Balance International Saddles

[Cliqmo]

As above really, has anyone had any experience?

All views welcomed, I am looking at getting one for my 4yo warmblood x gelding in the hope that the saddle and a variety of the BI pads will see us through most, if not all, his transformations...

 

[CBAnglo]

My friend has a dr and jump for her TB (both half-tree versions) and I found that the dressage saddle didnt put her in a very good position and the jump didnt offer her any support. There was also a lot of faffing about with shims etc.

I personally found the twist in the dr very wide which made the saddle uncomfortable for me and I couldnt sit deep enough in the seat - however I have a dodgy hip from a fall, so I need something with a narrow twist.

I didnt get on with the WOW either (again it was a hip issue) but I thought overall it was a better saddle, and probably more options for a youngster as you can change the headplate and panels etc. With the Balance, it seemed that you get a saddle 1 to 2 sizes wider than normal and then use a series of pads and shims to pad it out. Much prefer to have the saddle fitting the horse with a minimum of padding really.

 

[Cliqmo]

Thanks for your input CBAnglo, I didn't get on that well with the WOW (it felt like I was on a bike saddle!) but I haven't ridden in a BI.

 

[bu_apple]

I have two and would never put anything else on a horse now!
I bought my jumping one about 4 years ago and its the most comfortable saddle to jump and hack in (i do school in it occasionally too!) Last year i bought an older dressage one and again its very comfortable.
The difference in the horses i have seen been ridden in one is amazing, they have so much more movement around the shoulder and can generally move alot more freely.
Some riders don't get on with them, they are quite wide to ride in compared to other saddles (thats the point of them) and people can find they don't feel as supported in them. They basically ensure you have a very balanced seat which in my opinion is a good thing as you should develop this naturally and not rely on a saddle for.

The padding is seen as some to be 'making a bad fitting saddle fit' but the point of it is to allow the horses back to widen and develop without having a rigid saddle restricting it. I now don't use any pads other than a poly pad as my horses' back has widened and developed so much!

enough of my essay! I hope you do get one and that you love it as much as i love mine!

 

[marshdaisy]

Hi I have a Balance jump saddle and it's brilliant - allowed my mare to develop her back and not have a sore back again. I tried many saddles and this was the best, with such a good philosophy behind it. I don't find the pads annoying - they're lovely and soft for the horse, and they don't slip like some pads. I'm actually thinking of getting a dresage one too, but quite expensive. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[Hollycat]

Its worth having a fitting as no one thing suits everyone and you may love them! I did not like them personally but had a bad experience with the fitter. I said I wanted a dressage saddle to try - horse working medium level and it had to be suitable for comp dressage. I specifically said the nexus looked the most suitable model from the website and I wanted to try it. The fitter only brought GP/jumping saddles and said the dressage saddle would be identical but have strighter flaps. Now surely a dressage model would have different placement of the stirrup bars and probably a deeper seat? If not then it certainly isn't that well designed!!!! She did not bring the nexus for me to try even though I specifically requested it. I certainly was not going to part with a lot of money when I hadn't even tried the correct model so couldn't believe the cheek the fitter had. In any event the fitter told me they did not have a saddle in their range that would suit both me and the horse as the nexus would not suit the horse and the saddles I had just tried would not suit me as they were not really designed for higher level dressage - duh - if they had told me its a GP saddle with strighter flaps I could have worked that out for myself!!!!

I did get the consultation fee refunded when I made a complaint about the fact no dressage saddles were brought for me to try but I still had to pay a large fee for travel costs. The impression I got of these saddles would be that they are fine for low level competition but not for a serious rider or competitor. Perhaps the nexus is as that is what it is described as, but since they did not bring it for me to try and since it doesn't suit all horses (mine included) I can't comment.