Dressage Saddles

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Maclinda

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probably exhausted this one before but looking to buy a new dressage saddle this winter. So which ones does everyone love and why 😊
 
I always bang on about them but I love my Frank Baines Omni - love it because it is super comfy, puts me in the right position and the company are the best to deal with :)
 
I love my Kieffer - fits my horse horse (obviously!) but also I find it very comfortable for me, supportive and so easy to ride in I have even hacked in it over my other saddle!
 
I love my Equipe, hated my Bates :)

The Equipe is comfy, has lovely leather, looks smart and is super lightweight. It also fits my horse very well, and fits me well too.
 
I love love love my current Kieffer. They suit my TB. My old Kieffer was very chunky and blocky, it was an ulla rusty and I never felt that comfy in it. I sold it and got a different model the Lech Profi which is much flatter seat, lower cantle and barely any knee blocks and I adore it. It's a more petite model and it suits my body shape perfectly. It doesn't force my position and I am also happy to hack my sometimes sharp TB in it which is amazing because normally I don't step out the gate unless I'm in my jump saddle! So whatever brand you consider also consider the model because they can really vary.
 
My favourite I've ever ridden in was a Fairfax - super comfortable!

Ultimately it all depends on what you like and what suits the horse - each horse is different and one make of saddle will be perfect on one horse and isnt going to fit another. So best thing to do is to get a saddler who has a range of saddles from different brands and try them all, some have bigger knee blocks than others so you might not find that too comfortable....you just have to try a few different ones and go for what suits the horse best and is most comfortable for you.

Dont worry about brands to be honest, I've sat in some really nice unbranded Walsall saddles made by a local saddler and they were lovely. The saddler actually is now in the US working with Steffan Peters and his advice was ignore the brand, the horse doesnt care about the brand of saddle - choose whatever fits the horse best and allows the best movement from him.
 
I think you definitely need to try a range to see what suits you. I have had a bates caprilli for a few years which I find fine but it is pretty basic (especially as I removed the minimal knee blocks due to my tight hip flexors!) I wanted an upgrade but tried about 8 different saddles of various brands (ideal,kieffer, prestige etc.) and couldn't find anything that suited me and the horse. I need a narrow twist and half blocks and my horse doesn't have much shoulder so needs something than won't run forward.
I ended up with the saddler doing some alterations to my Bates and will keep going with that for a while!
 
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