# QUICK! Gaited HRAFN saddle; good buy??



## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Folks with gaited/Icelandic horse: Is this saddle a good buy?? Auction ends in 2 hours! It's 4:56pm here now.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320711593654&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


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## Iceyowner (Jun 13, 2011)

It's a good price and from a saddle maker that has been around since 1984. 
From their website:
Hrafn
One of the most popular all purpose saddles. Equally suitable for travels and shows. The saddle is soft but at the same time thin which gives good contact with the horse and makes changes in sitting especially easy.

Here's one that they are asking $450 for and they say they paid $800 for it:
http://www.tamangur-icelandics.com/horsestack_for_sale

My concern is to be sure the gullet matches the size needed by Neo.


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## Iceyowner (Jun 13, 2011)

jill.costello said:


> Folks with gaited/Icelandic horse: Is this saddle a good buy?? Auction ends in 2 hours! It's 4:56pm here now.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320711593654&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


Hmmm, it seems if I reply with a quote, I'm not moderated? I sent one in but want to be sure you get the info. The saddle maker has been around since 1984 and on one website a similar saddle is selling for $450 originally bought for $800.

It's a nice looking saddle just be sure the gullet measurement is suitable for your guy. I personally love the wintec Icelandic saddle and the Wintec Feldmann pro (this one is hard to find but was designed by a german saddle maker specifically for the icey).


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## snowshoehair (Jul 3, 2008)

I did a quick google and someone was selling one for $600. Found this website: http://www.randburg.is/is/hnakkvirki/

And this one: http://shou66.com/list/icelandic+saddle


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

it looks like a nice comfie saddle in pretty good shape...


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Nope not a good buy... have ridden in them. That is the old type Icelandic saddle and is only a medium tree. Won't fit your boy, or most Icelandic's for that matter.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

OK, I didn't get it anyway; don't know if I'm keeping Neo or not yet.....(have to keep reminding myself of this fact.....)


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Get him going and see then. Might be surprised how much you like him. VBG ;O)

Does take the sensitive Icelandic's a couple of years to settle in, specially if their previous owners were..... well, you know.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I think I have to unmoderate and I haven't done it for a while and the good folks here get a bit edgy when I do things like that. Essentially, we'll either get it fixed or the horse forum could go missing but in either case, don't take it personal.


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## lamoncha lover (Mar 1, 2009)

i don't understand what you mean by that Wr


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

lamoncha lover, Iceyowner is a new member and new members who add links to their posts end up in BB purgatory, where they sit until a mod can manually review them to ensure it isn't a spammer. 

As for my being a little tense about touching mod buttons. We were moving house shortly after I became a mod and we were asked to prune our respective areas as much as we could to make things easier. I still don't know what I did for sure because I felt I checked the box that would have ditched all threads older than a certain amount of days. Apparently, I didn't because I deleted the entire horse forum so we were a pretty easy move.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

I get it; Icyowner had replied to me, but because she added a link, we didn't get to see it....wr "un-moderated" it so we COULD see it, cool. I think that's what happened....??


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

The older Hrafn ....lets just say it is why you see so many of them out there for sale. No Icelandic horse owner I know, would use one. Just too narrow.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Gotcha.....I keep eyeballing a gaited saddle I have for sale right now....trying to decide if I can afford to keep it....it is designed and made in the same saddlery shop that Brenda Imus has her 4-Beat saddles made... it is here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190544403807&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I would give a sweet price to an HTer.....


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

That is a really nice one Jill. Though I am not sure if it would be wide enough?
I know a few people with Curtis Icelandic's and they are all wide as Dyfra.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

bergere said:


> That is a really nice one Jill. Though I am not sure if it would be wide enough?
> I know a few people with Curtis Icelandic's and they are all wide as Dyfra.


Neo is FAT, I'm not so sure about the wide part....He has 2" of fat covering his LAST rib! I think he may be the fattest horse I've ever had 

I'll have to dig to find his actual wither conformation, lol....


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

FYI, his owner said he was getting "a scoop of grain twice a day"....say WHAT?!! I've got him on 2 flakes of Tifton am & pm, extremely eaten-down, sparse grass paddock, and a handful of senior food to make him think he's getting something......


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

He is not too bad for an Icelandic. ;O) In fact he is just right. Icelandic conformation is a little different. Only time I have been able to feel the back ribs on the Icelandic, the whole horse was skin and bones. 

And for wither's, if he is anything like Dyfra, you will never find them. LOL
She is built like a brick and it looks like he is too. Love that conformation. VBG

Mine just get vitamins, no grain. What his previous owner was feeding him was crazy.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

bergere said:


> He is not too bad for an Icelandic. ;O) And for wither's, if he is anything like Dyfra, you will never find them. LOL
> She is built like a brick and it looks like he is too. Love that conformation. VBG
> 
> Mine just get vitamins, no grain. What his previous owner was feeding him was crazy.


LOL, makes me wonder if his brain was spinning so fast from all the calories that he just _HAD_ to bolt.....:hysterical:


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

jill.costello said:


> LOL, makes me wonder if his brain was spinning so fast from all the calories that he just _HAD_ to bolt.....:hysterical:


I won't be surprised.
I can't feed Dyfra Alfalfa or any kind of grain... mare would turn into a rabid squirrel if I fed her rich stuff like that!


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I do see some fat pads up around his dock, but don't get your hopes up about finding any withers. Ever.


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## Iceyowner (Jun 13, 2011)

Thanks for clarifying on the moderating. 

In my post, I said I would be most concerned about the gullet width. I have 3 iceys and none of them fit the same saddle. When saddle shopping I have my girls back mapped and use that for judging saddle fit. I can dig out my friend's info on it if you're interested. He was a saddle fitter for county saddlery (who also have an icelandic saddle) but they are custom and pricey (>$2000). I also really liked my sensation western saddle on my girls (universal for the most part for all) but again kind of pricey. My friend used an AMTS Wade saddle on her icey, but it's a western looking saddle. 

The biggest thing is to be sure it fits in the gullet and length isn ot pressing on the loins. 

I think my breeder had a lead on a nice saddle for $150. I'll see if I can dig up the email address for the lady.

Jess


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