Does anyone know anything or have any experience with the Macrider?
They’re beautifully made. The very experienced designer is hands-on… she fits initially and does any follow-up work throughout ownership.
Don’t know the brand but just took a look at the website. They don’t say much aobut the tree, which is the heart of the saddle, except that it is “highly flexible” and that this allows the rider to adjust the saddle to numerous horses over time. I don’t know if this means that they use a synthetic tree, like Schleese, where the withers can be opened or closed slightly in a vise, or if they have some other system. They have no other information on the tree that I can find.
I’d been saddle shopping for quite some time before deciding on a MacRider. I wanted a specific look with bling, and had to order new, as I could not find one used that suited me. I tried several different styles, and it was relatively easy to feel which one I liked, as opposed to those I didn’t. That being said, my horse seemed to prefer a different one than I, but with the advice of the fitter, we went with the one that suited me best. He went well in my choice, just maybe not as freely as the other. We shall see how we get along as it just came in. Fit fine, rode fine, and looks beautiful. It really allows me to feel my own balance, as well as when the horse is not moving straight underneath me. Time will tell how well we go long term. But for now, I’d recommend them!
I just posted about Macrider in the current saddles for short-backed horses thread. I have a Challenger and I love it. I have an extremely hard to fit Andalusian and it was the only saddle that fit her. I was able to find a used on for $3500. IMO the quality of the saddle is very high and I love that the trees are adjustable - I had mine adjusted by Skylands Saddlery. I’ve also tried their Lexington model. Again, loved the quality and saddles are really comfortable.
ETA I found some videos from Macrider on youtube. Once you open this one you should see the rest.
