Chat
09-06-2018, 06:48 AM
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Western saddles do indeed have fleece attached to the underside, but this is not a big deal to replace since it is only a surface covering. Wool flocking in an English saddle needs to be redone every 10 years or so, but it has to be done by a professional saddler and can't be done by the user unless they really knows their stuff. This is what I'm talking about. Foam flocking can't be replaced at all. In this case, the Warnke saddle has more the equivalent of foam flocking. You can't "restuff" the pads. When they're worn out, you have to replace them entirely, and since they appear to be designed specifically to fit that saddle, this is not something easily done by the user.
One thing Marc himself says over and over when talking about saddle fit is, "The tree is the saddle, and that's where you need to look for fit." This is why we should always remove pads when fitting saddles. But you can't remove the pad from the Warnke saddle, so saddle fitting is not nearly as straightforward. Pads can deceive you into thinking the tree fits better than it really does. And since Marc's tree is adjustable, you may not actually adjust it correctly because of the padding. I think it's a very good saddle, and I think it will be fine for people who know what they're doing, but it needs to be "dumbed down" a good bit for the average user. I like that he's working toward fit. This saddle fits better than any rigid tree saddle I've tried to date, but that doesn't mean I think it's perfect yet.
Western saddles do indeed have fleece attached to the underside, but this is not a big deal to replace since it is only a surface covering. Wool flocking in an English saddle needs to be redone every 10 years or so, but it has to be done by a professional saddler and can't be done by the user unless they really knows their stuff. This is what I'm talking about. Foam flocking can't be replaced at all. In this case, the Warnke saddle has more the equivalent of foam flocking. You can't "restuff" the pads. When they're worn out, you have to replace them entirely, and since they appear to be designed specifically to fit that saddle, this is not something easily done by the user.
One thing Marc himself says over and over when talking about saddle fit is, "The tree is the saddle, and that's where you need to look for fit." This is why we should always remove pads when fitting saddles. But you can't remove the pad from the Warnke saddle, so saddle fitting is not nearly as straightforward. Pads can deceive you into thinking the tree fits better than it really does. And since Marc's tree is adjustable, you may not actually adjust it correctly because of the padding. I think it's a very good saddle, and I think it will be fine for people who know what they're doing, but it needs to be "dumbed down" a good bit for the average user. I like that he's working toward fit. This saddle fits better than any rigid tree saddle I've tried to date, but that doesn't mean I think it's perfect yet.