What Makes Easy Fit Saddles Different
Easy on Your Horse
What Makes Easy Fit Saddles Different, A horse not distracted by an uncomfortable saddle will allow to focus better on the task at hand.
Custom Tree
The first thing we do is measure your horse using our Easy Saddle Fit system, which provides us with measurements in 10 places along your horse’s back, plus rock and length. From these measurements, we custom-build a tree to fit its back type.
Our bars are wider and flatter than most, and we have filled in the stirrup slots. These features, along with a good fit, allow the tree bars better to distribute the weight on your horse’s back and lower the pounds per square inch.
We manufacture in-house our unique tree utilizing high-tech, lightweight materials. They will stand up to extreme cold, not warp, and are durable and lightweight.
Bar Pads & Shims
Removable pads under the tree bars have shim pockets that allow you to change the rock and angles to keep the saddle fitting as your horse changes shape throughout conditioning and age cycles. Moving the bar pads down on the tree bars can also significantly change the fit. We can help you set up bar pads for all of your horses (within a range), and you can change them out to get a good fit on various horses and back types.
Cable Rigging
Cable rigging is what the latigo and off-side billet are attached to on the saddle and from which the cinch is hung. In our Easy Fit Saddles, the cable rigging is a continuous loop of 1/4” poly-coated, stainless steel, aircraft cable which is moulded into the swell and cantle of the tree. The cable is embedded into the front and back of the tree, so it pulls evenly from front to back on the saddle and eliminates the need for a rear cinch. It will self-adjust so the cinch will sit in the right position for your horse whether it be at full, 7/8, 3/4 or centerfire position and won’t interfere with your horse’s elbow. All of the leather and steel plates used in traditional rigging are replaced by the cable, providing you with less bulky, close contact, lightweight rigging.
Saddle Skirts
Saddle skirts are kept to a minimum, allowing your horse freedom of movement and keeping him cooler.
Easy on you
We are all built differently so what works for the saddlemaker or your trainer, may not work for you. Our saddles will allow you to make the adjustments you need to find the ultimate balanced, comfortable seat.
Aligning your spine, hips, knees, and ankles puts you in a balanced position on the horse. And not having to accentuate the angles of your joints more than necessary when sitting in the saddle will prevent joint pain.
Feel the importance of alignment: Stand on the ground with your feet apart. Bend your knees several times as if you were posting the trot. Now sit on a mid-height stool with your feet apart but not aligned under your hips. Try “posting” from this position. Which feels easier? Most saddles do not allow the rider to adjust to achieve alignment. Alignment is a key component in avoiding stress on joints.
Seat Shims
The width of the saddle seat under the thighs (often referred to as the twist) is critical to hip joint comfort. With our seat shimming system, you can make the seat twist feel as wide or narrow as you like. (Men typically like a wider seat, but not necessarily.) A very thin shim can make an incredible difference in the angle of your thigh and how your hips feel when sitting in the saddle seat.
Seat shims also allow you to position your pelvis in a neutral position, neither tilted forward nor back. Move the shim forward and it will move the seat “pocket” farther back; your back will be more rounded. Slide the shim toward the back of the seat and the pocket will move forward, your hips will tilt more forward too and your back will have more arch. It takes some trial and error to find that perfect position.
Stirrup Leathers and fenders
Thin, high-strength, lightweight materials in our single-strap stirrup system eliminate the traditional bulky layers of heavy leather under the fenders where they lie under your thighs and down the length of your leg. This gives you a close-contact, strain-free ride. The ability to adjust stirrups/fenders forward or back, in conjunction with adjustment of the seat shims, allows you to align your body to reduce stress on your joints and spine. The free swing fenders are mounted high up in the saddle to match your hip movement closely. Quick change, T-buckle length adjusters are down low, flat, thin and smooth under your leg.
Stirrups
The stirrups are pre-twisted with a slim, lightweight turner that will relieve ankle strain and make your lost stirrup easy to find. Padding under your foot helps absorb shock. Optional offset or crooked stirrups can also help prevent strain.
Women‘s fit
Women’s pelvises are built very differently from men’s as they must accommodate childbirth, so we have designed our saddles to accommodate a woman’s pelvis. Saying that, most men find our saddles very comfortable too especially when using seat shimming. Please check out our article Can a Western Saddle be Comfortable for Women?
The rise of the seat is low to accommodate a woman’s lower pubic bone. Seat padding and seams are wide in the sit bone area. The seat under the thighs (sometimes referred to as the twist) has been kept as narrow as possible. Saddle rigging & stirrup leathers have been minimized under the leg to reduce bulk and narrow the twist.
Easy to lift
Easy Fit Saddles are lightweight, and we have gone to great lengths to build them that way.
We have looked at all aspects of the saddle to see where we can eliminate excess weight. The tree is made of lightweight materials and it incorporates the ground seat, which strengthens the tree and eliminates multiple layers of heavy leather as found in a traditional western saddle. The cable rigging replaces all the leather and steel plates used in traditional rigging, providing you with less bulky, stronger, lighter and adjustable rigging. The single-strap stirrup system utilizes lightweight, high-strength materials to give you closer contact and adjustable, strain-free riding while eliminating pounds. We have paid close attention to leather thickness, heavy where we need it, thin where we don’t, and never skimping on the quality we use. Short saddle skirts mean less material used and, therefore, less weight.
Easy On The Eyes
When you look at our saddles, you will see similar styling, profiles and materials used for hundreds of years in crafting western saddles. The leather is quality American leather, and the tooling is all hand done. Materials are strength tested for durability. We ride our saddles to ensure all components function as expected. Colours and finishes are where you come in. Choose your saddle type, then pick leather colours, conchos, tooling, accessories and more. Each saddle crafted by our experienced saddle makers is unique to the buyer’s specifications.
Traditional on the outside, innovative on the inside!
