Best and worst saddle awards

I love my thorowgood griffin, the suede bits are like velcro and I feel incredibly secure. I have an albion K2 VSD which is a lovely saddle but does absolutely nothing for my position.
 
Best saddle : Albion Selecta with xc knee rolls, the leg is always where is should be.

Worst saddle: Wintec, could never get my position right and the horse was always pulling faces and bucking.
 
Best saddles I have ridden in are a wow and a barnsby vss. For both horse and rider.

Worst saddle by a mile has to be a wintec. For both horse and rider but mainly the horse.
 
I'm a bit torn on the Wintecs - the basic models tend to be narrow through the gullet and don't fit anything well behind (even if you can change the headplate) but slightly more specialist ones (Isabel dressage and XC) have a better tree profile and panels.

I like Silhouette saddles for cob types - they seem to have got their heads around what is needed to make them fit wider backs and big shoulders
 
Best for me is my Thorowgood T6 Cob GP saddle which I love but want in a size smaller as it's made so my sister (who is about double me in size/weight) can ride in it (although it's 18" and still too small for her fat bum!) and I find it hard to ride in because it's so big but I love it as its so comfy.

Worst is definately the Wintec *not sure what model but was for a cob* and as far as i'm concerned they should all be destroyed :/ Had it for a month and it crippled my mare's back, was professionally fitted by a master saddler, but she was off work for 2 months and had to have physiotherapy and everything and still has to do carrot stretches and stuff to help her. The saddler guy came out 5 times saying it was fine and it was Bella not the saddle, needless to say he took it back and have never spoken to him since! Puts you in an awkward making it hard to ride in and was generally a pile of cr*p :/
 
Best- devoucoux or however you spell it! Only been in it once as the day to day saddles were AWOL so had to use the posh event one... It was like heaven! Never been on anything so comfortable yet so close contact!
 
I must be strange as I don't care at all about what saddle I ride in?? I don't really find it makes much difference to how I ride either. Apart from the fact that riding in dressage saddles hurts my dodgy knee I ride about the same in them all. Badly!! lol As long as it fits the horse I'm easy.

If I have a choice I tend to choose something a bit older as I find new saddles with loads of padding and foam seats and massive knee and thigh rolls make me feel a bit detached from the horse. My friend has a Barnsby and she loves it but I swear you sit three feet above the horse and have no chance of feeling what diagonal or canter lead you're on, never mind anything more difficult!

I have an ancient Jeffries showing saddle which when I'm riding like rubbish I put on as there is no knee roll at all and it makes me actually sit on my bum and pull my shoulders back. Like riding bareback with the advantage of stirrups. Does wonders for my position. I nominate it for best saddle award on that alone. It's not comfy though and it doesn't put you in a nice position. You just have to sit properly or you'd be off!
 
I love our new thorowgood- the one with the awful pony club stamp on the back!! V light and nice for our mares back but still feels very secure and encompassing.

Also love our big boys wintec- like a sofa! Although it's about two football pitches too big for me-but fits my OH great :) xxx
 
Best saddle - Free and Easy, I rode 100 miles in a day in comfort and horses back was pristine at the end. Big thigh rolls a real plus on a spooky, narrow, stupidly fit pony.

Worst saddle - Balance saddle, by a country mile. Uncomfortable for me and trashed my ponies back.
 
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