I’ve only ever used the full rigging before. (Under the armpit basically). The 7/8 sort of intrigues me, bringing it under the center of the saddle a little more…The 3/4 sort of makes me nervous lol, just seems too far back.
Which way do you cinch your saddles that offer the option? If you do the 7/8 rigging, how do you do the off side? I know both sides are supposed to be the same, but not sure how to handle 7/8s over there.
My new saddle is just a touch big on my Walker. It’s a draft/draft cross tree with an 8 inch gullet, perfect fit would probably be a 7 3/4 gullet but this is better than too tight.
We do trails, sometimes realllllllly steep up or down trails. I’m wondering the best way for our situation.
Oooh, oooh what did you get? Pics are needed! I don’t have any suggestions as I’m not sure what a 3 way rigging is- sorry.
PS must be new saddle time, I just got a barefoot London dressage saddle which is fairly heavenly:)
It’s a new Bighorn with a tree made for draft crosses. Since you know the couch I ride 
you know I needed a pretty wide one lol.
It’s this one:
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/big-horn-draft-saddle.html
I was this close to a Circle Y but they didn’t have it in stock and since we’re leaving tomorrow morning for Benezett, I needed it ASAP! Been oiling it and rubbing it, oiling it and rubbing it LOL.
Have only taken a little zip around but it seems SOOOO comfy! No more T.A.C. hopefully!!!
Are you going to use your new one for your CTRs? Can never have too many saddles!!!
I sold the treeless only because I canNOT get on him from the ground with that saddle. Log, chair,tailgate- all fine. From the ground, just not possible. And being the paranoid parent I am, since I ride with her quite often- if something happened and I needed to get back in the saddle ASAP, I couldn’t. Wasn’t comfortable with that. Hoping this one rides as comfortable because that was THE most comfy saddle I’ve ever ridden in!
Now I just need to figure out the cinching options
It really depends on the horse and their conformation.
The mare I just sold had a very forward, deep girth groove and nothing except full forward position worked - anything else and the saddle wanted to creep forward as I rode. The slab-sided mare with the HUGE shoulder is most comfortable with the cinch well back and out of her way - her saddle is rigged 3/4.
Usually on a new horse I start at 7/8 position and go from there. It should be fairly obvious if you need to start switching things around- if you get off after every ride and the cinch isn’t vertical anymore, and the position it wants to be in is an option…move it! If your horse is galling behind the elbows even though everything looks fine at a standstill…move the cinch back.
For really steeeep hills I add a breastcollar regardless of where the cinch goes, and I’ve had horses that due to conformation got that and a crupper or breeching to keep the saddle in place. Some horses are as bad as mules when it comes to just not being built to keep a saddle in place, no matter how meticulously fitted.
I have a Circle Y with 3 way, and find I use the full position almost entirely. My guess is that to use 7/8ths, you’d use a tie strap on the off side, too. It is a handy feature, more than I thought it’d be.
[QUOTE=kasjordan;6411442]
It’s a new Bighorn with a tree made for draft crosses. Since you know the couch I ride you know I needed a pretty wide one lol.
It’s this one:
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/big-horn-draft-saddle.html
I was this close to a Circle Y but they didn’t have it in stock and since we’re leaving tomorrow morning for Benezett, I needed it ASAP! Been oiling it and rubbing it, oiling it and rubbing it LOL.
Have only taken a little zip around but it seems SOOOO comfy! No more T.A.C. hopefully!!!
Are you going to use your new one for your CTRs? Can never have too many saddles!!!
I sold the treeless only because I canNOT get on him from the ground with that saddle. Log, chair,tailgate- all fine. From the ground, just not possible. And being the paranoid parent I am, since I ride with her quite often- if something happened and I needed to get back in the saddle ASAP, I couldn’t. Wasn’t comfortable with that. Hoping this one rides as comfortable because that was THE most comfy saddle I’ve ever ridden in!
Now I just need to figure out the cinching options ;-)[/QUOTE]
Him- a couch? Never! LOL!
No, I got the second saddle more for lessons and to have an extra saddle in case someone else wanted to ride since I’d sold my ortho flexes. It’s funny I find that my two treeless slip less when mounting than the treed saddles even though I have the girth slightly looser that I do with treed.
This is a handy article that explains riggings and has great illustrations.
