* That's smart of Winstar to use a Western saddle on their stallions. Aside from the fact that it makes it easier for the rider to stay on a rambunctious stud, the saddle itself sends a different signal to the horse. It does not remind the former racehorse of a racing saddle, so it's much less likely to get him excited.
* I knew someone who bought a Saddlebred...lovely, sweet horse, but one who apparently had been treated badly. I suspect that some painful practices had been used on him to try to "improve" his five-gaited abilities. My friend discovered that riding him in saddle-seat tack made him very anxious...to the point sometimes where he would not only refuse to go forward, but would back up. He was terrified that he was going to do something "wrong." When she tried a Western saddle on him, he was much more relaxed, and she was able to ride him on trails. Still a bit neurotic, but much improved.
He's a horse who knows what he wants.
