Cheap saddles and why you should avoid them

cremedemonthe said:
Will everyone stop worrying, chances are your saddles aren't about to self destruct!
If anyone is near me, bring the saddle round and we'll have a look at it if you are really worried about something, Oz
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lol I am wondering whether you will throw open your curtains this morning and find a queue of anxious HHOers (with saddles) on your doorstep :D

Landcruiser said:
Why all the PMs? If these companies are producing cruddy saddles, why not name and shame? You're not lying, just stating facts as you find them. Like a review. "Which magazine" do it all the time, as do zillions of reviews all over tinternet. I realise lots of the real dross are unbranded foreign saddles, but please tell us what you find inside the suspect British/European ones:confused:
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Because the moment someone names a brand this thread will be pulled and then this information will be lost, and I think it is a thread worth keeping. :)
 
Rowreach said:
lol I am wondering whether you will throw open your curtains this morning and find a queue of anxious HHOers (with saddles) on your doorstep :D

Well, looked out this morning, even had the kettle on ready but all I can see and hear is ice on puddles as it's freezing and the damn bird scarer going off every 10 minutes but no queue,so far!

Because the moment someone names a brand this thread will be pulled and then this information will be lost, and I think it is a thread worth keeping. :)
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Yes, exactly, litigation also springs to mind even though I have the evidence right here in the workshop which anyone is welcome to view.
Even cheap girths are badly made, I have an example of those too, badly made and not very safe.
I'll take some photos of the girths and give and explanation on here later.
I'll put the photos of the saddles on here too.
Oz
 
Girths would be interesting. I'd imagine it would be the cheap buckles? I've seen look a like girths for sale at £4 , surely they must be dodgy! Saying that I bought a well known girth make and I washed it as said and somehow the material/cushioning inside went all hard and lumpy !
 
holeymoley said:
Girths would be interesting. I'd imagine it would be the cheap buckles? I've seen look a like girths for sale at £4 , surely they must be dodgy! Saying that I bought a well known girth make and I washed it as said and somehow the material/cushioning inside went all hard and lumpy !
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No, not just the buckles but the girth's construction, I cut one in half to show the interior and compared it to one of mine. I'm talking about cotton and nylon girths but the principles of correct construction apply to most girths no matter what they are made of
 
Damn right it's scary! We as consumers trust well known brand names to provide quality, and who knows who takes over the manufacturing while keeping a reputable name... a certain rug maker had their rugs made abroad and after loads of complaints, I think they rectified the situation. Serves them right for being cheapskates as far as I'm concerned...
Anyway back to saddles - as has already been said here, you can't tell properly unless you have it stripped down, but the quality & symmetry of what you can see will be your best guide as to whether it's been well-made. There are lots of videos on youtube for checking the fit of them too - really handy for if you're borrowing one or waiting for the saddle fitter to come out before you try one out. Jochen Schleese is a good place to start http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2mKz0uP_K8
Personally I use a treeless which is fine for what I do, but I'd also recommend them for youngsters rather than getting a cheap one as you know it's not needed for long, because they'll still fit as they grow & change shape, then you can get a treed one fitted professionally if you decide to.
 
Maybe if saddle fitters are fitting these saddles for you you could ask questions on the quality of them. They should be able to tell you straightaway, but I doubt they would actually know. Interesting as I bet they have never been asked.
 
I often read these threads to get some advice and this has me worried as I have recently bought my horse a new saddle from a reputable name. Can I please also have a PM identify brands to avoid. Thank you
 
YorksG said:
Why is real wool not being used for flocking? The price of wool is so low that, surely, it is cheap to the point of it being almost waste material! :eek:
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Good synthetic flock is good stuff, I now use all wool, but I still far prefer a good synthetic to the short staple white wool that looks like cotton wool, it balls up very easily and is what I pull from most saddles that need a full strip flock. Synthetic is more resilient.

CBAnglo said:
Well they use injected moulder plastic tree for a start ... and real wool flocking.
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Kallibear said:
Not mine it wasn't. Any of them. The tree is plastic but the wool was synthetic. And 3 out of 5 saddles had the panels on squint. One was stapled almost 2 inch squint to one side. They're started on, not laced in, so they're a right ****** to alter too!
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I was under the impression that Saddle Company saddles MUST have synthetic flocking, their fitters seem to say that you have to use synthetic flock with serge, though Black Country would disagree, as would pre 1970 saddle makers that used serge!

lastchancer said:
I used to work in Injection Moulding... It's shocking in terms of waste and pollution especially, I'd urge anyone to use natural materials whenever possible. Plastic of all kinds is horrible dirty stuff.
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Interesting, the green aspect hadn't occurred to me even though I'm not fan of plastic trees! I find beech laminate trees much more stable on very wide horses, and you do hear the odd horror story of plastic trees just giving up and spreading. I also have a customer who is very hot on researching saddles before she came to me, going and looking at a big stock of a well known brand of synthetic treed saddles and not being able to find a single one that was straight.
 
Can I assume with a wow saddle I am ok!!!!!!!! Bleeding hope so! That is so scary that you just don't know what it's like inside
 
cremedemonthe said:
Superstar I'll pm you the name of the brands I have found faults with
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cremedemonthe ) could you please PM me as well with the nasty brands to avoid as i think i have one! it was so cheap - fits lovely but is very lightweight and certain aspects are not right!!??? Could you tell me if poss what you think of the Bates Caprilli Saddle and also the Kent & Masters?? I am saving hard for one of these atm and they have both been recommended thank you!:)
 
cremedemonthe said:
Yes, exactly, litigation also springs to mind even though I have the evidence right here in the workshop which anyone is welcome to view.
Even cheap girths are badly made, I have an example of those too, badly made and not very safe.
I'll take some photos of the girths and give and explanation on here later.
I'll put the photos of the saddles on here too.
Oz
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please could you pm me too just saving for a new saddle would hate to get it wrong xx
 
I have recently had a spate of saddles coming in to the shop from customers who have bought a 'bargain English leather saddle' online, which does not fit there horse, it is usually an imported saddle from ebay, and because it's made of a form of 'animal hide' and a in the English style as opposed to western, Spanish etc there is nothing the buyer can do
 
I'm a bridle marker doing my City and Guilds training to become a Master Saddler. To become a Master Saddler I have to make a saddle (probably the only one I will ever make) and the one thing I'm dreading about that is finding a decent well balanced, symmetrical tree to build it on. Experienced sadder makers, I would welcome your recommendations; I am happy to pay for the best. For my own horse I always use old Lauriche/Barrie Swain saddles - they are certainly beautifully made inside and out.
 
Interesting thread, I only ever use (what I believe!) to be good brand jumping saddles (All I have!) And avoid changeable gullets like the plauge ( hate the idea of them!) But hope these 'good brands' are good and I haven't been led a lie!
 
mrhsaddler said:
When I reflock or do any job that requires me to split the saddle, the look of horror on the saddle owners face when i cut the two threads, one at the pommel beside the badge, and the one at the cantle under the seat by the back of the flap, and unlace the two halves.
The saddle has been made like that for hundreds of years.
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Lol.
I learned by experience some basic saddlery skills, and have been repairing my own for years now.
I felt physically sick when I first split one of my own saddles, even though it was old and worthless - it must be a shock when it's your £'000 pride and joy. :D
 
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