Mustang Soft Ride Saddle

This is the first synthetic tack purchase I have ever made and it’s made me happy to have branched out. I have a background of 10 years riding strictly English for hunter/jumper but now enjoy trail riding gaited horses with family&friends in whichever riding style makes sense! We recently bought a kid-safe 13.1H Rocky Mountain pony who would rack all day if we let her. I have 5 kids ranging in age from 2-12, weighing 25-85 lbs and between 2.5-5 feet tall (we are not a big&tall family!). They take turns riding so I need a one-size-fits-all saddle. Up until this purchase we used several old borrowed Western saddles that didn’t fit our pony or kids very well. Shortly after bringing our pony home she developed a fungal infection in her armpit that meant we had to take a week off from girths to get that under control so she would not get gall sores. Rather than not ride at all, the older 2 kids accepted the challenge of a crash course in bareback riding. It was during that week that I researched and then bought this saddle. This saddle helps keep that natural bareback rider position but offers enough bolstering for less confident riders. We have not noticed the saddle sliding around while riding, front/back or side/side. Even on steep inclines/declines (think grab some mane or grab some tail) or when the kids purposefully try rocking it from side to side, they say “ it’s not going anywhere.” I had bought a breast collar but didn’t need it. My 12-year-old ground mounts, I hold the stirrup on the right side to help keep the saddle stable during mounting but that is mostly for the pony’s benefit. As for rider comfort, my kids tend to ride in shorts in summer weather and even then they were not rubbed anywhere from this saddle. It’s as if the entire seat and flaps are made from one piece of wetsuit material. My daughter loved that the seat was actually soft compared to the rock-hard seat of the old borrowed Western saddle. We do not use a pad underneath. The foam underside does not seem to absorb moisture. So far I have not even had to hose it off because it is already dry by the time I untack and put the pony out to pasture, and that means any residual dirt or hair wipes right off. The sweat mark underneath the saddle was very even, I’ve heard that means the saddle fits well. I did switch stirrup “leathers” to JT International Premium Nylon stirrups, because the Western-style nylon stirrup leathers that come with this saddle would not have been adjustable short enough for my younger kids. I agree with another viewer who said the stirrup & girth rings on the saddle seem backwards at first look. It was easy to switch them to stirrups in front of girth like we’re used to seeing on a Western saddle, but with the saddle actually on the pony and a rider mounted up, the stirrups in that setup put the rider’s leg too far forward for our taste so we put them back to the original configuration. As for whether or not it holds up to daily use, you’ll have to wait until I update my review!UPDATE I had a chance to try this saddle on my 14.2H Tennessee Walker mare who racks. I am 5'3" 110 lbs. First of all, I had no problem ground-mounting, just grab some mane to help pull yourself up instead of pulling on the saddle itself and it should stay put just fine. I've only had my mare a month, previously she had been ridden by a talented 12 year old rider on a treeless saddle. Since she has come to me, she seemed over-sensitive and spooky (to truly imaginary things) compared to when I tried her out at her previous barn. She likes to be ridden on a loose rein and with a loose leg, and I'm all for that, but I felt like when I was giving her cues with my seat bones she would overreact and stress. I am a very calm, quiet, laid-back, advanced rider, and she was just vet-checked a month ago, so I knew something must be bothering her with her tack. I had been riding her in an old borrowed size 15 western saddle that my neighbor swears by. It does have a nice wide tree for gaited horses but the underside has a pretty harsh edge to the tree because the padding is all worn out. So I stole this soft-ride saddle from our Rocky Mountain pony and my kids and boy what a difference! She calmed right down to the point that she became downright lazy. She felt comfortable enough to stretch her head down slowly and I could feel her back rounding up - I had been asking her to do that in the old saddle and she would do it but always with a little jerk on the reins as if to say "ouch". I was even able to put one of my kids on her for the first time because she had settled down so much, which was a real sigh of relief to me because I had bought her as a "family horse" and was starting to wonder if she was going to have to be solely "my" horse instead. If you have any doubts about how your saddle feels for your horse, flip it over and feel for ANY rough spots or edges. Many horses are simply more tolerant about these rough spots and learn to tune them out. But if you prefer a truly responsive, and yes that means "sensitive" mount, you owe it to the horse to make him as comfortable as possible so that he can focus on your aids and not on his pain.UPDATE: May 2019I am still in love with this saddle, doubly in love, I now have two. My kids and I use it for trail riding a 13.1hand Rocky Mountain and a 14.2hand Tennessee Walker racking ponies 25+ miles per week. I tried Hilason treeless saddles for almost a year because that’s what my ponies’ previous owner recommended - which would explain why one of the ponies came with a tie-down and the other with a tom thumb, neither of which are needed now that I’ve switched to the Mustang saddles. No matter what I tried with those Hilason treeless saddles, including expensive pads, they just didn’t work out - one pony kept getting girth sores and was increasingly reluctant to approach the mounting block, and the other was rooting harder and harder (against a loose rein which I knew was odd) and had hair rubbed down on her loin and the saddle pad was full of hair from only her shoulder area. One ride in the Mustang saddle and she stopped rooting completely and I was able to go back to riding her on the buckle with a nice drape to the reins with a grazing bit. For the first time ever she even yawned three times when we were on the last part of the trail ride that leads back to the trailer, she must have been really relieved that we finally went on a ride that wasn’t torture! I have a new respect for my sensitive mare who put up with the Hilason treeless saddle for nearly a year. A few things to keep in mind about the Mustang saddle: think of the stirrups as just token stirrups, ride with them as long as possible and sit in a bareback position so that you won’t be tempted to lean on them. I have an old ankle injury that I always feel, so this suits me just fine. Since there is no tree in the soft saddle, hanging on the stirrups might put too much pressure on the middle of your horse’s back where you are already sitting, especially if you need to do a lot of posting or 2-point. Also, for mounting you’ll be better off using a mounting block or fallen tree branch or rock, because ground mounting is about the only thing that might make the saddle slide. Lastly, if you are a heavy rider (in proportion to the size of your horse), a treed saddle might better distribute your weight and be more friendly to your horse’s back. We are little people, 50-100 lbs, so I am confident that we are doing no harm. For the rider, the saddle is squishy and grippy, just remember that it is best to ride in a bareback-ish position. I was worried that I was running out of saddle options because custom saddles are not a financial reality for us, but the Mustang saddle saved my ponies’ backs! After a year it only shows a little wear around the front edge of the top layer, but the rest looks like new and I haven’t even bothered to hose it off ever because once it dries all hair and dirt just fall off. I’m so glad I found this saddle on Amazon! I plan to get a third soon!

