can anyone recommend me a dressage saddle

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robynandTilly

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As title really can anyone recommend a reasonably priced dressage saddle hoping for a BD debut in the new year. Rode I'm my friend/instructors devoucoux (can't spell so apologies if wrong ) however after looking at home my buget will.not stretch for a 2nd hand one (£1800)never mind a brand new. I loved the way it held me in position etc. Any recommendations under 1000 appreciated :) thanks
 
It depends what type of thigh blocks and seat you would like really as to what people could recommend? Also what sort of shape is your horse as I found not everything could fit my horse who was wide but short in the back.
 
Kent & masters is a good starting dressage but I do find the seat too wide for my back problems. Its under £1k brand new or other option is a second hand saddle then there is more choice under £1k.
Depends what fits you and your horse.
 
If you can get hold of a second hand one the Martin Wilkinson saddles are so very comfy (comfier than barnsby, stubben, gfs etc) and hold you in a fab position, even new they are only a little over 1000.
 
Depends on your horses shape and what kind of blocks you want really?

You could pick up a second hand albion for under 1K, the SLK and ultima are lovely to ride in.
 
fornema said:
If you can get hold of a second hand one the Martin Wilkinson saddles are so very comfy (comfier than barnsby, stubben, gfs etc) and hold you in a fab position, even new they are only a little over 1000.
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As far as I know Martin's saddles are mainly Ideals - if he customises them they are badged as his own.

WishUponAStar said:
Depends on your horses shape and what kind of blocks you want really?
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Definitely. There are so many saddles out there, your budget is reasonable and should get you all sorts second hand, and a small selection new, but everyone has their own preferences and every horse is different. You're best off finding a fitter you trust that covers your area and working with them with whatever models they have, to find something to suit you both.
 
Ideal Suzannah's are beautiful and a good price, If you like big thigh/knee blocks, amerigo are similar but I found that being quite small they didn't hold me quite as well as the suzannah.
 
I found all the local fitters will only fit and sell new saddles so would be very hard to get under your budget. They will check a second hand saddle you have bought (for a fee) but don't deal in them.

However if you can find one who will do 2nd hand and the Barnsby fits your horse I did get on very well with mine. The other brand is Ideal Susannah, but I found then very hard to get hold of second hand.
 
I've also got a second hand m/w barnsby majestic for sale only a year old (17.6 black). Really lovely saddles and so comfortable and they don't restrict you.

I've been trying new saddles recently and rode in a Jeffries elite last night which was so restricting I couldn't do anything. You do need some room in the saddle to be able to move, it shouldn't be so restrictive that it holds you in place.

I'm competing at medium level and schooling adv med so I need a saddle that supports me but doesn't hold me which the barnsby is perfect for - am gutted it doesn't fit but the tree is totally the wrong shape for my horse now.
 
I have a 2nd hand amerigo which I love!
Had an ideal suzannah before that I wasn't overly keen on, and horse changed shape so needed to get a different saddle. Hoping it might fit another horse!
 
Ahhh this one I rode in had large blocks on the knee roll It just felt really deep and comfy I could sitting trot all day long without thinking about it which is rare for me sitting trot is Normally torture. She's a tb
 
* posted before I meant too ... She's a tb ex racer but is fairly wide hee current saddle is medium wide I will contact a local saddle fitter although I'm not aware of any who sell 2nd hand I will also google the suggested ones and see which I like the look of :) thank u for ur replies
 
Slightly leftfield, but I was struggling to find a saddle for my ex-racer in HK. Then tried my RI's saddle and it was great - it was a Zaldi New Kent, a Spanish dressage saddle that I'd never heard of. My horse seemed to like it and I found it really comfy, so looked it up and it was just 800 euros new (a bit more if you're in the UK due to tax). May be worth a try if you can get hold of one, they're not so common outside Spain.
 
I love my Kent & Masters dressage saddle, and it was under £900 brand new.

Totally depends on what you/your horse needs. The K&M has big knee rolls and quite a deep seat which was exactly what I wanted, but it was far cheaper than alternatives such as kieffer.

It might be worth getting a saddle fitter out jut to see which brands of saddles fit. I originally wanted a bates innova with the massive knee rolls but it was cut far too forward for my boy, who has massive shoulders.
 
Have a look on BD classifieds.....lots of reasonably priced second hand saddles (even Devacoux if that's what floats your boat) although would still recommend a qualified saddle fitter to check it.
 
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