I just had the opportunity to read a post from Thomas Ritter (12-24-2000) concerning his view of the Ansür Saddle. I was also able to read a post about the Ansür by Paula Kierkegaard (12-30-2000). Two very strong, intelligent, opinions. They were of interest to both my wife and I since we have been looking, trying and researching that particular saddle.

I too feel compelled to offer my opinion. So what, you ask? Well, sometimes it’s advantageous to hear an opinion from someone who’s “on the outside-looking in”. I’m not a horse person! My wife is the rider, instructor, and trainer in this family. I occasionally ride a horse – just for the fun of it. But, I am an instructor with over 10,000 hours of instruction time under my belt. I am a professional firefighter (captain) and have been in the fire service for the last 24 years.

I own a company that teaches technical rescue and confined space. If its’ got to do with ropes, we teach it. I have 14 instructors “on the road” teaching throughout North America. And I build harnesses – rescue harnesses. I own heavy-duty sewing machines and have studied stitching patterns and techniques. I own a dynamometer and several times a year I destroy things – on purpose. I know what stitching works and what techniques do not work.

Over the years my wife has owned various saddles and approx. 2 cows worth of bridles, stirrup leathers, and various other leather items. My wife goes from tack shop to tack shop, from show to show, and when we travel we often stop at saddle shops. Invariable, I find myself inspecting tack. Not like most of you do – I look at how it is constructed – in great detail. I have been restoring fire antiques, repairing nozzle handles, leather fire boots, recreating leather fire equipment, and other projects like holsters and gun cases for more than 20 years. I have done untold numbers of leather construction projects over the years. Often people’s lives depend on the quality of the job that I do. I know the difference between something that Is poorly constructed and something that is well built.

As I look at a saddle, I pull the flaps to see how it is built. How’s it stitched? How close is the stitching to the edge of the leather? How many stitched did they use per inch and what tread was used? All of this is important to me. In my line of work – lives depend on it! It should be important to you also!. When I sew a piece of equipment, it has to be right! All the design changes and testing have to be completed before the final product is produced and put into use. The construction of some saddles can best be described as “shoddy.” Many others are over priced for the quality of their “craftsmanship.”

Surprisingly, many of the so-called good saddles on sale today are JUNK! They are poorly designed, poorly made, and many have flaws. I have closely examined literally thousands of saddles. Even more surprisingly I have looked at scores of “top of the line” saddles and found many of them to be less than desirable. A $3,000.00+ saddle should have more than 6 stitches per inch, in critical stress areas. “One of Europe’s top saddles,” I don’t think so!!!!! Some of the top saddles have “planed obsolescence” built into them, international or not – it’s hard to say.

Up until several weeks ago, one of the most impressive saddles I have seen was a saddle made by Tad Coffin. He builds his own down in Virginia. Not even room in the barn for the horses anymore. The barn’s full of sewing machines with several folks turning out some incredible saddles. My wife Leslie, got to ride in one for an hour or so thanks to Raul De Leon. She fell in love with it and loved its’ feel and her ability to feel the horse. I was really impressed with the saddle’s quality, the leather, and the construction. But saddles of that quality are few and far between in this day and age.

If we dig even deeper, there are some great saddles on the market that don’t have the best quality trees. These saddles may work well on a select few horses but are a disaster on other horses. Some of the top saddles have addressed the problem with a tree that is more flexible. One European saddle’s tree is even stronger, yet flexible. But they are the exception not the rule.

But let’s get back to the subject at hand – Thomas, Paula, and the Ansür. Many horse people are incredibly bullheaded. Traditionalists – at any cost! Just like many folks in the fire service. “Long live tradition, may we never change.” I get to watch horse people for hours on end. Many seem to be afraid that their preconceived notions, hard-earned perceptions, and “we’ve always done it that way-isms” might be slightly off base, possibly wrong, or (God forbid) changeable. Why are horse people so afraid of change?

When I began teaching 20 years ago, I told myself that “the day I quit learning – I will quit!” I still believe that today. When I find a new product or new idea I try it, I test it, I retest it, and I look into every bit of information that I can find about it. I then ask others about it. I find out all I can about it – from near and from far. Then I let my instructors and students try it. If it fails there is good reason for its’ failure. If it works, I try to make it fail. If it works – I’ve learned something new – and one way or the other I document it and let other know.

I don’t berate something based on a limited amount of knowledge. When evaluating something like the Ansür, too many people have something at stake, for us to do that. Sounds like Ms. Kierkegaard has much the same philosophy as I do. Good for her!!! She states in her post that she’s been riding for 50 years – and in spite of that, she’s open to new thins. Congratulations Paula, you make an old stonehead proud!

And in regard to the Ansür’s quality… Don’t try to compare apples with oranges!!! Those “super saddle’s” seats are made with almost “glove soft” leather. Thin, rugged, yet supper soft, top grade leathers. The cheaper saddles are also make with thinner softer leathers but often with less finesse utilized during their tanning process. Some of those saddles leathers are taken from lesser quality hides. These leathers are then stretched over a structure – the tree. The Ansür’s leather “is the structure.” The leather is heavier, is has to be! The saddle depends on several layers for structure. This saddle is different from anything on the market. Don’t try to compare it to treed saddles. It just isn’t the same thing. It’s different, like it or no. Don’t compare apples on oranges!

I had the opportunity to go over the Ansür with a fine-tooth-comb (twice). I got rougher than I should have when it came to testing seam-sewing tension (owner wasn’t nearby). I looked for weak areas. I looked for stress areas, that might not have been addressed. I looked at how the leather’s grain lay, in relationship to the stresses on those pieces of leather. I looked at the hardware attachments. And I looked at and tried to find weaknesses in the design rational. I looked for weak areas and techniques utilized during the saddles’ design and construction. I couldn’t find any problems. I was impressed! I guess the 5 years of trial and error, numerous prototypes, and many upgrades really were worth the trouble. Incredible construction! Beautiful leather, soft and supple for its’ weight (leather thickness) and purpose. Nice finish, nothing cheap here. Nice sewing, done with lots of thought and purpose. Not afraid to double stitch for wearability and strength. This “puppy” won’t come apart. It won’t let you down in the middle of a show. And on top of all that, the saddle really looks nice too.

Oh yea – I almost forgot – this is the first and only saddle that I’ve ever seen that has hung the stirrups in the right place. The saddle’s stirrup rings or stirrup bars place the rider’s legs right. Funny thing, if you are not restricted to fastening your stirrup bars to a tree… you can put them where they should have been all along. Nice saddle. I’m impressed!

My wife, a Morven Park graduate with 20 years of instructing – likes the saddle. Took some getting used to – but she’s buying one. She was impressed with the potential for it’s use with many of her students. She will be riding the Ansür on a number of horses. She thinks its great.

 

Is it right for every one! NO. Is it right for every horse? NO. But you’d have to be a fool to believe that one saddle would be right for everyone and every horse. My only question is… why didn’t one of you “oh so smart horse people” make one of these years ago?

 

By Jack Grieff