I love my Cashel Soft Saddle. It fits every one of my horses. It’s comfortable. The Cashel Soft Saddle is lightweight and easy for me to haul around. And my horses love it too. My only concern when I was considering the Cashel Soft Saddle was that it wouldn’t be substantial enough for real riding and that it would slip during riding. All not true. And I ride in some rough country here in Northern New Mexico.
I love riding my Andalusian, who is round and Rubinesque with medium withers, in my Cashel Soft Saddle. My Cashel Soft Saddle is perfect on our small boned, flat withered, slightly built Navajo Nation Appaloosa horse. The Cashel Soft Saddle is perfect for riding my mutton withered Percheron draft horse. I ride our Polish Arabian and our Quarter Horse in it as well.
Because I have five horses at home to exercise, I’ve put my Cashel Soft Saddle through its paces. With my Cashel Soft Saddle, I only have to lug one saddle down to the barn, not five. I have ridden in my Cashel Soft Saddle on the flat, up and down big steep hills, cross-country, in straight lines and circles, at every gait, including a good gallop. The saddle remained secure.
Made of closed cell foam and wetsuit quality neoprene, I’d describe the Cashel Soft Saddle as a hybrid. It’s a mix between a treeless saddle and a bareback pad. The Cashel Soft Saddle is the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever ridden in. (I have a nicely broken-in Stubben saddle that I use on my Andalusian.) It’s going to be hard to go back to my regular saddle after riding in the Cashel Soft Saddle. I love the ability to be able to feel my horse move beneath me, without anything stiff in between us.
The Cashel Soft Saddle is perfect for a woman’s body. (I suspect that my cowboy husband and other men would find it comfortable too.) Riding in this saddle is reminiscent of practicing my basic seat in equestrian vaulting (on that big vaulting pad). A friend who has an Icelandic saddle says that my Cashel Soft Saddle reminds her of her lightweight saddle. (The Cashel Soft Saddle weighs in at less than 9 pounds.) Because of its unique construction, this saddle should be instrumental in my continuous quest to improve my seat. I don’t agree with some of the comments I’ve read about the Cashel Soft Saddle’s stirrup placement encouraging an armchair seat. In my honest opinion, the correct seat can be easily achieved in this saddle by sitting correctly.
When I ride in my Cashel Soft Saddle in the freezing winter cold, I’ve also noticed that the neoprene keeps my tush and legs warm! Before I ordered the saddle, I telephoned Cashel Company to ask them some questions about their product and to get their advice regarding sizing. The Cashel rep was very helpful and informative. At 5’8″ with a medium build, they recommended a size Large for me.
Now, most importantly, I’ve observed that my horses like the Cashel Soft saddle. I have a saddle that fits my Andalusian really well, and she’s a nice mover, but she seems pretty happy in this. Our rescue appaloosa is a saddle-fitting challenge who I suspect has had more than her fair share of experience with ill-fitting tack, and I see a marked difference in her attitude when I ride her in the Cashel Soft Saddle. I have tried to be very careful about not cinching the saddle up too tightly. I’ve had to do a little experimenting to find the right balance for my horse and me. I don’t want the Cashel Soft Saddle dragging on the horse’s withers, a common complaint regarding bareback pads.
The only drawback with this saddle is that I’ve had the saddle slip around on me during mounting. As with a treeless saddle, you have to learn to mount the Icelandic way or get yourself a mounting block!
As always, the first rule in riding is safety. You should be a fairly experienced rider with a good seat to use this saddle. I would not recommend for a beginner.
Overall, as an equestrian with 35+ years of experience, I highly recommend this Cashel Soft Saddle. My horses and I are looking forward to many comfortable rides in the future in our Cashel Soft Saddle.