I'm a natural horsemanship trainer that rides only on bareback pads and bitless. I have clients that want to ride bareback, but have safety limitations that require stirrups. This saddle has been the perfect compromise. The horse maintains freedom for their back muscles and spine, while the rider gets to feel more secure than on a bareback pad.Two notes:1. On round horses it DOES slide. It slid completely sideways on a client's round mustang pony - throwing my client to the ground. I use a super grip girth and will now add a thin grip saddle pad.2. Coming from an English riding background, I'm not completely pleased with the leg position the stirrups place the rider in. It's so close to right, but just of enough to be noticable to a trained rider. However, this shouldn't be a deal breaker. You learn to adjust your leg and seat to accommodate.

This saddle is great. I did a lot of research before choosing this one. I ride in a roping saddle most of the time and do a lot of that country in Cal work but I absolutely love riding bareback around our summer Lake and trails but wanted stirrups and a tiny bit of structure to a bareback pad so I can go longer distance easier. And absolutely didn’t want to have to have a rigid tree inside. The saddle is easily mountable from the ground if the rider is not overweight and athletic enough to actually get your boooty directly in line and under your knee instead of behind it. I personally just use a log, rock or step to get on and use the stirrups so I can post long distance and still feel bare back and get the extra work out. I’ve owned this saddle all summer and have loved It. It’s put together very well! Some people say the stirriup straps and mounts are bulky under the fender flaps but I honestly can’t notice it at all. What I appreciate most is that the stirrups are actually balanced and mounted correctly underneath your body so you can get the right position to go long distance and 3point. Some bare saddles like this they put the stirrups too far forward so that the straps are not underneath the leg but that incurs horrible overall balance. I highly recommend this one. Love it 👌🏻

I read the glowing reviews and was disappointed when mine arrived. Tried it on, hopped in the saddle, rode around a bit. You can feel the stirrup billets through the saddle--it's like sitting on top of a set of straps (which you are!)--very uncomfortable. Then, when I tried to dismount, saddle started to roll--dangerous!! I jumped off as saddle slipped under my horse's belly. Nylon stirrup leather are too slick and, unlike leather, slip. My recommendation, if you're going to spend this much money, get something else.