a few jumping saddle questions....

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harrihjc

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At the moment I'm looking for a second hand jumping saddle for my 5yr old, and don't want to spend more than £4-500, which I would think would be plenty for a second hand saddle??

At the moment I have a bates caprilli, and I find it so comfortable and really supportive for jumping, but it just isn't fitting right anymore. We've tried several different saddles, including Ideal, Keith Bryan and a manor saddle (hadn't heard of these before) and although they seem to fit him nicely, the Ideal and manor saddles just didn't seem to give me any support in the way of knee rolls at all, and I wasn't sure how I'd cope with jumping in them! Flash also really objected to the manor saddle and was throwing his head around and wouldn't go forward and listen to me, which set the alarm bells ringing.

He went so nicely in the KB saddle, but I didn't find the seat particularly comfortable and thought it was incredibly expensive for a second hand saddle. How much would you expect for one of these, well worn but in good condition?

Also, how important do you think knee rolls are for jumping? Flash is prone to quite extravagant jumps and is sometimes a challenge to sit to, and although my position is improving, I think I'd prefer to have a little more support, but would be nice to hear some other opinions....

Also any suggestions about other saddles we can try? We just went to a local saddler initially, it's always nice if you can sort things out on your doorstep, but i have a feeling we may have to look further afield. Thought about Saddle company and Barnsby, or even ex demonstrator WOW if I can save up a little more. He's very short backed and wide but with high withers and is always changing shape!

Sorry, it's a bit of an essay, cookies for getting this far! Any advice very much appreciated!
 
Knee rolls are a rider preference. Personally I dont like big knee rolls, you rely too much on them and they get in your way!! If you can learn to have a truly independant and balanced seat, with your lower leg as your seatbelt, you shouldnt need knee rolls! They create a false sense of security!!
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But saying that alot of people get on with the bigger knee rolled models as they lock them into place. Best thing is to try some truly CC ones with small rolls like the Pessoa's, take your knee blocks off your bates etc, and see how you get on
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I have a bates momentum which I ride in without any knee blocks, but have accepted the saddle doesnt suit me so am selling. They are SO personal! Best thing you can do is try and find somewhere which stocks loads of different saddles and go from there
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I think I fall somewhere in the middle, I don't have very big knee rolls on the bates, and found the ones on the Keith Bryan saddle too big, i was just too aware of them being there and they felt a big uncomfortable, but on the other saddles there were literally no knee rolls at all and with Flash's shape it was quite difficult to keep my legs in the right place, he's got a big rib cage but still got skinny baby shoulders

I'm not sure if there are many places around here with much variety to try, and I don't like feeling like I'm wasting people's time trying them and not buying, but then it has to be right for both of us
 
You're not wasting anyones time when you are paying them for their time!!
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You may find you want decnt knee rolls but they ahve to be in the right pace for you. I know your dilemna, I am currently going through the same probs with sorting out one for Goddy, just got to find the time to get a fitting organised!!
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you need to try lots, there's no other way around it. pay for their time (£50 ish for a fitting i think), it's well worth it to find out what will suit the horse and you. i echo the above points - it is so personal, sometimes you don't know what you want until you sit in a saddle that's perfect and have a Eureka moment.
from what you've said, i would have thought that you need a full-panel saddle with a bit of knee roll, as a close-contact or short-panel saddle will fold in over his "skinny baby shoulders" and not give you something to put your knee against. size of blocks, bigger knee rolls etc - just depends how it feels to you, what suits your build and style.
 
My WOW is the best jumping saddle I've ever had. It holds me in such a good position that I can just get on with jumping & not worry about what my lower leg is up to, etc.

That has knee rolls, but they kind of go above the knee? V v secure.
 
this pic sort of shows what we've got at the moment

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I think it is a case of having something to put your knee against, I found that my knees didn't touch any part of the saddle unless I had my legs too far forward and not touching his belly (in which case he doesn't really move!)
 
If he is only 5 years old and constantly changing shape, I would consider something adjustable like a Saddle Company or a Kieffer. You should be able to get a second hand one for your budget or less, depending on which model you choose, and of course it can be adjusted to fit your horse. I would try and get something with decent enough flaps it looks as though your knee is almost over the knee roll in the picture that you posted.

Also consider if you are looking for a true CC saddle (very flat seat and only good for jumping) or if you are looking for more of a GP type saddle. If so, and considering a SC, then I would get the event - has 2 sets of velcro knee blocks so maximum support!
 
I didn't know the kieffer saddles were adjustable too, gives us a bit more choice. I've found with a lot of them that there's a bit too much bulk between my leg and his sides. I am after a pure jumping saddle at the moment
 
my lad is wide and short backed, and has changed shape rapidly in the last 2 years.
He outgrew my old GFS pro event (fab for jumping IMO) and i couldn't find anything to fit him, until i tried a WOW. definately worth the money. i love it (its an XC with shallow seat) and he does too. it doesn't have much knee roll but then i don't like them!
i tried the other jumping flaps they do too and there are some with plenty of knee roll.

i think the wow is the perfect solution as it can be adjusted to fi any horse by changing the headplate and adjusting the 4 air panels so that it fits properly. my saddler showed me how to do it myself, and said she would happily come and do it at any time and just charge me for the petrol and £15 to cover her time.
 
if your not looking for something to jump the moon in then I'd recommend a Saddle Co Event, I have one on my gelding and find its still deep seated enough for decent flatwork but forward cut enough for jumping, and its got removable velcro knee blocks that I can move to suit what I am riding...

Plus its adjustable and has grown with my horse over the last year... there is one on Ebay now for £400 second hand....

Pic of OH jumping in it.... you can just about get an idea of the cut....
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trying it on the day he got it...
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I love riding in it and am saving for one in black for my mare at the moment....
 
thanks for your replies
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We're definitely aiming to save up for a WOW, but at the moment only have a budget of about £400 so it's probably going to be something to hope for next year when he's matured a bit more. That SC saddle does look nice, I'll have to look into whether there are any second hand ones around that I can try on him
 
The only thing I would say, if the saddle is truly not fitting I wouldnt want to wait until next year to get a WOW. Perhaps you can find an ex-demo model somewhere that is more in your price range?

I agree with Scarlett - I love my event as well! although I mainly ride in my dressage, I find that the event is deep enough for flat work so dont have to switch saddles. I recommend these over the GPs to my clients.
 
even the ex demo's are double what i can afford at the moment. Luckily we've sorted out the problem I was initially worried about, the thing concerning me now is that there is only about 1 inch clearance of his withers, and that's been a problem with every saddle we've tried
 
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