Advantage Saddles

Since my blog is the first page that comes up when searching for my site, I figured it was time to add another post!  Two weeks ago we were at the AERC/NATRC convention and trade show in Reno, NV.  Even though there weren't many people there, and few other vendors, it was still really great to be there.  The primary reason for attending was so people could sit in the saddles, and see and feel their quality.  The balance in the Advantage Saddles is truly unique.  I was also able to explain the main points that make our saddle different than the competition:  the seat and the fit for the horse.  Well, that and no gimmicks. 
The other great thing about being there was meeting up with so many of my saddle customers and friends from way back.  Several riders came by who owned very early Advantage saddles, it was enjoyable to visit with them and discuss how their saddles were performing.  Pam and Don Bowen came by, who both ride Advantage saddles.  They were there to receive a mileage award for their endurance horse. Each of their saddles has well over 5000 competitive miles in addition to their training miles.  They told me that their saddles have fit multiple horses well(both Medium size) and they are the only saddles they use.  I reminisced with Pam how, when Don decided to get into the sport of endurance, she realized that so many people went through lots of saddles in the sport and she did not want to waste that kind of money.  She researched saddles extensively and then came directly to me.  I remember her words well,  "Yours is the only one that makes sense to me."  I made Don's saddle first, the same one he rides today, and later sold her my own saddle that had the same tree as his with a smaller seat.  Both are still performing well, having had some parts replaced along the way due to normal wear and tear.  I asked her if she'd ever thought about how much money she'd saved by coming directly to me...she replied, "Oh, yes, THOUSANDS!".  
I also heard several other Advantage Saddles owner's names being called for their placings in their regional standings and it made me smile.  We're possibly still the best kept secret in the saddle world. 

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This economy is pretty awful right now, has been for a few years, and probably will be for awhile, as much as we wish it would change.  Many people are having a hard time keeping up with this changing world, seems like every day I hear of another person that I know losing their job.  I feel so badly for everyone in dire straits and understand how hard it is to keep horses and also keep your head above water these days.  That's why Advantage Saddles keeps prices down as low as we can, so that horse people can afford a really great, high quality saddle.  We want horses and their owners to continue enjoying their relationship in this crazy world...some days a good ride is what makes it all worth living, isn't it?
People wonder how we can offer our saddles at such inexpensive prices.  There are plenty of ways we do this.  We don't have middlemen, we don't attend many shows, we don't advertise willy-nilly, and we don't have a huge factory; therefore we don't have a huge overhead.  (You would be shocked to know how much advertising costs...and the bigger shows are quite spendy as well).  We don't have employees(this is California,  pretty sure Workman's Comp insurance would add hundreds to every saddle...after all, we work with sharp things!).  It helps that we're not greedy, paying the bills is what's important.  On the other hand, saddlemaking is hard work and hard on the body, so it's hard to get motivated to do it for free.  The happy medium is a reasonable price for a good quality saddle.
We use quality components because we don't see any point in cutting corners.  I'm not going to expect you to ride lesser quality than I ride myself.  I want you to gasp with pleasure when you open the box and find a saddle with such unexpected quality(and really enjoy it when you write to me to tell me so!).  These days we are typically underimpressed with things we order;  it's pretty great to be overimpressed for a change!  It isn't that much more for great quality leather, so why not?  It isn't that difficult to work with a slightly thicker leather, so why not use what will last longer and wear better?   Have no intention of compromising my saddle trees' quality, either.  And when I've found such a wonderful foam for the skirts, you betcha I'm going to use it!
I don't buy cheap throwaway stirrups to sell with the saddles, EZ Rides are what I use and recommend, and if you want a set, that's fine. If you already have a set of stirrups that you want to use, that's fine too.  Same with the cinch.  I have amazing mohair cinches available for not only the Advantage saddle, but for english rigging and regular western as well.  These are sold at a very reasonable price, but if you did not want one, then you should not have to buy one as part of your saddle price.  I think that these stirrups and these cinches make the saddle work optimally, but ultimately it is the individual's choice.
Hope this explains more about Advantage Saddles....enjoy!

