Can anybody recommend a dressage saddle?

[Arizahn]

So, I really want to take the plunge with Ali in the New Year and learn dressage. It's purely for enjoyment as I don't expect to win any prizes: I just want to do something other than hacking with her and I have never had the talent for staying on over fences!

Can anyone recommend a dressage saddle for an Arab? She is very wide - her last saddle was 10" across the d-rings - but of course I will have her fitted. I just want a few suggestions regarding makes of saddle, what ones to avoid like the plague, etc!

I would want one that is as deep and comfortable as possible, since I will be hacking out in it as well. My maximum budget would be £1000, but I would prefer something cheaper if possible.

Cheers!

 

[noodle_]

barnsby

i love mine. i got it for £700 2nd hand

however ideal jessicas are also lovely.... i couldnt justify the 1300 new price tag at the time!

 

[Arizahn]

Thank you!
£1300 - ouch I only paid £500 for Ali herself!

 

[merlinmagic]

Best bet would be to have a chat to your saddle fitter and see what 2nd hand saddles they have

 

[maggiehorse]

i have a bates innova with ajustable tree it cost £1300 new its a lovely saddle which puts me in a very deep position i liked it so much i bought another on ebay for £500

 

[unbalanced]

I have an Ideal Jessica and I love it. I just googled to see how much they are new - I can't find one for over your budget and they seem to be around £900. I paid £500 for mine in new condition second hand, but looking at some random saddlers' websites it seems there are quite a few available second hand for some very good prices. Talk to your saddler, don't rule anything out and just see what fits you and your horse. Personally I would always buy second hand because you get much more for your money and you don't have to break it in. Seeing as you have a good budget by buying second hand you could save some of it for a nice girth, stirrups and maybe a new bridle and some good lessons to start your dressage-y new year with a bang!

 

[bran mash]

The wintec isabelles have a very deep seat and you can find them on ebay for £250/£300! Adjustable head means they can be fitted to suit; though worth spending money on proper saddler to fit it with you

i don't recommend the one's with Cair in though - just a personal preference.

 

[noodle_]

Thank you!
£1300 - ouch I only paid £500 for Ali herself!

i know.... i paid £1200 for my horse and theres no way on this planet would I have a saddle that cost more than her lol!

Im seeing how things go over the next year and im going to try pick up an idea jessica....2nd hand!

i suggest you sit in a few before you buy tho! a few i loved the look of but they were vile to sit in!....

 

[Damnation]

I have an Ideal Jssica, £600 second hand. LOVE it. I feel so secure yet not "fixed". It really is a lovly saddle

 

[Arizahn]

Some very useful info here guys, thanks!
I have found a saddler who also owns an Arab: she will be coming out in January to fit Ali properly. She has both the Bates Innova and the Wintec in stock at the moment.

Squee...I'm so excited!

 

[millimoo]

Another recommendation... Derby House Kentucky. My mums 17hh warmblood is in a made to measure extra wide, hes very wide and has no proper wither.
Theyre not expensive 2nd hand either. Saddles direct sometimes have them, plus she'll poet them etc

 

[sbloom]

Wintec and Bates fit very similarly, just be warned that this does not give you a lot of choice. And any comments about adjustable trees implying they can fit anything are not true - the two things you cannot alter are the curve from front to back, and you can only marginally change the balance from front to back. There are plenty of horses who they will not fit.

I hope you find something both you and your horse love!

 

[Lotty]

I had the saddler early on this year, my favorite saddle was the Albion Ultima Royale. Thought I'd be saving for years as it was £2,300. but on my birthday my hubby suprised me with this saddle.

 

[ecrozier]

I have an Arab and the bates tree didn't suit him at all - I have an isabell on my warmblood x ish, and he's a totally different shape. I had a Jessica on him for a couple of years and that was a good saddle. I have a slightly random one on him now - a rhinegold luxury leather dressage saddle, second hand buy from a friend. Don't think they made them for long but it's a nice saddle, good for him. People are often surprised how wide he is - also quite flat in profile. Not the easiest of horses to fit so def get a good saddler involved!

 

[sbloom]

I have an Arab...People are often surprised how wide he is - also quite flat in profile. Not the easiest of horses to fit so def get a good saddler involved!

I fit a few Arabs and they are all at least a wide fit, and need relatively flat trees, though not as flat as most natives. I'd also look at this before stumping for a synthetic adjustable tree:

http://saddlefitter.blogspot.com/2011/09/changeable-gullets-details.html

And I totally hear all of you about it being a nightmare facing paying more for a saddle than for your horse, but a good saddle costs money. If you have one or more of these factors - awkward to fit horse and/or rider, a low budget, need it YESTERDAY - then finding a saddle to fit becomes a lot harder. Eliminate all three and saddle fitting is a breeze lol! Clearly most people have at least one of those factors in play....I have many clients who paid more for their saddle than their horse.

 

[Kat]

If you are only just starting dressage and don't currently have any high ambitions why not just do dressage in your normal saddle?

You don't need a special saddle for dressage, especially not at the lower levels. It doesn't matter what your saddle looks like for dressage (unlike showing) so if you have a GP saddle at the moment that you are both happy with do your dressage in that and only get a dressage saddle if you get to a point where you are feeling that your position is being compromised by your saddle.

