Aarrghh! Dressage Saddles

dominobrown

dominobrown

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I need a new dressage saddle :(
I have 2 and both are too wide for my new horse. The comfier one for me really doesn't fit and slips back as well. My cheap as chips one is a slightly better fit, but I find it horrendous to ride in, and needs padded out to fit him.
So I did get a saddle fitter fit a beautiful saddle which fitted us both perfectly... until I found out the price which was over £3000 :eek::eek:
I just don't have that kind of money.
So I am in a predicament. I could by the same saddle online 2nd off ebay for around £1500 to £2000, but then I run the risk of it not fitting. Also it is still a lot money to spend on a saddle that may/ or may not fit, and tbh although I can fit saddles to some degree I really want professional advice, not just a 'that will do' saddle.
I quite like that bates saddles, but I don't have a clue if they would fit me. Problem is I am quite short, but I want a saddle with blocks, however a lot of saddles with blocks are designed for people with long legs so are almost impossible for me to ride in.
An equipe saddle fitted me, the perfect saddle was an amerigo saddle, but the more expensive one, the cheaper one didn't fit me as well.
Any ideas what I should do? I don't want to spend more than £1500, but the saddler said 2nd hand saddles were very rare. Can you get a decent dressage for less than £1500?!
 
I did speak to another saddler the other day. He does do Bates saddles I think, but mostly wintecs. I don't want a synthetic saddle. All of his 2nd hand saddles where 18", but I did ask him to keep an eye out for me.
 
I guess you need to get some more options of what is going to suit you and your horse. A lot of my friends try each others saddles to get an idea and then buy 2nd hand off ebay - a risk, but if it doesn't fit they can sell it on. I bought my dressage saddle from a friend who agreed to refund if my saddler said it wasn't right. Luckily it was and 2 years later it still fits a treat! It was torture deciding whether to commit or not as it was pretty much new! Still, it was a lovely treat and I still appreciate it every time I sit in it.
 
Thats a good idea. I suppose its just trying as many saddles as possible then I will try and get one of ebay etc, and if it doesn't fit hopefully sell it on for the same price I bought it.
 
What I did was buy the same make, model, size and fitting nearly new from ebay and get the saddler to fit it. I saved 50%, he got two sets of fitting fees, horse got perfectly fitted saddle - win win win situation:)

Having said that your saddler should really have discussed price range with you beforehand.
 
My saddler will take a decent saddle in PXC so he's always got 2hand saddles to sell on, they are more exp than on ebay but he has checked them over and fits them. Also Saddles direct have loads of 2hand saddles and having dealt with them once on a saddle I was selling, I found them efficient.
 
I was in the same predicament, saddle that fit my short coupled horse just had to be top end Amerigo! Saddle fitter did bring a range of saddles so it wasnt that they were trying to sell me the most expensive. I seen the same saddle on Ebay for £800 in as new condition but having a hard to fit horse has made me aware that saddle companies do loads of different trees, widths, panels, length of flap etc etc so I just couldnt take the chance as it would be sods law the one I got wouldnt be the same tree shape and Id be stuck with it.
I tried a different saddler reluctantly as I trusted my saddler and they brought a make my saddler didnt stock and one I actually loved, said with some alterations it would be fine and got me a made to measure within my price range.
 
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