Ovation Klimke Pro Dressage Saddle Great!! By KLKwid on Jan 21, 2009 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

This is a wonderful saddle! It's a beautiful black saddle available in many sizes (mine is a 17.5 medium tree). This will be very appropriate for showing, although I would have liked to see it be more black and shinier for the more traditional dressage look. This one seems to be more of a contamporary design with shorter flaps, medium to short length billets, and a matte appearance. It almost appears to be a little more all-purpose, but definitely still ranks as a dressage saddle design. Even with the flaps reaching forward just a bit, they do not interfere with the forward movement of the horse's shoulder. This one relly does fit us both VERY well.

It is very well constructed-the stitching and hardware are great quality. The leather is very high quality and wears very well. It's easy to clean and is tacky enough naturally to keep a solid seat despite any "bumps" in the road. (My mare spooked one of the first times I rode in this saddle and I moved maybe an inch in it-the saddle made it almost difficult for her to make me move out of postion) The seat is ralatively deep, but not as deep as former saddle. There is a good amount of padding on the seat, too, allowing for a VERY comfortable ride. There is PLENTY of padding for the horse, as well-it makes my mare very comfortable. The twist is a little wider than what people may be used to riding in now, but it fits me perfectly. The twist is a little smaller than my former saddle and alleviates the pain I was getting in my hips from having to reach and stretch so far before-the slightly lesser size suits me wonderfully. The blocks are medium to large, but are positioned in such a way that your seat feels natural and allows you to bring your leg up to the girth where it's supposed to be.

I'll put a picture in as soon as I get one from our show season this year, but I have to say that so far this saddle is certainly worth the investment!!! Highly recommended!!