Dressage saddle help! Amerigo, fairfax, Hennig etc

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LMR

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So after trying my trainers Hennig saddle (I know it was a bad idea!!) I have fallen in love with it. I currently have a Bates Isabel Werth and it is tipping me forward and isn't the best fit on my young horse. It is not hurting her in any way but it does sit a little bit too much on the withers. Saddler is taken it away to say what he can do.

However I am in the position do I get a new saddle (i am including 2nd hand) for my 5 year old. She still needs to develop more muscle and is prob got a little growing left in her. The difference hte Hennig made on her going and in my position was night and day compared to the bates. I found so much more support in it and she was alot freer in her shoulders.

Do I find a second hand Hennig (as definitely can't afford new one)! Look at Amerigos which apparently have a similar design or fairfax which I like the idea of. Or do I stick with my current saddle for a few more months till she has developed more? I do have a jumping and old pony saddle to sell aswell so I am hoping not to put too much more money on top for the new saddle.
 
LMR said:
Or do I stick with my current saddle for a few more months till she has developed more? I do have a jumping and old pony saddle to sell aswell so I am hoping not to put too much more money on top for the new saddle.
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What is your jumping saddle? I am on the look out and even though I am down south I have lots of friends/family etc in Scotland.

Re your youngster, I would maybe let her develop a little more before spending big bucks but often these 'good' saddles are so adjustable that it wouldn't matter if she changed much between now and then as you can just get it adjusted!
 
Wow saddle - Competitor model.
I just bought one recently, it's so amazing, I love it, and the horse loves it. It's the only saddle he will allow on his back! ;) Everything is interchangeable - gullet, headplates etc, and the panels can be micro-adjusted because they are Cair (filled with air). The Cair panels are soft, not hard like on a Bates Cair. My boy is about the same age, and is growing / developing / putting on muscle all the time - from month to month you can see the changes in him, so it was important to get something fully adjustable.
You can buy new, or get one used from ebay - then get it fitted it your horse. They are really fab saddles, Richard Davison rides in Wow saddles.
Highly recommended to young, growing horses....
 
Yes, you can find second-hand Hennigs. However they retain their value quite well so even second-hand they won't be cheap. A friend of mine recently sold hers on ebay for almost £3k to the USA, and I seem to remember one a while ago on BD Classifieds for a similar price.

However they are probably the best dressage saddles in the world, so if you do find a second-hand one, go for it! I rode in my friend's Hennig a couple of times and it was like sitting on a sofa. Oh my goodness. They are beauties!! Really wish I could buy one but I know that if I had £3k going spare I'd end up buying a foal :D
 
Please be very, very careful if you get a hennig via a uk supplier. There is one that is very, very unreliable and my YO lost two Hennigs due to his dodgy dealings. Having said that I adore my Amerigo as much as I liked riding in the Hennigs.
See what you can find and try and go from there.
 
amerigo is a lot better than fairfax and equipe are slightly cheaper but ever so simialr to the amerigos as made in the same place by the same people
 
I think I am heading towards the Amerigos but have never ridden in them just heard great stuff about them. I haven't considered the WOW saddles but any other opinions on them would be great. It's such a minefield out there, and then I have the enxt obstacle of finding a good saddle fitter!

jess_asterix that would be great, however I do have a feeling that they may still be out of my price range as Frodo_Beutlin says they still hold their value.

hellspells - i think I know who you are on about! i saw a few threads on here and the BD forum about a saddler who does sell them.

aces_high - it is an Antares jumping saddle, I will need to check the size (it was custom made) it has been in the tack room for about 3 years unused as I don't jump anymore.. it is pretty much brand new. I can message you if you were interested.
 
Personally I'd recommend finding a good fitter first and then working with them to find a saddle that suits both of you. Amerigo tend to be known as fitting scoopier narrower backs, Hennig are purely custom and I know little about them. Fairfax I presume fit like Thorowgood and K&M, I have heard the leather is quite nice but never seen one.

I think focusing on a brand and then finding a fitter is a little risky. I also believe you can generally find a great dressage saddle for about half the price of a Hennig. Many fitters (me included) are happy to adjust traditional beech laminate trees on new saddles - I will adjust them generally up to two sizes wide and one narrower, and up to about 4 times in total. This gives most people enough room for adjustment for young growing horses, though of course some will always change so much that you do need to keep trading in, or look for something ultimately adjustable like a flexi panel saddle.
 
I just saw in the latest BD issue that Helen Murphy is fitting Hennigs now, go with her and NOT the dodgy other one (I don't think Hennig, Keiffer and others even use him now?)*

I have an Amerigo Cervia for my WB and it has been adjusted successfully when he's changed shape. But keep in mind that getting an Amerigo fitter out after to just check it costs at least £250!*

But agree with the others about trying different makes. I only came to Amerigo after ruling out half a dozen others.
 
hellspells said:
Please be very, very careful if you get a hennig via a uk supplier. There is one that is very, very unreliable and my YO lost two Hennigs due to his dodgy dealings. Having said that I adore my Amerigo as much as I liked riding in the Hennigs.
See what you can find and try and go from there.
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Hi.

Were you refering to C. G.? If yes he isn t a Hennig rep since 2012 (written on Hennig website). If no would like to know who as I m planning to get one in the future.


Thanks

Melodie
 
I've just bought an Equipe Emporio it is so comfy and such a quality saddle.

I know they are supposedly the cheaper version of the Amerigos but on the second hand market they are pretty much the same price, having ridden in both i prefer the Equipe.
 
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