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

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 😊''

Solution of the month March 2015 - Margi Haslop is delighted with her SMART saddle that she uses on two very different horses.

“I have recently bought a SMART saddle and am absolutely delighted with it. I had a Solution Saddles Approved Advisor out to demonstrate the system to me and I was impressed with her great patience and skill.

I have two horses that the saddle is used on and it also fits me very comfortably. Jack is a sensitive “project” horse with high wither; already I find him to be far more relaxed, more supple and at ease under the saddle. Milly, a retired hunter, uses the same saddle with different balance pads and she too seems far more comfortable and free moving under saddle.

 
Milly, Jack and I are enjoying our rides thanks to the decision to come away from a rigid treed saddle and to invest in a SMART saddle - which is a saddle for life, whichever horse I ride, now or in the future.

I wish I had discovered Solution Saddles years ago!  

Margie Haslop.

An update from successful endurance rider, Lisa Franks.

"I have used various Solution saddles for over 9 years and now it is time for an update ...

Our welsh section C, Codeneirin Solo, has now been retired having completed nearly 4,000 competitive kilometres, initially in a Solution Energist saddle before upgrading to a SMART Native saddle.  He thrived in a RigidFree Solution saddle and after ten competitive seasons, his back is unblemished and as perfect as when we started to compete.  (Read more from Lisa Franks and Solo here http://news.solutionsaddles.com/2014/12/lisa-franks-coedeneirin-solo-endurance.html)

I now have a new horse, Cloonmung Mist, a six year old Connemara.  I bought her last summer and she has completed her three novice rides successfully. 

She has upgraded to Open level and is now being prepared to step up in distance and hopefully by the end of this season, we aim to have upgraded to Advanced level qualify to compete in FEI competitions.

We have just purchased a new SMART SPORT VT GP saddle  for her and she is going very well in it – her first outing will be on 1st March 2015.  

​

She is obviously more comfortable; she is her laidback self when ridden out, her flatwork has improved and in just two weeks, her back has started to develop which can only bode well for the future.

Lisa Franks, 2015.

Solution of the Month Story February 2015 - Katie King is looking forward to affiliated dressage now Eric is forward and relaxed in his SMART saddle.

“I am so happy with my SMART saddle. Eric was not your typical problem horse, he didn't have an obvious back problem and wasn't naughty. He was very tense and I would have to warm him up for at least 20 minutes before his work would become more relaxed - I just thought that was him.

Everything has changed now we have a SMART saddle.

He has a new desire to power forwards on his own in a relaxed and controlled manner and is much more willing to stretch. Contact is much more consistent and his length of stride improved dramatically.

Even hacking has changed, he used to feel a little on edge at times, now he doesn't spook at all.

We are looking forward to going out to affiliated dressage now!! :)”

Katie King

Thank you to Sarah Donnelly for sharing Craig’s story:

Craig came from a hunting yard in Gloucestershire. She had been a hireling and only ever hunted. The comment from my vet before I bought her was, "You will never get a saddle to fit this horse, she was built to pull a cart!"

I had originally test ridden a SMART saddle at the same time as a friend who later went on to become an Approved Advisor. She sensibly bought a SMART saddle following her test ride but I decided I couldn't justify spending so much on my fat cob. It took four brand new saddles, including one made to measure and every sticky pad and expensive numnah I could buy to discover I was still hanging off and rolling around on top of poor Craig. To make matters worse, I also now had a stuffy, lame horse. I realised that she was sound if I rode her bareback - so that told me everything!

I spoke to my friend, who promptly came over and fitted her SMART saddle to Craig. 

With a few simple pads fitted, I had a sound horse and a stable saddle. I ordered my own SMART saddle straight away and it's the best money I have spent!

After our first five dressage tests we have three firsts, a second and a third! We are now looking forward to affiliating!

Solution of the Month January 2015 - Stud Owner Has Impressive Results When Using Her SMART VSD Saddle.

The eye-catching Islestone Spider at her 1^st dressage competition in her SMART VSD saddle.

Owner of Islestone Stud, Jessie Johnston, has been using the saddle on a mix of her homebred horses with positive results.

 ‘’After lending my SMART saddle to a friend and returning to riding in a tree’d saddle for a short while, the improvement when putting the SMART saddle back on Spider was immediate. Both my Mum and a friend were watching at the time, remarking at how much better Spider was going before I told them that the SMART saddle had been put back on for the first time in a little while. They were all impressed!’’