A rider has credited her spring tree saddle with saving her life after her horse fell and rolled on her.
Dorset-based Ruth Revel was out hacking on the downs last month (18 February), when her horse spooked.
“Earnie jumped in the air, and as he landed his back feet hit greasy ground and his back legs slipped right underneath him,” she said. “I was sitting very securely in my Albion K2 saddle as he came down backwards on top of me and rolled off my left side.
“The back of my saddle took the full force as my horse trapped me within that triangle that allowed me to get away with just bruising.”
Ruth was airlifted to hospital, but thanks to the saddle taking the force of the fall, she was discharged just “bruised and bashed”. Earnie is tight through his back and having a short rest, but is otherwise ok.
“Were it not for the flexibility and strength of my Albion, I would have been quite squashed,” she said. “The cantle is broken at 90° but is absolutely solid.”
Although the saddle looks a complete write-off, Albion has suggested it may need only a new tree as the leather itself is not damaged, just twisted.
Albion Saddlemaker’s Annie Belton said: “We all understand a high-quality engineered saddle will positively affect horse and rider comfort and performance — but this incident highlights the other extreme, where it may just ‘save your life’.
“How many people truly consider the safety aspects when purchasing a saddle?”
