Can anyone tell me anything about older Antill saddles?

Orchardbeck

Orchardbeck

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I'm awaiting delivery of an old Antill WH saddle. Wondered if anyone could tell me anything about them, what they used them on etc. Are they true to size seat wise?

I'm aware there are some newer knock offs kicking about but i'm pretty certain this one is an old genuine one.

I have an ancient Olney GP that fits my old mare but is really too small for me at 16.5" so I'm hoping an old fashioned tree is better for her (Arab x Welsh with a bit of a swayback these days) most new saddles are too flat for her even with padding... We'll just have to see if it fits! Will be amazing if it does.
 
Yes, i used to work with them! back in the 80's they made Saracen, Pilkington, Crusader & Landau, with silver saddle nails and a big A embossed in the flap,all tended to be on the snug side, size wise & i found them easy to fit due to semi deep seats, flat panels & wide gullets plus riders liked them. The landau & saracen were brilliant on some very difficult to fit arabs or natives & i always used to buy them into the shop if i found them S/H. Only thing is flaps are quite neat so if a horse over 16hh or a larger/taller rider then they were not really big enough.

The later ones with red nails are not UK made, not bad saddles...but not great either... of course IF i hadn't been stitched up for paying for a delivery that never arrived i might have had them long enough to form a better opinion....
 
I have an older one - fits just about anything that is native or native std shape with not a lot of withers :)
Reasonable comfy for the price (tho not as comfy as a black country etc).

Totally agree with D-D-D with all they say, inc the flaps - but thats no prob is on a pony type :)
 
Not a WH saddle but I have a Butler and Antill saddle that is about 12 years old. I think it was sold as an 'eventing' GP saddle. It fitted old cob who is 14.2 and Welsh-D type with quite high withers. The saddle itself is very comfy with a fairly deep seat. It is nice supple leather though a bit faded now (it is/was black) and flocked with wool. It is quite a heavy saddle compared with more modern ones but a good traditional type.
 
Oooh, thank you both very much! I'm quietly hopeful now!! This one is a Medium, my mare used to be a flatter withered M/W in her heyday but has lost muscle over the years and I very much doubt we'll get it back at 27... And if the flaps are on the small side it will be perfect, it is a 17" seat, I'm 5'1" and my pony is 14hh!

Darkly Dreaming Dex - how would I know which design it is, would it be marked on the saddle in any way? It is a WH style. It has silver nails and the embossed 'a'.
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I have an older one - fits just about anything that is native or native std shape with not a lot of withers :)
Reasonable comfy for the price (tho not as comfy as a black country etc).

Totally agree with D-D-D with all they say, inc the flaps - but thats no prob is on a pony type :)
Click to expand...

I used to have an old one, and also agree! Amazing fit-everything saddle (well, if everything you had was nativeish). Nice little saddle.
 
Trying not to get too excited now... Pony in question has been a nightmare to fit, have been using a synthetic Heather Moffett Flexee til now but I miss a leather saddle! Daughter has a lovely little Fylde on her LR and I just want one!!!
 
Tee hee cremedementhe! I'm excited about trying it now, only good reports! It's definitely not a new one anyway.

I think I read something a while ago about them potentially being good for Arabian type issues, and it was a bargain so if it fits I'll be over the moon!
 
I had a black Crusader back in the late 80s. It was really comfortable and fitted three of my horse - all TB x mares with fairly high withers, plus others that I rode occasionally. It was stolen from the yard I was on in 1995, still wonder where it ended up as it was one of the best saddles I've owned.
 
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