Description
- Pommel (Fork): Shape has slight forward lean, small 12″ swells and low profile (choice of straight up fork available)
- Horn: Choice of stout post cutter horn or tall post cutter horn.
- Cantle: 2.5″ tall with shallow, open “dish” that cups rider but allows for movement. 2″ Cheyenne roll (unless otherwise requested)
- Seat: Hard seat (roughout or smooth) or fully padded.
- Leather: #1 Quality veg-tanned leather hides used exclusively. Variety of color choices.
- Skirts: Roundish cornered back skirts are scaled larger than most of our saddles per style. Cutaway up under fender for close leg feel.
- Tooling: Hand stamped border pattern choice of Signature NHS Dual Horseheads or NHS Horsehead Southwest design plus 3-Qtr Basket fill on fork, housing, seat jockey, back skirts and fenders.
- Hardware: brass or stainless steel rigging, D’s and back cinch roller buckles as shown.
- Conchos: Leather rosette or selection from NHS Concho Collection. Slotted conchos will be applied with tie strings, domed conchos will have drop D-rings, where the tie strings attach.
- Main cinch rigging: In-skirt Flat Plate with more shallow drop preferred for cutting.
- Rear cinch rigging included: The rear D comes hung with doubled-and-stitched flank billets and back cinch including a short cinch hobble for connecting to main cinch. Rear cinch should be buckled snugly for best stabilization of the back of the saddle, and short hobble enables pressure to be located in the horse’s sternum area and not impact the soft abdominal region. The apparatus can be disconnected when desired.
- Fenders: Free-swinging forward angled for optimum rider leg flexibility and communication. Stirrups are connected via a ‘Twist and wrap’, which sets them in perfect position to accept your foot with no strain on your knees. Cut to size for Rider inseam length. 6 basic leg length sizes available, with numbered adjustment strap holes at 1/2” // 12.7 mm increments.
- Stirrups: Handcrafted, laminated/shaped 2″ hardwood with leather-covered footbed (or choice).
- Latigos on both sides: for main cinch rigging, no off-side billet unless requested.
- Breast Collar D-rings: Set high for freedom of shoulder movement. Matching breast collar is available as an add-on.
- Cinch keeper installed on right side off concho at base of saddle.
- Underside: Suede-covered memory foam.
- Seat sizes 16 – 17.5 available.
- Length of saddle: From front of saddle to back of curve at widest point: length: 25 – 26” / 63.5 – 66 cm.
- Weight of saddle: Approximately 34 – 37 lbs // 15.4 – 16.7 kg
Handcrafted in USA or Europe.
SMARTFLX™ TECHNOLOGY
“Welcoming” the horse’s back in motion requires that you MANAGE THE INTERFACE – which is the space between your horse’s body and the underside of the saddle. After incorporating a good saddle, this is the next most important factor for successful saddle fit when you want to give your horse the opportunity to enjoy the journey with you. With SmartSaddlePads.com saddle pads and tapered foam shims you are best equipped to custom fit the interface of your horse to adapt to individual age, top line shape and state of training.
SMARTFLX´S EXCLUSIVE, UNIQUELY SHAPED TREES ARE THE SUBSTRUCTURE AND MAJOR KEY TO SUCCESS OF ANY OF OUR SADDLES.
The very special SMARTFLX™ shape provides room needed for the horse’s back to come up in performance of any athletic maneuvers, especially ones requiring significant engagement or “collection”. Also sculpted into the SMARTFLX™ shape are the ergonomic considerations built in for the rider which enable feeling close to the horse´s body and it´s movement while securely balanced and unstressed in hip, knee and ankle joints. The “bars” and “groundseat” of the SMARTFLX™ western tree are a one-piece molded shape based on years of research and development incorporating thousands of horses worldwide. This molded piece is formed utilizing a particular, extraordinary elastomer compound material that is solid enough to support the rider and protect the horse’s back yet flexible enough to allow the horse to move as nature intended and the human to feel connected in harmony. It is amazingly thin and keeps you close to your horse. Our wooden forks and cantles provide the base stability to hold the bars at the attitude and angle that our research proved was optimal. Our english saddles are constructed with the same principles regarding the spacious, welcoming shape we know is necessary for healthy, comfortable movement. English SMARTFLX™ trees are handcrafted by Master Saddlers in England utilizing digitally sculpted, laminated beechwood bars reinforced by steel head plate and thin diagonal steel bands that support appropriate diagonal flexibility. Because the SMARTFLX™ trees are sculpted to welcome the expanded “moving” horse body, there is room to accommodate an enormous variety of horse breeds and sizes.
VersaFit™ unique shimming concept provides a simple way to offer dynamic custom fit. The welcoming “hug” of our saddles’ undersides provides for a physically and mentally un-restricted equine athlete capable of enjoying full physical potential under saddle.
