; next year I am looking forward to moving up to training at 100 cm and having yet more fun!


Sadly I lost my other horse but I was able to put the spare SMART straight on my loan horse, and away we went!"



Sharon Savory

Friday 10 April 2015

Angel is happy, so we are happy – it is the most comfortable saddle we have ever sat on! - video update 2016


Angel came to us as an 8 year old, having had severe back problems which had led to one of her feet being twisted. She also had a very high wither and was difficult to fit a saddle to.

After a combination of physiotherapy and being ridden in a saddle pad, she was getting back to normal. But it was not possible for my mum, who has recently had a hip replacement, to compete with the saddle pad. They needed a saddle that looked the part but was also kind to Angels back.

Her owner introduced us to Solution Saddles, and we are now riding all our horses in them! Angel has not had a problem in her SMART saddle and has been successfully competing in dressage and jumping events with it.


She's happy, so we're happy. As an added bonus, the SMART RigidFree saddle is the most comfortable saddle we have ever sat on! Mum is now able to enjoy riding, in comfort! 

Thank you Solution Saddles for making it possible for us to enjoy our horses!

Debbie and Susan Priestley

2016 update:

Debbie Priestley shared her video of her horse; transformed since being ridden in the SMART GP:
''This is a little horse that arrived wired to the moon - he bolted when you put your foot in the stirrup. 3 months into work from then, a changed horse, he's now happy with someone on his back in a rather comfy solution smart GP 😊''