Does anyone have an RP, or know a friend?
What challenges did you have for fitting saddles prior to RP, and how’s it working out?
Any types of back conformation the saddle doesn’t work on? thanks!
I cannot help you much, but I have just had an endurance rider getting mileage on my driving horses and she uses them. She left today to go back to Canada and sold several while she was here. Two of my friends bought 2 and swear they are the most comfortable saddle ever. The one person is 72 years old and was having trouble with no circulation in her legs when she dismount4d after an hour or so. She does not have that issue with the RP. The rider played around a little with adjustments on my mares, but not much really. They seem to be a really nice saddle.
I currently own two RP saddles. One is a traditional looking hunt saddle from the VSD line. I love it, it fits my body shape and doesn’t make me look like my ass is eating my hunt saddle, like many hunt saddles do.
Better yet, I ride saddle seat. I had them send me several dressage saddles. i went with the saddle with the hourglass tree and had them cut a custom flap to look like a cutback saddle flap. I sit like a dressage rider but my saddle flap says Saddleseat All THe Way Baby. It’s the only one of it’s kind and we are working on using it as a prototype for that discipline so that saddle seat horses don’t have to suffer the back seat rider anymore.
I love the saddles. My saddle rep is a nationally recognized endurance rider and very educated about saddle fitting.
The only thing that took getting used to is that your groin muscles may need to stretch out to be comfy on the saddles. They are a heavier saddle and the panel system does add bulk between you and the horse. some folks don’t like this but I have had no trouble and find that other saddles leave me feeling like I am riding on a garbage can.
I can tell you that with a barn full of old Arabians, we have some tough backs to fit and this line was the best choice for our back types. We have mutton withers, pear shaped ribs, low backs, broad backs, arse high backs, and RP adjusts to fit them all.
I can tell you that when I tried saddles, I tried Touloss (sp), stuebben, Arabian Saddle company, Millenium, Freedom Holistic and RP. The many features of RP beat the other saddles hands down for what I wanted.
The biggest change I have seen with the RP usage is this. I do not have a horse in the barn with atrophy behind the shoulder blade. Horses that had long time hollows behind their shoulders have filled out and fleshed up after living for YEARS in regularly treed saddles. Sore backs are a rarity in my barn.
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I’ve had 3 and Mr. PoPo currently has two for his horse (one dressage, one jumping). Mr. PoPo’s horse (and my old horse whom I originally got the RPs for) has high withers that slope far into his back and he really needed a lot of pommel clearance (when we bought him he had a white mark on the withers from ill-fitting saddles in the past). We’ve had them fitted a couple different times and I really appreciate the expertise of their reps. That is also my complaint, though - despite having had these saddles for many years, I just don’t feel good about making any adjustments on my own. They are also very heavy.
I have one jump saddle still from my original horse - it was custom made for him as he was very narrow and I just haven’t had another horse who can wear it.
Winfieldfarm do you have any pictures of this saddleseat saddle?
jrchloe, I don’t think I do but I can try to get some up for you in the next week or so. I love this saddle. I am a firm believer that Saddleseat does not have to mean a chair seat and a rider’s bum in the back of the saddle. That just makes me absolutely nuts to watch any saddleseat rider of any breed ride like that. I love my RP and when I get more finances, will have another one made to fit my flatter backed saddleseat horses. Remember that the one I picked had an hourglass tree but it was also the dressage saddle they make with the most rock to the tree front to back. Some of my flatter backed horses don’t fit it.
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Yea I hate chair seats as well in saddleseat. Thats mostly with people who think equitation is only for the division or people who don’t know or don’t care. If RP made a saddleseat saddle that was styled like a Shivley MMX they would have saddleseat customers.
I am resurrecting this thread because I wanted to see if anyone has any current reviews. I am getting ready to rehab a horse and saw that RP has a rehab rental program.
I am specifically interested in dressage.
Had a friend who tried them. She had the owner/founder of the company out to do the fitting, and worked closely with her to modify the fitting. Unfortunately, the panels rubbed her horse’s back raw repeatedly, despite trying numerous saddle pads and protective measure. It rubbed THRU the saddle pads! And horse ultimately wound up quite backsore. She passed.
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Thank you!
I had two sold one, currently have the Avante Garde sp? Dressage. Only saddle my friesian is comfortable in. A gal at my barn has a newer one that doesn’t have flaps. She likes it.
