Have friends that ride in them…heard Orthoflex went out of business. I may have opportunity to purchase one. Are they worth it?
After going thru a collection of saddles that sometimes fit, then don’t friends are touting the benefits of these saddles’ rigging.
Any opinions? Saddles would be dressage/endurance type.
I would love to have an Orthoflex dressage or endurance! See if you can get it on trial for a couple of weeks.
I had one of the original ones out there, ordered for a hard to fit arabian.
The service was great, the owner tried very hard to make it work, stood behind the saddle, that I sent back and he sold it right away.
Now, at that time, the idea was of floating panels that would then adjust to practically any horse’s back.
In reality, a good idea that didn’t work as intended at all, made riding on, yes on that saddle, not in that saddle, feel like a bump on a log that was wobbling every which way.
Maybe today’s saddles have a much improved system.
I would just say, be sure you have a chance to try before you buy, just in case.
I have an Ortho-flex all purpose saddle that I love because it allowed me to do all kinds of training and catch riding on horses that did not have their own saddles.
The Ortho-flex company still exists although it has changed hands.
They don’t make English saddles any more, and their flexible panel system has evolved. I believe that they will update the panels on older models.
I would recommend one if you have a hard to fit horse or if you are going to be riding a lot of different horses.
Mr. Len (original owner of Orthoflex Saddles) still makes saddles. He is super nice and answers emails quickly and in-depth. You might want to send him a quick email about it?
This is his email address: lenbrownsinnovations@earthlink.net
His website has a lot of good information once you get used to the idiosyncratic web page design.
Full disclosure: I purchased a saddle/pad/fittings from him last summer.
I’ve got an older all purpose sitting in the basement that needs a home, it doesn’t fit me well.
The one thing I would say is that I wouldn’t recommend it for a short backed horse. The panels are LONG.
I rode in one once. I didn’t care for it. First, it put me well away from the horse and I prefer a bit more contact. Second, the saddle is build “limber” and this means that each part can move with some independence from its fellow parts. On a straight line this was not a problem. But when I turned left I got the distinct impression of the horse turning, then the saddle, then me. It really felt like a “three step process.” For trail riding I don’t guess that would be all that much of a problem for most folks but it was just very uncomfortable for me.
Ride one before you buy and and give it a “workout” over the full range of your planned use.
G.
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