Calling all dressage people !!!

S

Scoopy

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 July 2005
Messages
5,164
Location
Bedford & Cambridge !
Visit site
OK OH has agreed that if i'm a good girlie i can get a dressage saddle, the fav worked wonders.

Right, now lets all go shopping.

Which, why, what

I'm no dressage person, and we have a budget of about £400 max and has to be black !

17HH TB i wouold love a saddle that could be adjusted as he is still growing but the Albions are calling me big time.

Your thoughts my little stressage peeps
tongue.gif
 
Isabell Werth (?) Wintec. You can change the gullets and has Cair. Puts you in a great position. Cant praise them enough.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Isabell Werth (?) Wintec. You can change the gullets and has Cair. Puts you in a great position. Cant praise them enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

but can be a bit deep and rigid position wise for a novice. Wintec Pro dressage has slightly more movement in the seat and the nice equisuede finish
 
[ QUOTE ]
You'll struggle to get any new leather saddle within your budget i'm afraid
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

But you could find a quality 2nd hand leather one
 
THe ideal Jessica's are very nice dressage saddles and lots were sold so you stand a good chance of finding a second hand one. They help you into a dressage position without the extreme effect of some of the erm "posher" versions
wink.gif
 
I have an Albion Lux for sale which has come off my 16.3hh warmblood. He is off work at the mo due to injury.Its brown with a suede seat and knee rolls and is in excellant condition.

I paid £850 for it and have only used it 3 times. Looking for £450 for it????
 
I'd second Ali with the Ideal Jessica - They aren't adjustable but are really worth their money - you'd be able to pick up a second hand one for £400-500 - they're not that much more brand new.
For adjustable ones - I think you may struggle with your budget for a leather one but you'd be able to get a synthetic one - the albions (not adjustable) hold their prices really well so unless you start saving it's unlikely you'll find one
frown.gif

Kate x
 
I have a Cliff Barnsby Anky dressage saddle - it was £1500 but I got it as an ex demo many years ago for £900 - they are selling for around £400-£500 now and they are the most comfortable saddle i have ever ridden in!

I do like the Albion and the Jessica too
smile.gif
which are probably the most widely available
 
I recommend the Wintec Pro, they have like a suede type seat and are very comfy and good value for money (new under £400) adjustable tree
 
I wouldn't be hung up too much on the adjustable thing. Most of the saddles are only adjustable in the head plate anyway which is only half of the picture. (Incidently, you can get albions on an adjustable tree).

Ive always heard fabulous reports about the Ideal Jessica from people I consider to be quite good dressage riders - although Ive not ridden in one myself.

Probably the best option to be honest is find a good saddler, tell them your budget and get them to bring a truck load for you to try. It's always hard to say what you'll like and dislike purely from piccies
smile.gif
 
I second the Isabell. Adore them, and wonderful for the ever changing youngster. I don't agree that they put you in a 'rigid' position, but must say that they don't agree with everyone. I have short legs, so I love the way the stirrup bars are slightly further back.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know the albions are totally out of my budget and not adjustable.
frown.gif
but i thought i could get a nice one for £400 ish adjustable black 17.5 hehe
tongue.gif


[/ QUOTE ] I think you could easily get one for that price - would prob be too wide for your boy and too big at 18" but I am selling an Albion black dressage saddle and am thinking of asking about £300 for it - so I should think you should find a second hand one in your price range.
 
Just be careful when buying a 2nd hand one as I also searched high and low for a 2nd hand Albion. My instructor put me in contact with someone who had a 2nd hand medium Albion, perfect I thought. My saddler checked it and no way did it fit. She said the problem is although they are marked as medium etc, they can be messed around with so much. So in the end I bought a new one, which was a medium Albion.
 
I agree with the watcher, if you are not used to riding in a dressage saddle I would suggest something a bit more open like the Albion K2 that doesnt force you into a position. The ideal Jessicas are nice too.
 
Hi, I notice that you say you have a TB and most have incredibly high withers which makes saddle fitting difficult so you may not have that large a choice of saddles because most of the trees dont fit a high withered horse.

I'm on my second horse with a sharks fin and find that the types of saddle that do fit them are Ideal Jessica (I have one and love it to bits - worth scraping together another £250 and getting a new one fitted IMO) or an Albion.

Forget Wintec - you will never get it to fit and I would steer clear of adjustable trees in general because adjustable tree saddles are a sub-set of saddles that fit and you are just reducing your options even further.

Oh and one big mistake I made was to go for a Narrow fit saddle so I could get the wither clearance (narrow fit saddles are made by sadistic torturers), all that happens is the saddle grips each side of the wither causing pressure points and generally the saddle just tips you back onto the cantle, thus uncomfortable horse and you in the wrong position. A medium saddle with a dropped template works well.

My advice would be to save up a few more pennies and get a fitted (with dropped template if you need it) Ideal Jessica (only because they are cheaper than Albions)
 
Oh Sparklet thats some great info there, adn your right he has very high withers, but the thing is he is still growing, i wanted a saddle i can keep for the rest of his life.

Now really quite confused which or what to look at, i'm sure my saddler will point me in the right direction like she did with the saddle company
smirk.gif
 
If you get a good fitting tree simple reflocking will sort out frame changes as your horse grows (flipping heck he's 17h already
shocked.gif
).

Make sure you have it checked regularly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top