Adjustable saddles - Kent and Masters

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MoonlitArcher

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Hey everyone. I'm doing a bit of research as I am looking for a new saddle for my 6yr old ID x who still has some filling out to do but desperately needs an upgrade from the thorowgood saddle he was broken in with.
I have been looking into the adjustable ones as I am sure in another 6 months he will have grown a little more (he has his back checked regularly and has had saddle fitters out recently who all comment on how much more filling out he has to do) but now there seems to be so many I'm just looking for peoples preferences and opinions.
I always had mt heart set on a Bates GP ever since I sat on one in a show room at Badminton HT, but with a budget of £800-£1000 they are a little pricey although I'd be very happy with a second hand one if any saddlers have them in stock. However, after a call to Colne saddlery today she mentioned they stock Kent and Masters saddles which would be brand new and are within my budget.
I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with either of these 2 brands, or indeed any others and what they think of the quality and comfort of either.
Ultimately I know it will all come down to how my horse and I feel while riding in it, but as someone who doesn't have this kind of money often I need to make some careful choices!
Thanks all :)
 
I have a Kent and Masters GP on one of mine and I can honestly say I hate the ruddy thing. He went from a MW as a 3 yr old to an XW at 7 and although it fits him perfectly it tips me forward in the saddle. Once I have saved up enough I shall be getting rid of it and buying an Andrea Hicks saddle so if you want an 18month old 17inch Brown GP it yours 😂
 
Hi, I've got two Kent and Masters adjustable saddles, a GPD and a GPH. One is five years old and the colour has faded badly on the saddle flaps and seat, the other is four years old and looks okay. Both are in one piece, both are used 4-5 times a week each mainly for hacking 30 mins to 2 hours at a time. The two horses who wear them were measured by a Master Saddler (Woolcroft near Wisbech) who recommended these saddles for them, and I return there with them once a year to have their fit checked and to change the width bar (had to do it once on the older saddle as it was on a young horse) if needed. They are both lightweight, durable (apart from the colour fading on one of them), stand up to getting wet, and retain their shape well. The horses are comfortable in them and I and my friends who ride with me find the seats very comfortable. I would definitely buy them again. But you need to make sure that a K&M adjustable saddle is going to be correct shape for your horse's shape so defo go through a recommended saddle fitter.
Unlike Lindylouanne, my youngster went from medium-wide (4 years old) to wide (5 years old) where he's stayed ever since. My other horse was 21 when I bought him his, he's 25.5 now, and his shape has stayed at medium.
 
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I had one and although it fitted my horse fine it didn't suit me at all. I had the s series gp and I found the stirrup bars set too far forward for me so I ended up feeling like I was sitting on the front of the saddle. Never had this issue with any other saddle so just no for me. Make sure u ride it in all paces for a decent trial as goes with all saddles.
I got rid of it after only 2 months from brand new even though it fitted horse as I just couldn't get on with it. Personal preference though, I'm sure others love them
 
I have a Kent and Masters Pony Club LL for a very short-backed youngster
It's comfortable enough for both of us but the quality of the leather isn't brilliant, however it was 'only' £700ish so a lot cheaper than other leather saddles I've had
I view it as a starter saddle; when he stops changing shape I'll look at other makes but it's fine for now
 
Thanks guys. I have just found some older posts from around 2009 on here saying the same thing about being tipped forward and I was hoping 10 years on maybe this had been corrected!
I am going to use a master saddler for sure and I'm not going to be too hasty in buying anything unless it absolutely fits us both. Nice to see 2 different opinions too.
I rode him in a Bates dressage saddle a few weeks ago when I had a saddler out and he moved beautifully in it, I unfortunately found the enormous knee blocks too off-putting so went off that particular saddle. Also have since decided I'm better off with a GP saddle as hope to introduce jumping this year. I've never ridden in a Kent and masters but is interesting to hear your comments, thanks :)
 
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Kent and Masters are exactly the same as thorowgood but in leather. Any issues you have with a thorowgood you will have with K&M.
I have both and find them both uncomfortable, though they serve their purpose and are adjusted regularly by a saddle fitter to accommodate two growing youngsters. When they are properly outgrown I will invest sensibly in a nice leather saddle.
 
Disagree, I had a thorowgood and it tipped me forward. My Kent and masters gp cob saddles (I have them on two of my herd) are fantastic. Comfy for me, and the horses go well in them.
 
I hated mine.
I’ve just bought a wintec 2000 which I believe is the equivalent to Bates as TG is to Kent and Masters. I may be wrong but think that’s correct.
I find them far comfier and less tippy forward insecure feeling than TG or K+M
Sheepham saddles are a good place for second hand. I think they had a Bates GP last time I looked
 
Hated ours - just because it has a changeable gullet we assume it will be adjustable & fit but they are so narrow in the channel - would never buy again or use the so called saddler who sells them & felt misinformed
 
Weirdly, I had a brand new Kent and masters fitted to a horse and although it appeared to fit fine (I had two independent saddlers tell me as much) it put me in the most dreadful chair seat. So I started using it on another of my horses out of curiosity and the chair seat disappeared and I actually find it really comfortable now so I swapped it to that horse. It just really didn’t work on the other one.
 
