Chat
01-21-2016, 10:19 PM
Welcome from Germany!
I've used both the wooden and the Rookie. The Rookie is a bit more "tricky" in my opinion if you're used to the more rigid set up of a wood saddle to place and secure. I surely spent the first time having it on a goat more with readjusting the straps than with walking. But, to be honest, after I had the principle figured out, I really started to like the Rookie.
The wood saddles are great for larger loads AND when the saddle fits your goats. As Germany also had (back in 2002) a non-existing pack goat community - and we are still way behind in terms of breeding goats for working - my main concern over the years was (and still is) that the standard wood saddle that you can buy from US manufacturers is a bit too large, a bit too wide for the goats that I have encountered in Germany so far.
In that regard the Rookie is more versatile, it will fit a narrow goat as well as a broader goat. The only thing you need to check is if the goat's back is long enough (but this would be your concern with the wooden saddle, too).
The wooden saddles are manufactured with a fixed angulation of the crossbuck of 86°. In narrower goats you will have the lower part of the bar stick away from the rib cage (limiting load baring surface and pinching the goat) and in broader goats you'll get the above mentioned bridging.
What I would do - being in your position and with what I know now - is measure my goats: length of back (from withers to last rib), width of chest resp. angle of ribs (take two straight rods, tie them to a "X" and place them on your goats back. Mark where the rods touch the long back muscle along the spine and measure the angle.
A great, but at the moment unavailable solution, is/was the custom fit saddle from Northwest which you could fit almost any goat (the only fixed measurement was its length)
BTW - does anybody know if/when the Custom Fit will be available again?
I've used both the wooden and the Rookie. The Rookie is a bit more "tricky" in my opinion if you're used to the more rigid set up of a wood saddle to place and secure. I surely spent the first time having it on a goat more with readjusting the straps than with walking. But, to be honest, after I had the principle figured out, I really started to like the Rookie.
The wood saddles are great for larger loads AND when the saddle fits your goats. As Germany also had (back in 2002) a non-existing pack goat community - and we are still way behind in terms of breeding goats for working - my main concern over the years was (and still is) that the standard wood saddle that you can buy from US manufacturers is a bit too large, a bit too wide for the goats that I have encountered in Germany so far.
In that regard the Rookie is more versatile, it will fit a narrow goat as well as a broader goat. The only thing you need to check is if the goat's back is long enough (but this would be your concern with the wooden saddle, too).
The wooden saddles are manufactured with a fixed angulation of the crossbuck of 86°. In narrower goats you will have the lower part of the bar stick away from the rib cage (limiting load baring surface and pinching the goat) and in broader goats you'll get the above mentioned bridging.
What I would do - being in your position and with what I know now - is measure my goats: length of back (from withers to last rib), width of chest resp. angle of ribs (take two straight rods, tie them to a "X" and place them on your goats back. Mark where the rods touch the long back muscle along the spine and measure the angle.
A great, but at the moment unavailable solution, is/was the custom fit saddle from Northwest which you could fit almost any goat (the only fixed measurement was its length)
BTW - does anybody know if/when the Custom Fit will be available again?
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Sabine from Germany
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Sabine from Germany