Mare, Steps High & Saddle

[SailAwayAK~]

Steps High and Kaya's Saddle were each introduced in 2002. They were sold separately through 2018. In 2019, they were bundled together and the new set was called Kaya's Mare, Steps High & Saddle.

Kaya’s beloved horse is a deep brown Appaloosa mare with a white star on her forehead and a rope bridle in her mouth. She comes with a fringed hide blanket.

Kaya’s saddle includes a saddle pad for her seat and a furry blanket for Steps High.

Kaya is very proud that her beloved and beautiful horse, Steps High, chose her. She is a deep brown Appaloosa mare with a white star on her forehead, and a black mane and tail. Includes: A saddle with a high front and back, decorative side panels, and an adjustable strap, A fringed faux-hide blanket and a faux sheepskin to go under the saddle, A faux-leather saddle pad that allows Kaya to sit comfortably, A rope bridle for Kaya to hold on to when she rides.



Kaya's Saddle
$18 WCAS
Grade: B

There are a few disappointments to the saddle but over all it is a nice piece. All in all I think it's kind of cheep looking. The under belly straps for securing the saddle to the horse broke so now we just have it sitting on there. All in all my daughter loves it so I guess that is what matters.

The saddle pieces are molded plastic. To that they attached fringe and facingsfor the painted design. Included is a faux sheep skin saddle blanket and a cushion for Kaya to sit on.

Nothing really special.

[green chile supergirl]

I have this set and *hate* the sides of the saddle. I thought they'd be harder, not flimsy cheap floppy stuff. It really makes the saddle look unrealistic.

[Mollyflower]

This saddle is great!

Perhaps it's all in the expectation of what the saddle "should" look like, but I am very happy with mine. I love its authentic look and was thrilled when I first saw a picture of it on the horse. Where else can you get such a wonderful reproduction of a Nez Perce saddle? At first I was disappointed that the frame wasn't made of wood, but a plastic frame for a toy is more practical.

The round shields on the saddle are supposed to be made of leather, light enough for the horse to carry without problems. I think the faux leather, AG shields are pretty realistic looking. The design is stamped on, not painted, but I think they look great.

The fringe is decorative and practical. Rain is carried off down the fringe so the garment or saddle doesn't become saturated. I got my Steps High off eBay without the fringe saddle "blanket." I didn't realize until I ordered the saddle from AG that the fringed blanket didn't come with it. I finally got one at replacement parts at AG for about $8.

The faux sheepskin is a perfect pad between the fringed saddle blanket and the hard saddle. I'm not sure about the authenticity of the little pillow, but anyone perched on such a saddle with a wooden frame would be glad to have it.

I give the saddle a high A. If I get another Steps High, I'll be sure to get a second saddle.

[missmoomoo]

Steps High, Kaya's Horse. Grade: B -

Positive: Steps High is gorgeous. She is a lovely animal replica and Kaya looks *so* happy riding her. Her fur is soft, and her hair is the same quality as the dolls. She is a stunning addition to your Kaya display.

Negatives - She's not weighted, and feels a little cheap to cost $62. However, she does not tip over and is stable. The "reins" are rope and cannot be removed. Size wise she is not much taller than Kaya! She is more like a pony, I guess. Also, I thought she came in a cool box when I saw her at AGP. She does not from the catalog. She is shipped packed in Styrofoam in her own box.

:-/Unexpected - came with a cute fringed faux leather saddle blanket.

[jrrohe]

I have had Steps High since Jan. 2003 and so far she has held up very well. I guess I'm too much of a purist though because NA ponies DID NOT WEAR SHOES!!!!! If you notice they made Steps High over the exact same mold as the other PC/AG horses including the shoes. If they had left off this little bit of plastic, Steps High would be truely unique.

Still, I love her!! I would give her an A- for including shoes.

[SarahL]

Grade: A-

As many people point out, AG's horses are not to scale. I prefer this, because it allows the dolls to sit on the horse without looking very weird. If the horse was any large, the doll would be doing the splits to sit on top of it or the horse would be deformed where the doll sat (like a slot to put the doll in).





Steps High's coloring is very pretty. She is dark brown with light cream spots and a black mane and tail.

She comes with her saddle blanket.



Here is a picture of her with her saddle, reviewed elsewhere:


I think Kaya looks very cute riding her mare.


The rope reins fit in the doll's fingers allowing her to hold on to them.





The only problem I have is that the feet easily scuff. I've barely even played with mine.



As an adult, I like the size of Steps High. I think she is fun to play with on her own.

[SarahL]

Grade: A

I think this saddle looks more realistic than anything else I've seen for this scale, so the fact that it's not 100% accurate is forgivable. It is fun to saddle the horse, and Kaya sits well in it.

The saddle blanket comes with Steps High, reviewed elsewhere. The sheepskin has a very fake back, but looks nice on when you can only see the fur.





The saddle has a faux leather strap that goes under the horse's belly to hold the saddle on. It is firmly knotted on one side.



After it's brought under the horse, you tie it to the other side of the saddle.




The saddle pad.


All saddled up!

[bijou]

Some of my pictures of Steps High:

[PortraitsofADoll]

Steps High is an integral role to Kaya's story. I've actually used the horse more than I thought I would in acting out various adventures for Kaya. My only drawback is that I wish I had bought him on Ebay where he's generally $25 cheaper than the AG price. Overall rating: A

Close Up

Ready for an adventure

More than one companion

[JustMagicMaria]

This is important to the story and nice for Kaya to ride her horse, but it is very plasticy.

Grade: B

[JustMagicMaria]

I love Steps High's coat -- she is beautiful and very important to Kaya's stories.

Grade: A

[ejvc]

Just purchased Steps High at AG New York. She comes in an enormous corrugated cardboard box with styrofoam to protect her. My daughter saw her and fell INSTANTLY in love, and I must say she is a beautiful horse -- lovely colouring, long mane -- she doesn't look like other horse toys to me. She has a hard body with a knitted "fur" or "skin" fitted over it. It looks nice. The fringed blanket is cheap, the fringes on ours weren't fully cut and are very staticky. Is quality imitation suede really hard or something? My daughter doesn't care though. I bet she will get a *lot* of playtime and it was no contest for my daughter to get her over another doll.

My Steps High looks very much like the photos already posted so I won't add more.

[agaddylover]

Really love steps High, we purchased her this month with her being 20% off. She is so pretty! I love her coloring and her hair is very silky. Compared with Penny (we have a used one) it's very strange that she isn't weighted. But her pretty looks make up for it. It is more likely easier to play with being a lighter weight. Also as someone else said, the saddle blanket was very cheap, but my kiddo doesn't mind. Her hair also feels thinner than Penny's to me. I would still recommend her. She's a beautiful horse!