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I'm not sure if I am ever going to be a great blogger...but I'll keep trying!  Today is my birthday, which is just a nice day to enjoy family, friends and all the wonderful simple joys around me.  Since I have a minute and a thought to jot it down all at the same time, I'm going to talk about saddle pads since there've been some Google queries about them leading to my site. 
Saddle pads are such a simple item that has gotten so complicated, especially among endurance riders.  Ideally, if your saddle fits your moving horse well, all the padding needed would be about 1/2-3/4" of a cushioning material to take up the shock of posting and the motion of the horse, with a top layer that held your saddle and didn't attract stickers and a bottom that was cool and comfy for your horse.  That's what I've had made for Advantage Saddles.   I like the wool fleece bottom for summer, and Tacky Too material for winter, which helps with keeping the horse's long winter coat dry.  You can use either or both any season you like, however, personal choice.
What a thicker pad does is tighten around the withers while lifting you further from the back.  If your pad is one inch thick, you are lifted by an inch, which puts your saddle up away from the shoulders(lift yours and see), and it tightens the shoulders especially just behind the gullet.  Not a good thing.  The reason it tightens is that there are essentially two layers of thick pad in the shoulders due to it being more vertical, and only one on the more horizontal back.  This is why a too wide saddle isn't really remedied by a thick pad, just as too large of shoes are not remedied well by two pairs of thick socks.
Another thing I don't care for is using memory foam in a pad.  Memory foam basically melts in warm temperatures...goes flat, no cush at all with pressure.  It also is a hot foam, hotter than other foams.  It causes heat.  I've heard reports of it causing heat bumps and even scalding.  It also breaks down from sweat!  It's true...read about any kind of memory foam and it will tell you.  Lastly, it has slow rebound...so if you are posting, it goes flat from pressure, and does not bounce back to its original thickness as quickly as you are posting.  Foam's entire purpose in a saddle pad is to cushion the zone between the saddle and the horse and taking up the movements of both.  Confor-foam is the original memory foam, and now there are many other types that improve on some of the inadequacies of the original, but they are all the same type of foam.  Usually blue or light green in color, but more recently there are pink, white and yellow memory foams as well. 
If you have a pad that is made with memory foam and are having saddle issues, don't immediately blame your saddle.  Try changing to a simpler pad and see if it helps.  There are saddle problems that are caused by pads.   Pads are not magical, they don't fix really bad issues, and they shouldn't cost too much money.  Be aware of gimmicks...if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
To my mind, the best foam is one that does not absorb sweat, stays cool, does not break down when exposed to sweat, is always the same consistency no matter what the temperature, and provides shock absorption with just the right amount of  rebound.  A tall order, but I've  found it!  It's Perf-Eq foam, which is in my foam skirts and soon will be available in my saddle pads for the saddles without foam skirts.  Oh, and if you have a nice pad that accepts inserts, I can make some Perf-Eq foam ones for you at a nominal charge.  Let me know!

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Asymetrical shoulders are so very common as to be normal.  They tend to be more of an issue when the saddle is a bit wide and therefore will fall to the smaller side.  I've found that when the saddle fits the horse accurately in width and angle it isn't usually an issue.  However, if it is, I make Fitting Pads that will adjust the smaller side. 
I've read that the asymetry is caused by not posting evenly on each side, but I have seen asymetry on both gaited horses and on those that have never been ridden, so can't say if it is the rider, or just the way the horse is. 

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We had a lovely four hour ride in the local Mariposa mountains, my  three riding buddies and I.  We rode, for those of you familiar with the Mariposa Run for the Gold ride, on much of the trails used in the first part of the ride.  Stunning views...could see Yosemite with it's snowcaps and fluffy clouds atop, and when we turned around, down to the San Joaquin valley in the other direction.  Crisp...it rained, hailed and snowed yesterday!  A bit sloppy, wet clay in places, and still snow patches.  A LOT of downed trees across the trails, but we managed to find a loop that was pretty clear.  We took pictures!

I learned something.  Or relearned it.  I had taken my stirrups off my saddle and used them on something else.  I was left with two sets, one with the extra large thick post of the shock absorber EZ Care, and one pair with just the bolt.  Much thinner.  I opted for the plain bolt, tho my other pair had a plastic piece thats thickness was somewhere in between the two choices.  I learned that just a tiny bit of difference in the stirrup top width makes a huge difference in the stirrup leather length for your leg.  Huge.  My stirrups adjusted either too long, toes down, or too short, which crunched my ankles and was mean to my left knee.  I tried both and opted for too long.  My legs worked hard, way harder than they do when my stirrups are a perfect length.  Note to self:  never ever do that again.  Perfect length is imperative.  Why make things not work right when you know they can be perfect?  Tho I burned a whole lotta calories today.  You burn less when there is less effort.

So, lesson learned that I wanted to share, is that instead of poking holes in the stirrup leathers, you can try adjusting to your own personal length by changing the width of the top of your stirrup.  A little makes a huge difference.  Believe me!

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