Devoucoux saddles - what are the negatives?

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BeckyD

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The reason I ask is that everyone always raves about them, but an equine sports massage lady that I know doesn't like them at all. I didn't ask her why, foolishly. I have no intention of getting one so it's immaterial to me, I just wondered if anyone here had anything negative to say that might enlighten me? If not, I shall wait until I see her again and will try to remember to ask then :)
 
a few things... i think they fit some horses brilliantly, and not others (like just about every make of saddle on the planet, then.) i've heard of problems with fit and fitters. (ditto though, i guess). because they're close-contact with thinnish (latex?) panels there's less padding to play with to adjust the fit.
the way they're fitted is quite unusual too, the fitter draws on the horse with chalk to find the 12th rib iirc and then the saddle is fitted around that area, quite weird (i've seen fitters being trained by Mr D himself).
having said all that, they are legendarily secure for the rider, many horses go amazingly in them, they are beautifully made, and i would love to try one. i'd love to see the results of Pliance pressure testing with them, too.
 
any saddle at whatever price if not fitted correctly is a problem so they may take a bashing from someone on here, is it the saddle or the fitting who knows .
 
OK doesn't sound like anything is "well-known" about them being a problem - perhaps just this lady had a bad experience with them being badly fitted or something. I was pretty surprised when she said it!

Thanks all!
 
I think they're also commonly the preserve of professional riders who are more likely than the rest to have a couple of saddles and pad them up to 'fit' everything on the yard. Thus they might be seen as not being good for horses' backs where in fact they may just be poorly fitting the majority of horses.
 
i agree they are only as good as the fitter, they don't suit every horse. we have some but i know they don't suit all our horses, so we have different makes. i do know some people have had trouble with backs after them but i put it down to the fitter!
 
I know someone who had one made specifically for her horse. She hunted in it, the horse's back got really sore, she contacted D who told her that the saddles were for competition riding and should not be used for more than an hour at a time. She sold it straight away.
 
Too my mind they are the most comfortable saddle on the market but Sarnie was not a horse they fitted despite being assured they did and been fitted to her it made her back v bad, I hadn't told my back lady about new saddle and she couldn't believe how her back her worsened in a few months.
 
I too have heard they shouldn't be used for any length of time, ie much more than an hour, but then most close contact ones with foam panels are the same
 
I hated mine!! The customer and fitting service i had was appalling! It obviously was uncomfortable for my horse. I did nothing for my position. I sold it on eBay and now have a an Albion which I much prefer!
 
I think the problem with them is that they have a very curved tree which is why they do not fit the majority of horses... but the pro's are very good at padding them out and making them fit, but its wether they can be made to fit well enough to compensate for any pressure points is doubtfull..

But seems to me that they dont and wont fit the vast majority of horses, despite Devoucoux swearing blindly that they do fit.

I also noticed that a lot of the pro riders who use that make of saddle - their horses dont seem to stay sound for very long.... but so many other factors could come into that!

But who knows!!
 
My little TB that I bought in June was sporting a Devoucoux, the previous owner at the time said that she loved the saddle but that they fit the rider not the horse, needless to say I have spent alot of money on the physio for my new horse with a sore back, I have always been taught to get a saddle that fits the horse first and foremost then the rider! So you won't see me ever get a Devouvoux!
 
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