Mine fits my mare well but it is hopeless to jump in (I hve the cob gp)

It is very straight cut so I cannot raise my stirrups without coming over the knee roll (and that is despite repositioning the blocks)
 
Two friends of mine bought new K &M recently. Through Master saddler. One already has faded/ rubbed noticeably and the other is being sold as horse not moving well in it. As someone else has said, although head plates can be changed, the tree shape and gullet need to be correct as these can’t be altered. Often gullets are too narrow in a lot of saddles which can impact on the spine.
 
A lot is about the fitter and wether the saddle suits the horse itself. My Thorowgood fitted fab on my mare until she puts on some weight and despite another fitter adjusting the gullet width and flocking it wasn't right at all (I am afraid to say second fitter was from Colne and she came several times but the horse wasn't impressed). It is also good to know that the Thorowgoods (so I suppose K and M too) come half-flocked when they are new so you really need a good saddle fitter to adjust your flocking to the horse.
 
My hubby has one, the S series GP and after two years it's still as good as new...

He loves it. It too big for me to find it comfy, but I trialled a smaller one recently on my Connie and it was lovely to ride on. I didn't buy it only because I wanted a jumping saddle rather than a GP...

Fiona
 
I had the TB GP saddle and my mum had the cob version for her horse.

Mine didn't get much use due to horses' soundness issues but I found it really comfortable. It wore well and still looked like new when horse was pts. It fitted him really well although his gullet size only varied from MW to W so it didn't affect how it fitted along his back.

My mum used her cob version as her new horse was very overweight. When he lost weight it didn't fit as well along his back when the headpiece was narrower.

I think it's personal preference but I really liked mine and would have another. I'd just be careful with any "adjustable" saddle as big changes in headpieces can affect how the saddle sits along, rather than across, the back.
 
PS I removed all the blocks from both my GPH and GPD as they restricted my leg positions too much. Gives me nice close contact with the horse's sides.
 
I had a K&M dressage S series for 6 years. It wore very well and was comfortable and my horse did go up 3 gullet plate sizes.
It was totally the wrong shape for my new horse so I sold it - the second hand market is quite strong.
Apart from having it properly fitted, make sure buy the S series - the leather quality is much better.

Funnily enough from the post above, I have just bought a Kieffer which is adjustable but does need to go back to the work shop.
They have 2 adjustable trees, one is quick to adjust in the workshop, the other takes longer.

I love it, much nicer than the K&M but more than twice the price. I got a new one which was shop solid (a small scratch on the top) which had £600 off so it was a bargain.
 
jhoward said:
Have you thought about the kieffers? Lovely saddles in my experience and hold up well on quality trees on some models are totally changeable. New they are not cheap but second hand you can normally get some thing decent for around 500. Link below

https://www.kieffer.net/en/saddles/general-purpose-saddles.html
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest that. I’ve got a GP Kieffer Garnisch on my old guy that I’ve had forever and love it. Bought second hand as well. It’s tree can be adjusted using heat but you need to find a saddler that has the equipment and it has a decently wide gullet. I also have a dressage Kieffer that I found a little too straight cut for me and need to get around to selling it.
 
Wow, lots to think about here, thank you all for your comments. Hadn't really thought about Kieffer but will definitely do some research into them and other makes as it seems I have been quite narrow minded in my search for adjustable saddles. I guess the best thing for me to do is ride in a few different saddles, work with a qualified saddler and see what works best for me and my horse. Ultimately his comfort is the most important and as long as I feel happy and confident that I can ride as well as I can in whatever saddle HE picks then we're on to a winner :)
 
Just to clarify- my understanding is that the gullet actually runs the full length of the saddle and the width can’t be changed- it is the headplate, which is changeable at the front of the saddle which obviously doesn’t alter the whole gullet width along the spine.
 
Wizpop said:
Just to clarify- my understanding is that the gullet actually runs the full length of the saddle and the width can’t be changed- it is the headplate, which is changeable at the front of the saddle which obviously doesn’t alter the whole gullet width along the spine.
Click to expand...

There are very few saddles that can be adjusted through more than the headplate, and of the traditional 9 aspects to saddle fitting, tree angle is only one. I would generally recommend a wooden treed leather GP as being a better option if one can be found. After two width changes many horses need a different shaped tree anyway, and you've gone from a new to a second hand saddle. A good second hand leather saddle may give a better fit (the TG/K&M brand has very narrow pommels/headplates, tree shapes, panel shapes are very distinctive and won't suit all hoses by any means) and won't lose much value.
 
I have the dr and jump both s series. Both 2nd hand and both great, I find if either tips me forward they need a check by the saddler. No complaints but I would say the leather seems better quality on some of the older models as I switched from a standard to HW profile dressage and the HW is newer but not as good leather - but for an ever shape changing TB they have been great and I find them comfy after getting used to them
 
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