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| Black Country Saddle (monoflap) |
The pros of a monoflap saddle are...
- lighter
- closer contact
- easier to clean
- good for the shorter-legged rider (easier to wrap your leg around the horse)
- You might think they'd pinch but they don't!
The downsides are
- no sweat flap, if you feel that the sweat flaps do what their name says they do
- thigh blocks and knee rolls are exposed
- billet replacement is more challenging
- they tend to be more expensive
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Interesting about the price, because they use less leather and should cost less for materials. Maybe there are construction considerations.
ReplyDeleteThere certainly seem to be some benefits.
I LOVE my single flap dressage saddle (Custom Saddlery Revolution). It's a little bit different than a traditional monoflap like you have above, but it's still a single flap as the billets are not exposed. At $3750 new (I got mine for $1800 used) I think they're not that much more expensive, I think that just depends on your brand. I also have a monoflap Antares jump saddle that also allows for a close connection to my horse over fences and while galloping. I dont think I'd ever go back to a 'regular' saddle. I am a short rider 5'2" and mono/single flap saddles makes it much easier to get my leg on my horse - it's a world of difference and worth the premium if you end up paying more!
DeleteYour lists of pros and cons tell me a monoflap would not work with my current partnership. I am 5'8" with long legs on a (leased) narrow, slab-sided Danish x Arabian gelding; it is hard enough to get my legs on him with my double-flapped Black Country!
ReplyDeleteI had a monoflap Stubben Dressage saddle. I liked the monoflap part quite a lot, but the saddle ended up becoming a resale for various reasons. The design was different than the BC because the billets hung directly out of the saddle flap.
ReplyDeleteI love my DK Saddlery monoflap, but mine is traditional looking without exposed blocks and that part appeals to me. I really like the close contact.
ReplyDeleteI have a Arc de Triomphe monoflap and I love it!. The billets are on the underside of the flap so they don't pinch my leg and the block actually looks very nice, similar to a devocoux/Luc Childeric. I really appreciate the close contact feel and it is indeed a breeze to clean.
ReplyDeleteanother bonus of the mono flap and all dressage saddles is the long billets no more needing five different girths trying to figure out which size will work with which horse on this saddle the long billet takes the guess work out of the girth search
ReplyDelete