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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 408
| So after a year of trying out this barrel racing craziness and getting not just hooked but totally and undoubtedly addicted to it, it is time to get a serious barrel saddle. I am looking at a Martin but man oh man, they are pricey... what other suggestions do you guys have? I do sit pretty straight on the saddle (sorry, my dressage background does show) so any saddle that puts me a bit leaning forward is going to be an issue)
suggestions please? |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
  
Location: North Dakota | Don't you apologize for that dressage background, girl!  lol. That's me too. I have had "ear, hip, heel" nailed into my brain from the time I was 6 (raised with dressage, and still do it). I loved my Marlene Mcrae by Cactus because it was secure but also allowed me the freedom to sit properly and I actually took a ton of dressage lessons in that thing! I didn't have as much luck with it fitting my horses though. The Meleta Brown freedom saddles also give you a really well balanced position. I have one now, which is a bit too small for me, but it REALLY helped my sister find that balance. Right now I'm actually dressage saddle shopping but were I to buy anothe barrel saddle, I would be getting a martin. Either the FX3 or the Cervi, I haven't sat in either so I can't comment really. They fit my horse great though. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| The crown c changed the seat for the 2015 saddles, and I can't see it tipping you forward.
I have a 2014 that I love, the 2015 I despise, I cannot keep my but in the saddle, as soon as I put weight in my stirrups my but slides out the back.
When I spoke to Martin supposedly I am the only one who has complained, I am a forward rider, they are rectifying the problem and I am sending the saddle back for them to put a tree in from the 2014 design.
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | Shiloh, Double J, Caldwell, Coats......if you can borrow a couple of saddles to ride before you buy them, it's well worth it. |
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Location: Friendswood, Texas | If you go with Martin, I believe the FX3 will be better suited to your riding style. That's just from the research we've done for the exact same reason.
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | MS2011 - 2015-08-31 2:08 PM
Shiloh, Double J, Caldwell, Coats......if you can borrow a couple of saddles to ride before you buy them, it's well worth it.
Can I get an AMEN! No martins! |
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 It's not my fault I'm perfect
Posts: 13739
Location: Where the long tails flow, ND | Love my Tami Semas! Makes me ride very correct and keeps me centered! |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | I don't really care for Martins. I don't like their fit philosophy (behind the shoulder and buy bigger than you need), the insane gullets that they peddle, or the encouragement of shimming.
You should only NEED to shim a saddle if your horse some sort of conformation/muscling situation going on that would prevent a saddle from fitting, such as a sway back or atrophy behind the shoulders, or uneven muscling due to injury or something.
The gullet sizes that they offer are INSANE. That is all. The only thing I can think of that would NEED an 11 inch gullet would be a rhinoceros.
Their fit philosophy of putting the saddle behind the shoulder I don't like because that puts the weight at the terminus of the bars into the soft tissues, rather than across a sturdier load-bearing area.
I see more pictures of poorly fitted Martins than ANY other saddle. Why? TOO WIDE. The saddle is tipped forward, or there's six inches of shimming happening. That is not a saddle that fits.
I ride my "hard to fit" gelding in a Caldwell Ultra Rocket. It is their wide tree, with rock in the bars to accommodate his low, racey back. He has broad muscular shoulders, prominent withers, and a low back. My options on fitting him were pretty limited. Saddles that were wide enough, were too flat; saddles that had enough rock were too narrow for his shoulders. Caldwells are definitely pricey, but you can find them used easily - and they are 100% worth the investment. I grew up riding hunters, and so I also have a more forward than normal seat and my Caldwell allows me to sit in a great equitation position, but ALSO move around and be quick when/if I need to be during a run.
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Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | SmokinGirlie - 2015-08-31 9:45 PM Love my Tami Semas! Makes me ride very correct and keeps me centered! I love how these look, they're definitely on my list of saddles to try. To the OP - check out the weekly barrel racing report, watch a lot of the bigger races, watch some futurities if you can. You're going to notice that Double J, Coats, Shilohs....many saddles like that are picked by girls at the top over Martin. They're not going off marketing, they're going off what they KNOW works.
Sit in a Purdy if you get a chance - really cool saddles.
Edited by MS2011 2015-09-01 8:50 AM
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Martins fit weird. The same horse on which I use an 8" crown C, I also use a Shiloh Jerri Mann with a 6.5" gullet and a thicker pad. They both fit her well, and she's happy--and she definitely lets me know if she doesn't like what's on her back. LOL The Martin only works well for me on horses with flat shoulders. Big muscled shoulders you have to buy too big and shim, which is just dumb IMO. I do like how centered it rides unless I'm riding something butt high that wants to be front endy. I haven't had the Shiloh very long and haven't run in it yet, but it's a very balanced saddle. |
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Location: Texas | I LOVE MY MARTIN FX3 |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | I love my Crown C... fits my gelding well. He's a BIG boy and fits an 8.5" gullet, so you don't always need to but the huge ones.... I use one small shim (and had to with other brands as well). For a factory type saddle, the quality is exceptional.
Not all brands fit all horses. I would like to try a caldwell. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | note about the martin gullets... the "size" is the size of the tree before all the leather and what not. They don't measure out to be that sixe when you measure a finished saddle.
The Crown C is not for everyone, but I like it more than any other saddle I have tried thus far. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | SmokinGirlie - 2015-08-31 9:45 PM Love my Tami Semas! Makes me ride very correct and keeps me centered!
Do you have a wide tree or standard? I really want to try a wide. I'm a hard core double j but I'm really wanting to get a tami. |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | mollibtexan - 2015-08-31 9:39 PM MS2011 - 2015-08-31 2:08 PM Shiloh, Double J, Caldwell, Coats......if you can borrow a couple of saddles to ride before you buy them, it's well worth it. Can I get an AMEN! No martins!
I recently fell in love with Allen Ranch after making a run on my daughters mare in her saddle. I have never made a run in a saddle that felt so right....I sold my Caldwell and bought one for myself! |
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new saddle- thinking Martin (another saddle post LOL)