I receive lots of question about my saddle. Well, it is not a normal English or western saddle so I do understand why you are curious! So then I decided to write a post about my baroque saddle.
I bought my new saddle last spring; it is a Marjoman Rianõ Sillero, a Portuguese/baroque saddle. I’m very happy about it, I had to sell my previous baroque saddle because it did not fit me. It fitted Batman thought, but that did not help when I could not ride in it because the seat balanced me wrong, and was way too big!
The Riaño has a much smaller seat and fits me perfectly. It provides the support I need when I do trick/stunt riding such as rearing and lying down, and it’s extremely comfortable to ride dressage with as well. I am no fan of huge knee rolls, I think they place me in a locked position and it feels uncomfortable. My dressage is based on the principles of Academic Art of Riding. This kind of saddles are based on how most saddles looked like a couple of hundred years ago, and I don’t see a reason why they won’t work today! I love baroque saddles.
Although, I do need some support when I’m galloping around with Batman and his huge movement. The Riaño is the perfect saddle for us, and I had it fitted and adjusted, and changed the flocking this summer. We also colored it black, as I think that is a more suitable color for Batman.
Under my saddle, I do not use a regular saddle pad. I use reindeer hide. A study discovered that reindeer hide is more shock absorbing than any other kind of saddle pads.
Thank you so much to my amazing saddle fitter Silje Sverkholt for the wonderful job!
I know maaany of you have been very interested in my saddle because they want to buy one themselves, but you have to remember that saddle fitting is science, my saddle fits Batman, but that doesn’t mean it would fit your horse, Friesian or not. Most of my friends also HATE to ride in my Riaño, just because I love it does not mean that it is a comfortable saddle for everyone! Remember to seek professional help when you are purchasing a new saddle for your horse. Riding with the wrong saddle will cause damage to your horse’s back.
Do you have any questions about my saddle? Feel free to ask below!
Peace, love and Friesian hugs,
Batman & Matilde
11 comments
Hi Matilda, a little question I didn’t find the answer to in your blog… does this saddle have a spine? I want to buy an A/P saddle from Freeform and it has no spine, I wonder if your saddle has no spine too☺ thanks
Hvordan har du brettet/ tilpasset reinsskinnet under salen? Har tenkt lenge på å kjøpe et selv men er litt usikker på hvordan det er best å legge det :)
REPLY FROM MATILDE Har bare lagt det over, Bat er så bred. Så tar jeg og bretter det som henger for mye ned på den ene siden og fester det under salkappen :) Enkelt og greit!
Barocksadlar är så vackra!
Gillar även renskinnet under sadeln. Ett sådant vill jag köpa åt min häst. Ska bara spara ihop lite pengar för de är dyra (iallafall i Sverige). ;)
Can you tell me what the study was? Or where to look it up? I am just curious if other hide hair is similar. I have several white tail deer hides I could use but not sure if it provides similar cushion as hair is more hollow and doesn’t feel as soft as when I’ve looked at reindeer
Reinskinn ser ut som nydelig sal underlag. Hvor fikk du tar i det? :-) har aldri sittet i en barokksal men ridd mye i bomløse saler (Barefoot) og elsker bein friheten de gir.
i would like to ask how is it ok for u using a reindeer fur as a saddle pad because i know you are vegan and you care about animels..
What does the saddle cost and where did you find the reindeer skin? (:
Hey Matilde!
I was wondering where did you get the reindeer hide?
Also, before buying the saddle, did you manage to try it on Batman somehow?
Thank you very much for answering!
It looks awesome! Where did you buy the saddle and what did it cost? :)
Hi, do you fold the reindeer hide in any special way? As I live in Portugal I must say that here most people use a barroque/portuguese saddle custom made and handmade to fit both the rider and the horse, but they are expensive though, cheapest one custom made is around 1000€, you can find some store made for about 300€ but they are horrible to ride in.
Here people use sheepskin, very soft and fluffy (and inexpensive).
Hi, I just wanted to asked you, where you’ve bought your reindeer hide because I am considering to buy one but I don’t want to buy one from people where the reindeers live in bad conditions (like animals kept on small space for fur production). Greetings Theresa :)