Black Forest Saddles
Ponderosa Town and Country Echo - Synthetic
Trail Saddles
Manufacturer: Black Forest Saddles
Model: Ponderosa Town and Country Echo - Synthetic
Category: Trail Saddles
Purchase: A saddle with a tree can only fit the horse well if the horse stays in one position without movement. As soon as the horse moves, its back and shoulders change and a saddle with a tree cannot adjust to that change. Even so called flexible tree saddles cannot do it properly. We looked at many treeless saddles and decided to try the Black Forest Ponderosa Town & Country, and have NEVER been happier with any saddle we have ever owned! We have since sold all our other rigid tree saddles (Western & Australian) and now only have these soft tree saddles. These saddles are called treeless, but in fact they do have a tree in a way; it is just soft rather than rigid; protects the horse and yet has total flexibility. The pommel insert is rigid, but the bars, skirts, and cantle are soft. This saddle was made in Germany and obtained from the U.S. Distributor, Black Forest Saddles, USA. in Black Diamond, Washington (blackforestsaddles.com). It sells for $549.00 plus shipping.
Likes:
Dislikes: Not much so far except for maybe the latigo and half breed (offside billet). Both are not made as heavy as required for our severe type of mountain use and riding. For most users though they are probably very adequate.
Quality: So far it is holding up very well under extreme conditions. Overall, it is very well made with excellent materials for a rather inexpensive saddle
Summary: : I am very pleased with this saddle. I firmly believe every trail horse should be used with a soft tree saddle. Horses have no saddle pain and can perform to their fullest no matter what the task is. And the security and comfort for the rider can't be beat either. These saddles do need to be cinched up tighter than conventional hard tree saddles but being soft and always fitting the horse makes it so the horse doesn't seem to mind at all; not near as much as with conventional rigid tree saddles. These saddles being affordable is great too!
Rating: 5
Author: Back Country Rider
Date: 2011-09-21
Usefulness Rating: 3.06024 out of 5.
249 reader(s) voted.
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