Bachelors #3 and #4 - The Fact Finding Mission Continues

Yet another beautiful suitor who was just not right for us!

In my slow-burn, quasi-virtual quest for a better fitting dressage saddle, I took two more prospects on trial from my fitter: a Frank Baines Encore and a Frank Baines Omni. The two models were like night and day, and would be a great way to compare and contrast the features I liked and disliked, and really begin piecing together the elements that Dino and I need in our perfect saddle.

First up was the Encore. I really, really wanted to like this saddle. For starters, it's gorgeous. The brown bison leather, faux croc panels and cantle, and suede seat and knee pad are just luscious. This particular demo also sports short flaps, and combined with the smaller blocks and more open seat, I thought I would like this one a lot. It also fit Dino fairly well, though there was some differing pressure under the panels in spots, and all signs pointed to this being a relatively good match for us.

*grabby hands*

The actual riding experience, however, was disappointingly underwhelming.

Despite adding shims to adjust the balance and moving the stirrup bar back, I felt like the saddle was continually throwing me forward into the thigh blocks the entire time. The balance point tilted my pelvis forward in a not-great way, and I never quite got comfortable in it. Dino, while he didn't go badly in the saddle, wasn't really giving me his best work in it, either. I quickly ruled out this model as a "no", although it did give me some great ideas for custom leather options, and I did really like the short flap and the way it gave me more contact with Dino's barrel.

Even with improved front-to-back balance and an adjusted stirrup bar, you can still see how it tilts my pelvis forward. Whomp. 

The Omni was a world away from the Encore! It screamed Fancy Dressage Saddle with its baby-bottom soft calfskin, super deep seat, high cantle, and long flaps. The demo I got to try was also the monoflap version - a really unique configuration that retains a sort of partial bottom flap with room for an adjustable block and point billet, but the rest of it is cut away so there's only one piece of leather between the rider's leg and the horse. This particular saddle was also a little too big for Dino - you could have driven a truck through the pommel over his withers - but the shape of the tree was downright perfect for his back. There was beautiful, even pressure all along the panels!

DRESSAGE. Flaps v. long. Seat v. deep.

BEEP BEEP. TRAIN COMING THRU.

I swung up into the Omni and was immediately greeted with, "Hi. I'm a Dressage Saddle. You will lengthen your stirrups and you will sit HERE." It definitely had a much stronger opinion about where I should sit than what I'm used to feeling, and for a minute I felt a little bit trapped. But after I got past feeling like there was quite a lot of cantle behind me, I found that the spot where the Omni wanted me was right where I ought to have been. It allowed me to sit straight and balanced, with a level pelvis. Sitting the trot felt downright EASY in this saddle, and Dino went better in it than he had in the Encore.

Ahhh, a level pelvis! Even if the flaps are too long. 

After a few rides, the Omni is definitely my favorite so far. The balance point was definitely the best for my conformation out of everything I've tried, I really liked how comfortable and supportive the deep seat was, and Dino was happy to go right to work in this saddle. The overall style of this model worked quite well for us, even though it wasn't 100% ideal. With a few tweaks like a medium vs. medium-wide tree, narrower twist, and shorter flaps, an Omni could definitely be The One.

While we're absolutely getting closer to being able to make a decision on what to buy, there are more saddles to be tried! While the process is definitely very, very long since my fitter can't come to the barn to properly fit us right now and I'm limited in the amount of time I can spend at the barn, I'm learning a lot about my own preferences, and being able to ride in each saddle 2-3 times before making my final judgement is definitely a luxury. Stay tuned for the next installment of our saddle search. Onward and upward!