The other thing to consider is a showing saddle or working hunter saddle if you are struggling to find a dressage saddle that is suitable.

 

[sbloom]

If you are only just starting dressage and don't currently have any high ambitions why not just do dressage in your normal saddle?

You don't need a special saddle for dressage, especially not at the lower levels. It doesn't matter what your saddle looks like for dressage (unlike showing) so if you have a GP saddle at the moment that you are both happy with do your dressage in that and only get a dressage saddle if you get to a point where you are feeling that your position is being compromised by your saddle.

The other thing to consider is a showing saddle or working hunter saddle if you are struggling to find a dressage saddle that is suitable.

I tend to agree actually. Which saddle do you currently have and is there something that is making you think you should replace it? Keeping it would keep the budget really low

 

[Fairytale]

Yes! Mine! Kings dressage and for sale Cheap!!!!

 

[Arizahn]

When I bought her, she had no saddle along with her - unsurprisingly, at that price! I already had a western saddle that I had purchased for the cob I had been hoping to buy but that sale fell through and the big western saddle is just slightly too large for Ali. By which I mean it is loose on her shoulders and very, very heavy: 33 lbs!
So at the moment I have nothing to ride in that wouldn't hurt Ali. She already has one old saddle sore and I don't want to give her another one. We are doing lots of groundwork. I have ridden her twice: once before I bought her and once here to try out the saddle. She is a dream horse to ride: calm as you like with traffic and very soft mouthed. I tried just riding her using leg commands and she is so responsive!
I figure a decent dressage saddle would also do us for hacking out, other than buying a nice GP and then really getting into dressage and wanting to try competing, etc...I can dream after all...
Meanwhile, Ali gets December off, so to speak. She is quite happy about this.

 

[Arizahn]

Fairytale - you wouldn't happen to be in my area would you? Can't afford any new purchases until January anyway, mind

 

[pootleperkin]

I have a barnsby and love it. I regularly hack out in it and actually did my first ODE event (small!) In it. I do have a more forward cut saddle now too, but still feel so comfy in the Barnsby. Why not ask a saddler to bring out some gps and dressage saddles and just see which one you feel comfiest in - if you look at second hand ones, you might get more choice this way.

 

[Arizahn]

This is the idea: my saddler has told me she will bring at least a dozen for me to try riding in. I just needed input on types of saddle, though am obviously also watching out for anybody in my area with one for sale...

Really appreciate all the help, guys!

 

[intouch]

Heather Moffett has just produced a new soft tree saddle that will fit most horses - Leather look synthetic is £350. Check it out. http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/ee/boards/index.php/topic,45308.0.html

 

[Arizahn]

Very nice indeed

 

[Kat]

Would be worth trying a VSD which is like a GP but more straight cut so it suits people who want a GP saddle but tend more toward dressage than jumping, and a working hunter saddle which is straight cut but not quite as specialist as a dressage saddle so you should be able to hack and jump in it too if you want.

If it is going to be your only saddle and you aren't 100% focussed on dressage you might find a dressage saddle a bit limiting.

At prelim and novice level you really don't actually need a dressage saddle.

 

[ecrozier]

Lol funnily enough sbloom I think I had one of your range of saddles on my Arab for many years!
I would second those who suggest a working hunter or vsd, I have literally just gone from a vsd to a dressage on my youngster as I now trust him enough to have a total lack of knee rolls! I've often found with my Arab that finding anything GP/jump fit is a real pain with his big shoulders and flat profile. My saddler says he is built like a new forest from withers to croup! His saddles are all W fit.

 

[ecrozier]

Sorry hit send too soon. Also, apart from fitting your horse, it's important to fit you, and be comfortable. Some people like more flat saddles that don't hold you in position, other like ones with knee/thigh rolls. Some like a wide twist, others can find that really uncomfortable! I quite like just putting 'dressage saddle' into eBay search and looking at what's out there! Buying from eBay is a risk - probably not a good idea for you at this point op - but it gives you an idea of what's out there.
As an entry level dressage saddle to fit an Arab though, I had an ideal Jessica and it did me well for years, sold it for about £350

 

[sbloom]

It does sound like a dressage saddle would do you well then, if you wanted a more versatile saddle we (and others) make a deeper seated working hunter saddle that has the bars in the right place for dressage as well, and with moderately big blocks - perfect saddle for hacking, dressage, showing and a bit of low level jumping.

I always ask my clients what activities they do so I can bring alternatives to what they think they need, and often they do plump for the alternative. And wide fit GP saddles tend to be more like VSDs anyway, to avoid issues with a big shoulder, ours are certainly all fairly straight cut.

 

[Arizahn]

I am going to copy all of the advice and reccommendations from this thread and use it to write up a guide sheet to take along with me when the saddler visits. That way I can keep track of what it is I should be aiming for.
It's great to get so much feedback! Really appreciate it!

 

[Arizahn]

I doubt that we will ever be jumping - I have made falling off over jumps an art form, I'm afraid! Too chicken to risk it again any time soon...