Additional options for the Full and Standard Package
Tooling: Select
Silver: Select
Pad: Select
Strings, brass and hardware: Select
Stirrups: Select
Cinches: Select
Breast Collar: Select
Head Stall:  Select

Built on the same tree as the Officer, Freedom and the Western Endurance - The Express –provides a wonderful and secure ride. With 2-inch soft, plush upper thigh and knee blocking it offers terrific security during the unexpected shy and is super for working young stock.  This saddle has an adjustable stirrup hanger bar which allows one-inch leathers to be set in one of three positions for rider comfort and for different leg positions from dressage to moderate jumping.  The saddle has a moderate to low rise allowing the rider more room to move in the saddle while still offering a great pocket to sit back in. This endurance saddle has a wonderful smooth rounded fork that provides a perfect handhold  - the ultimate in additional security. The seat is anatomically shaped for support; it has a hand skived upholstery and neoprene foam padded soft-seat plus no stitching lines for comfort.  This saddle is great for endurance riders, trainers, trail riders and anyone who enjoys a western saddle but is tired of lugging around  the extra weight. A great saddle for all breeds of horses and mules too.

Seat Size: 15, 16 and 17 inch
Weight: 19, 20 and 21 lbs.
Panel length: 22.7, 23.77 and 24.77 inches. All designed for up to a 3-inch scapula overlap.
Bar length: 20, 21 and 22 for 15, 16 and 17 inch seats
Saddle color: Black, Brown or two-tone
Seat type: Black or Brown Upholstery Cowhide, smooth or Suede.
Seat style: ½ inch smooth padding or the one-inch Soft-Seat  How to know?
Blocking: Full thigh and knee
Fork: Slick – 3 inches high measured from base seat.
Horn: N/A
Cantle: 3.5" tall and 12 inches wide.  Height measured at back of cantle is 3 3/4 inches.
Hardware: All Stainless Steel. Pair of breast Dee’s, 1 pr. of footman loops at base of fork, 2 pair of accessory Dee’s – rear bar, 2 pair footman loops on cantle with crupper Dee.  Additional hardware? Specify quantity and where to place.
Rigging: Dropped cross fire with adjustable Stainless Steel sliders and with 14-inch long nylon reinforced one-inch English billets.
Stirrup leathers: 2 inch biothane with stainless steel cam lock buckles with leather sleeves (will come with leather bell stirrups) or top grain 1" nylon reinforced leathers with sleeves.
Stirrup hanger bar: 3-position for a 1-inch leather or 2 inch biothane strap.
Saddle pad: Saddle sox - synthetic in brown or black Codura with black or white fleece.
All About Saddling DVD and Leather Care Kit:  Yes View
Additional options: Available

Order Form Print off and turn into your nearest dealer

The LOOP on the saddle is the stirrup and girth keeper.

What about the blocking? The blocking on the freedom is designed to burry your knee into.  As your horse acts horsy you can secure your seat by digging your knee into the blocking.  This is great for down hill, as you can secure your leg (the knee-femur to hip) thus keeping your seat in the saddle.  This blocking also keeps your leg in position, allowing you to ride with a long leg. Super for training young stock.

A similar models to consider are the Freedom, Officer and Western P. Express, which are made off of the same saddle tree:

Standard padding or the extra padding of the Soft Seat - that is the question.
    

Center photo of lighter color saddle DOES NOT have the extra padding that is in the Soft Seat.

Why select the extra padding of the Soft Seat? 
 There are some points to consider when deciding to select this option-with the Soft Seat.  First, you will lose some of the room that the saddle has to offer for your rear-end - so if you are between sizes use this to help gauge your seat size. Secondly when you select the Soft Seat, you will lose a bit of the "pocket" to sit down in, (since the extra padding is now there for your rear-end and /or your bone-y butt bones). Lastly, with the Soft Seat, the saddle will have a bit of a narrower twist. The twist is the part that is between your thighs (your crotch area). Therefore, if you like a narrower twist, have a bony butt or need a smaller seat size, adding the extra padding of the Soft Seat is key.

The Soft-Seat is soft and easy to care for.  It has NO stitching lines that can fill up with dirt and grime making a saddles seat difficult or impossible to clean.  Also having a seat with no stitching keeps the saddles seat soft, as the more a saddles seat is stitched the firmer it becomes.