I read your post on knees. I grew up riding the flat saddles with no padding. My legs were too short to hit the knee roll on the Stubben saddles that I had. I used to have the Sprenger 4-way stirrups and they hurt my knees rather than give relief. I think it is because I ride with the majority of my weight in the stirrups and my ankles sunk too low. Not sure, though. I tried a County saddle back in 02 and it made all the difference so I had them make me one (I take a 15 inch so there were no demos that I could purchase). I love the knee support. My knees will hurt when riding in a western saddle, too, like another poster said. I think part of it is the lack of knee support. I am fine bareback or without stirrups. You may want to try a saddle with more support to see if it makes a difference.
