For the past five years I have been riding several horses on Empire saddles: William, Grace Jones, Habakuk and also my wonder mare Kenzie have been fitted with an Omani through Akash Saddlery. Of course with “TreeClix inside! Quite a few of my students now also ride an Empire saddle.

The Omani is not only a very nice saddle to look at, but gives me support where needed without being coercive. It has a deep seat, the monoflap gives a nice close contact feel, and the rockers leave my knees free, allowing me to ride with a long, relaxed leg.

Because of the cushions placed under the frame of the saddle with a wide saddle rail, my horses have a lot of freedom of movement in the topline. The built-in TreeClix system ensures optimal positioning and can be easily adjusted at every stage of training.

I have owned and tried many different saddles in my 40-year career; however, thanks to the unfailing service and care of Akash Saddlery and Jolanda van der Leeden, I am now very wedded to my Empire saddles! And – more importantly – so did my horses!