# Has anyone tried/got the total contact saddles?



## midnight mayhem (3 December 2011)

I am thinking of investing in the total contact saddle' but I wanted to do a bit of research on it first, has anyone any experience/knowledge with this saddle? Its £175 to buy and I saw it advertised in nagmag. Sounds a dream but I'm skeptic. Website is www.total-contact.co.uk what do you guys think?


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## blond1 (3 December 2011)

I got one a few years ago for barrel shaped little pony who was a nightmare to fit a saddle.  My daughter used it for about 3 months as her main saddle until we got a 'traditional' one sorted.  I've still got it and it's useful for lunging and as a spare if any of the saddles are sent away for adjustment/repair.  

As the stirrup bar is enclosed make sure you use something like a Barnes buckle to release the stirrups.

All horses I've used it with have been fine but if you get one be warned that everyone will want to share their opinions on it with you.  These range from 'all treeless saddles are the spawn of the devil' to 'it's fab I love it'


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## *hic* (3 December 2011)

Very much what blond1 said. If you want to cause a furore turn up at a PC rally with it They had to admit that yes, she could easily ride the horse in it and yes, she could happily jump three feet and actually the horse went really rather well in it.

I use it when I'm being lazy and have three to ride in quick succession as i can just swap it from one to the next. It's also great for horses which need to develop muscle and topline. It's also useful for checking straightness of rider!

Loads of people loathe them though.


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## Bettyboo222 (3 December 2011)

I use something very similar  

 You have to make sure you are very well balanced otherwise it slips


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## midnight mayhem (3 December 2011)

Ah thanks you guys  great advice, especially about the stirrup bar! I've got two horses and I worry all the time that the saddles are poor fit and that the saddler Is not doing a good job etc as I read so many bad things things about saddle fitting, I guess this saddle is easy to fit. Can't imagine what it would feel like to ride with. I never worry about what people say, I'm lucky I'm on a yard with decent people who have the view of 'we're all in it together' so we work with each other, never against.  thanks again. X


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## flyingfeet (3 December 2011)

I tried it out to see if it would help a horse with a backwards girth groove, but sadly not 

It is pretty much like riding on a flat roller, and your horses girth groove must be in the right place for the stirrups to be in the right place to help your position

I liked the idea, but it was not for me.


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## PingPongPony (4 December 2011)

omg this seems amazing! i want one now


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## PapaFrita (4 December 2011)

I'd never heard of them, but frankly their website is putting me RIGHT off. I'm not blimming registering to see some blimming photos.


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## *hic* (4 December 2011)

It just takes a little lateral thinking PF!












^^ I gather this was taken during a round that took second place at "Palermo International"

A dressage image:






The "saddle" on a horse:


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## OldNag (4 December 2011)

Mmm not come across these before but am very interested.  We've a Welsh A and a Welsh C that are not easy to fit saddles to ... ...  if these are as good as they seem then they could be a great solution. 

Agree about the website PapaFrita - it's really odd!


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## *hic* (4 December 2011)

If you want to have a look at any of the pics right click on it, click View Image and then to view full size edit the title bar to take out"thumb".

If you have these saddles on roly poly horses you need to be well balanced. There is nothing to stop them roling round. Mind you it does teach you to be well balanced!

Our Section A has had it tried on her - immediately after I took it off my wide 16.3


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## midnight mayhem (4 December 2011)

Oh well done Hic! Im going to have to at least test this saddle for myself on both of my horses.


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## sbloom (5 December 2011)

Sorry but I'm not registering to look.  From what I can see the saddle cannot spread weight from either the stirrup bars or the rider's seat bones.  There are options out there for wide, tricky to fit horses.  I fit those shapes all the time.


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## *hic* (5 December 2011)

sbloom said:



			Sorry but I'm not registering to look.  From what I can see the saddle cannot spread weight from either the stirrup bars or the rider's seat bones.  There are options out there for wide, tricky to fit horses.  I fit those shapes all the time.
		
Click to expand...

You are quite correct, but anyone not putting weight equally into both stirrups will be off pretty quickly, weight spreading can only be done by the use of gel pad and numnah. However riding "bareback" all your weight is not on your seatbones and stirrups. It is spread over all the area that is in contact with the horse so from around the knee, all up through the inner thigh and round to your seat.


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## sbloom (5 December 2011)

*hic* said:



			You are quite correct, but anyone not putting weight equally into both stirrups will be off pretty quickly, weight spreading can only be done by the use of gel pad and numnah. However riding "bareback" all your weight is not on your seatbones and stirrups. It is spread over all the area that is in contact with the horse so from around the knee, all up through the inner thigh and round to your seat.
		
Click to expand...

Trees, and good treeless saddles to a lesser extent, spread the load carried across and between the stirrup bars.  Riding bareback there are no stirrup bars but even then there is a concentration of pressure under the seat bones.  That in itself is not a huge problem but this *has* bars, and even in sitting trot, but definitely in rising and in canter the stirrup bars carry a lot of weight.  How is it spread?  Gel pads and numnahs cannot spread weight, they have no structure.


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