Emily Sorensen and Cristiano
Confessions of a Teenage Saddle Shopper

I´ll admit it--before I knew better, I rarely tried clothes on before buying, I had faith that letters and numbers would adequately describe my body, fitting rooms were as illusive as my ability to guess the correct size. You can imagine how well this worked out for me, even better, how it worked out for my horse when I decided it was time to go saddle shopping.

"He needs a medium-wide tree," I said confidently to the tack storeowner, as if I had the universal horse and I was a universal rider--without asymmetry, odd length of limb, or recognition of future development. My 3½ year old horse, Cris, was rapidly growing and maturing, I needed a new saddle, any saddle, one with a medium-wide tree and I found one.

I rode in that saddle for an unfortunately long time. After time, I invested in a gel pad to try and alleviate the poor fit I suspected was developing. At 4 years old, my prospective
dressage horse had developed a lameness

effecting only his canter. His irregular gait remained an undiagnosed lameness even after multiple vet examinations. All of the exams were of his hind legs, never travelling to his back. I was handed a series of steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs that were to be given in various combinations and dosages and hope for improvement—riding up hills and in the arena was still encouraged in an effort to strengthen his hind legs. One day in a lesson, my trainer remarked that no matter what direction, the cantle of my saddle was always to the right. I looked down from my view of the pommel and the saddle was right in the middle. Uh oh…an alarm must have sounded at the RP warehouse. RP to the rescue!

Soon after, a friend of mine, who had already discovered the joys of RP, came for a few days of lessons at our barn. My trainer saw her saddle, I saw her saddle; we stared at it in anticipation, like we were expecting it to move about on its own somehow even as it was resting on the saddle rack. "Reactor Panel, huh? Can I try it?"

I rode Cris in the saddle and it was as if I had been in the fitting room for hours, custom measured and fitted for a craftsman to put this saddle together just for us. Cris was moving straighter, with freedom and regular steps. "Reactor Panel. Huh, where do I get one?"

From then on it was a whirlwind of meeting with Carmi and Lisa, using the Port Lewis Impression Pad under the infamous "medium-wide" (an eye opening and humbling experience), and trying several different RP dressage saddles until Cris and I finally agreed on the "Elegance." Given a little time in a very well fitted saddle and the attention of a good chiropractor, Cris´ canter became regular and, dare I say it? Good!

Since discovering RP in 2002, Cris and I have gone from awkward and uneven to successfully competing at 4th level this year. Our success is greatly attributed to RP saddle and staff, not only for their meticulously designed saddle and thoughtfully chosen products, but also for the endless support and encouragement Cris and I have received as we´ve made our way through the levels of dressage.

The RP saddle has given me so many fantastic experiences—a thorough education in saddle fit and function, an introduction to the amazing and talented characters of the RP staff, and most importantly a sound, willing, and happy horse. I still have the last-resort gel pad; though now it simply stays in the tack room and gives my RP proper protection from the saddle rack…a fitting end for it.

Emily Sorensen and Cristiano
Dressage

Elegance Dressage Saddle