BPLC “Long Rider”saddles.
Saddles for any equine adventure.
95kg “200lb”… fully loaded!
Pete weighs 65kg, and fully loaded with all his gear, 4 days food and water, and all his tack he’s light enough to do a 100 mile endurance race and pass vet checks! Further more… he can GALLOP! What’s the point in freedom if you can’t enjoy it!
TESTED AND PROVEN!
It’s impossible to calculate how many miles have been covered in our saddles, but Pete has covered around 10,000 on Marengo alone, and in that time he’s had… no saddle issues. Not a single one, nor ANY lameness!
GenVII Long Rider. 2350 - 2700€ + tax
The whole point of these saddles is that they are designed for “long rides”, and as a result I feel selling them in any other configuration simply defeats the purpose of the saddles design. As a result, I prefer to sell them with the front, rear, and roll bag designed to work specifically with the saddle. With a full set of bags, the cost is 2700€ + tax.
They are designed to keep you balanced and comfortable while keeping the overall weight on the horse as little as humanly possible “4-5kg total weight”, including the twin mohair girths and breastplate that firmly secure the saddle as evenly as possible across the saddle support area. With the ability to shim both the seat and the underside of the saddle, its possible to adjust fit as shapes change along your journey.
Gen VII - long rider saddles include…
Twin mohair girths with stainless steel rings and nylon straps to attach to the saddle as well as a mohair breastplate with crocodile clips.
Biothane stirrup leathers, and flexible composite stirrups wide enough to suit hiking boots. The stirrup leathers “can be” covered in sheepskin fenders to allow comfortable riding in shorts or a bikini for an additional 50€ + tax.
A sheepskin saddle cover that comes with two large drink bottle holders with two large medical pouches as well as two straps suitable for securing your raincoat and warm clothing to the front of the saddle. The seat is also padded with adjustable foam.
Fitting the saddle and adjusting it can be done easily on the road or at home, and replacement pads and Velcro can simply be purchased off amazon if needed. “Shims included with each saddle sold”.
The ethical standard for long riding and considering your size.
Sadly, if you wish to do a long ride weight is always going to be an issue. I always have to put the horses first, and as a result I only make long rider saddles in 14, 15, and 16 inch seat sizes. As the distances ridden are often very hard on a horse, I will have no part in overloading and hurting equines and will not make these saddles for people over 90kg.
I can build seats for women and men specifically, or in a more generic form on request but really have made these for people weighing between 50 - 90kg. I will also not make a saddle for a horse I feel will be ridden unethically due to weight, age, or lameness. The links below cover what I consider to be an ethical carrying capacity, as well as ethical standard.
Our gear is designed to be a modern take on the set up used for thousands of years by cavalry and mounted infantry only lighter. You can gallop with it, climb hills and mountains, and live wild and free.
Gen II Pack saddle. 650 - 3000€ + tax
In an ideal world, when riding with two horses, you are riding in a PAIR of fitted saddles. If each horse has a saddle fitted to it, the chances of the horse suffering an injury are reduced dramatically. The rider can alternate between horses, and the horses do not need to have a pack saddle and riding saddle swapped between them with neither ever really fitting “perfectly”. So, with a lot of help from other long riders, we came up with our own design of pack saddle bags made with very hard wearing 1000den Codura. They are secured effortlessly over the horn and at the rear of the saddle with a sturdy clip, and feature a single mohair girth under the horse to secure them in place. They can be removed in seconds in an emergency, can carry a ton of gear, and it’s possible to secure a roll bag to them when slung over the saddle seat.
Test, adjust, test further.
I know that the purchase of two custom fitted saddles comes with a large financial investment that is greater than what many are prepared to outlay. And with a set up for two horses costing 5700€ + tax for your “hobby”… its a lot, but still less than MOST custom saddles on their own. But for many people, ourselves included this is more than a hobby: this is our life’s obsession. Sadly, for those that just do the odd weekend hike, you will never travel far enough to realise the damage you are actually doing to the horses, but by the time you get over 600-1000km… the wear will start to show.
Having ridden as far as we have, and being in constant contact with others who have devoted huge parts of their lives too long riding, we feel that this is not only the most ethical way to travel long distances, but also the safest. Why? Because horses without pain that enjoy life on the road… are safe horses.
We live for this, and putting the care of our horses first is a cost we are happy to pay for, and why we’ve spent so much developing and testing this equipment.
Long rider package. 3600€ + tax
You need a Jetboil, a horse blanket, your clothing, a sleeping bag, and your food and water. We supply the rest.
This package includes a long rider saddle, bivi bag, light weight shelter, rear bags, front bags with additional med pouches, 12m tether, the essentials fitted to the saddle, and a few personal touches that has you set up with the exact set up we have evolved over huge distances together, and over 30,000km as individuals.
It’s the ultimate “ready to ride” set up for you and your horse if you dream of a wild adventure on horseback. What you get is pretty much everything you see here, and it’s gear built by CURRENT long riders, FOR long riders!
Shipping costs are not included as they vary greatly and are additional. Buyer may choose shipping type and preferred carrier. A 30% deposit is required at the time of ordering of which a full refund will be given if we are unable to complete your order. Balance of payment is required prior to shipping, and due to the complicated nature of construction, time frame for delivery can be up to three months so booking in advance is advised. VAT is additional, as is a 5% surcharge when dealing with countries outside of the EU due to the complicated nature of shipping and additional paper work.