L'apogee
Bareback Saddle
Dressage Saddles
Manufacturer: L'apogee
Model: Bareback Saddle
Category: Dressage Saddles
Purchase: Bought this from LA saddles for $495. Wanted to try something new because I was having a hard time finding a saddle that would fit my horse and me...and I didn't mind bareback and thought this bareback saddle would be good...being that it was advertised to fit ANY horse and would provide the utmost comfort for both horse and rider.
Likes: It looked nice in the ad on the website. I was able to return it within 7 days in new condition for a full refund.
Dislikes: A lot of things. Way overpriced for what it is. The "medical grade" sheepskin is cheap and tufts already started falling out when I opened the bag. The "bareback saddle" was nothing more than a glorified saddle pad. It was really floppy, sheepskin very poor quality and thin on both sides. They advertise it as medical grade, plush/thick comfort for horse and rider. I used a short dressage girth as directed and it didn't work. The pad slipped back and forth on my horse and I almost fell while mounting from a mounting block. *VERY DANGEROUS MOUNTING INTO THIS SADDLE PAD*. I have an easier time getting on my horse bareback than using this "bareback saddle". Was very disappointed and the cruper and d-rings were nothing more than plastic. The quilted flaps looked somewhat worn and flimsy.
Quality: Cheap sheepskin that looked and felt like it was made/came from China, NOT Austria. Tufts fell out from the sheepskin when I took it out of it's case. Very cheap hardware on the pad that looked like it would fall apart in a heartbeat. Leather billets were sewn on with nylon. Leather billets were of excellent quality though. Billets didn't have enough holes or space to punch more holes in them to fasten securely to the horse when using a short dressage girth or any girth for that matter. No stability in how the billets were placed. Has a CHEAP piece of foam as a "cantle" which their description advertises as "supportive"...and it IS NOT. The foam "cantle" just flimsies back and doesn't provide any support whatsoever! Says this bareback saddle has the ability to use stirrup leathers/irons with it...not the case. They are just stainless steel rings under the flaps which are tied on with nylon and the position of these stirrup rings are in an odd position and the stirrup leathers don't lay right for riding. The buckles on your stirrups fall down to where your lower legs are and you can't use webbers with the ring design. There is no stirrup strap holder for the excess stirrup leather which gets in the way of riding and can literally hit the rider and horse unnecessarily. Sheepskin wasn't thick and plush like advertised...very thin. MATTES PADS are BETTER quality and thick and plusher than this "bareback saddle"!!
Summary: BEWARE of this pad. Very DANGEROUS and impractical. Would NOT recommend this to anyone! Would cause back pain for horse.
Rating: 1
Author: it is what it is
Date: 2011-04-30
Usefulness Rating: 4.00246 out of 5.
406 reader(s) voted.
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