PNH Blogging #23 - SADDLING: do you use the PNH saddle and/or theraflex pad if not what do you ride in and what does your horse think of it

Parelli saddle? You mean the chocolate brown Fluidity sitting on a rack less than three feet from me? That Parelli saddle?

Yep, I have a Fluidity. It's an 18" Standard width, and I LOVE IT! Royal seems to like it too, and his back has really benefited from it. I've done lots of stuff with it: jumping, flatwork, trail rides, and both of us are very comfortable.

I know the Parelli saddles are expensive, but so are a lot of saddles. Stubben, Pessoa, Bates, Passier can all be in the $2000+ range, and they're are not nearly as comfortable and versatile as my Fluidity. It's also kept me safe on a number of occasions when things haven't gone according to plan. Especially when I started jumping more. The deeper seat of the Fluidity was able to catch me if needed and the wide contours of the saddle helped Royal learn how to use his back.

Compare this with other saddles. My barn owner has been having problems with her saddles, both English and Western. Neither fit her horse very well and she's considering getting a Theraflex pad. I let her use mine today with her English saddle, and her mare seemed happier, but the pad was having to make up for a poorly designed saddle. It's so much easier when the saddle is designed to fit a moving horse and not a stationary model.