Expensive Saddle

[elsahly]

I have an OK jumping saddle that fir
Ta my horse but its not top quality.

I'm considering saving to buy a really expensive saddle like eereplus or Bruno Delgrage and wanted to know of its worth it.

I'm a beginner rider jumping 1m courses

 

[AmyMay]

Just buy a reasonably priced saddle that has been professionally fitted to your horse.

 

[Equi]

Price tags don’t guarantee comfort or rosettes.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

What your horse needs is a saddle that fits well, rather than an expensive one.

 

[criso]

Price tags don’t guarantee comfort or rosettes.

Or that it will fit your horse. I know of people caught out by having a really expensive saddle made to measure and didn't suit the horse.

Get a well regarded saddle fitter out who will assess you and your horse and what you want to do and suggest some brands. Some may be cheaper, some more expensive.

 

[teddy_]

The continental jumping saddles you have mentioned are manufactured with a specific type of horse in mind, and therefore don’t suit all types.

Just get a saddler that stocks multiple brands, so you can try a few.

 

[Baywonder]

The most important thing is finding a suitable saddle that fits the horse and rider - but if your current saddle fits you and your horse, do you need to buy an expensive new one?

Paying thousands of pounds for a saddle does not guarantee quality and workmanship. Big brands also have huge overheads that need to paid for - hence their eye watering price tags. Unfortunately, it is now commonplace to see saddles with a £3-4k price tag - sometimes even more. Yes, costs have risen, but at that price it is mainly profit in the till.

If you do decide to have a new saddle, do your research before committing to anything - and please don't just go for the most expensive one!

 

[sbloom]

I'm guessing you're doing h/j in the US? It's a unique environment where it seems looks are super important, sadly. Fit should be everything, for horse AND rider and that should.be the priority. If there is a good fitter, not just a rep, who comes to your barn I would start there if you actually need a new saddle. Very cheap saddles can be harmful as they can be appallingly made, so it depends what you have right now and how well it fits both of you.

 

[outinthefens88]

Echoing all of the above.... I ride endurance so often my horse is tacked up and ridden for four plus hours at a time at decent speeds. Needed to change saddle last year as he had changed shape, fitter bought several dozen to try ranging from moderate to high end - the one that fitted him best was a 'middle of price bracket' (£1200 odd) GP saddle. So that's what we had.

It sad that in some environments looks and price tags seem to outweigh horse welfare :-(.

 

[94lunagem]

A well fitting saddle is far better than an expensive one.

Get a saddle fitter out and try various different ones, not all will suit horse and/or you.

 

[elsahly]

I'm guessing you're doing h/j in the US? It's a unique environment where it seems looks are super important, sadly. Fit should be everything, for horse AND rider and that should.be the priority. If there is a good fitter, not just a rep, who comes to your barn I would start there if you actually need a new saddle. Very cheap saddles can be harmful as they can be appallingly made, so it depends what you have right now and how well it fits both of you.

I'm actually in the UAE and don't really care for looks. My problem here is that there aren't any saddle fitters but only sellers so fmghese are the only brands here that have or send someone to do the fitting. Having a sort of fitter here was the driver

 

[sbloom]

I would fine someone who will work with you remotely, the odd UK fitter might travel out there but there are some in the UK and US who will work remotely. Panther Run Saddlery in the US, Plateau Holistic Equine in Spain and one I can't mention but if you look for me online you'll work it out!

More money buys you more choice, better quality trees, leather and manufacture, potentially new technologies (though not all of those bring real advantage)...on average. But some saddles are overpriced, many saddles new at around £1000 are okay...it's certainly not a given that spending more gets you any advantage other than choice (more models/brands, and quicker in all likelihood). I think Erreplus is higher quality than Bruno, but don't quote me on that! They're both French style (Erreplus is actually Italian, and Bruno Argentine afaik) which are only really popular with eventers here, they're not my favourite type of saddle for giving the horse the best fit, but I think I'd go Erreplus given the choice of only those two. If your cheap saddle is safe, good materials etc and fits, then stick with it, but often you don't realise it's not working as well as you think it is until you try something else.

 

[teddy_]

Bruno Delgrange are French and probably one of the highest quality out there.

Their saddles are beautiful and the comfiest I’ve ever sat in.

 

[sbloom]

Bruno Delgrange are French and probably one of the highest quality out there.

Their saddles are beautiful and the comfiest I’ve ever sat in.

Thanks for that and apologies for not knowing that, if French then I'd almost certainly go Erreplus but working with a fitter and looking at a variety of brands would be better. Bear in mind some French brands/models are still made in Argentina, and yes, the quality is still very good, if not up there with the best French saddles.

 

[teddy_]

Thanks for that and apologies for not knowing that, if French then I'd almost certainly go Erreplus but working with a fitter and looking at a variety of brands would be better. Bear in mind some French brands/models are still made in Argentina, and yes, the quality is still very good, if not up there with the best French saddles.

Just out of interest, which brands are made in Argentina?

Bruno Delgrange, Butet, Devoucoux and Childeric are all made in France and they are probably the most prevalent?

ETA: all made in France according to their websites.

 

[sbloom]

Antares for one, there may be others. There are plenty of British saddle makers who say all their saddles are made here, yet most of the work is done overseas and they are simply assembled here, enough to count for the Made in England stamp. No idea how much that may apply to France. Plenty of other issues with them as far as I'm concerned, tree shape and panel materials and design amongst others, though they will vary of course.

 

[teddy_]

Antares for one, there may be others. There are plenty of British saddle makers who say all their saddles are made here, yet most of the work is done overseas and they are simply assembled here, enough to count for the Made in England stamp. No idea how much that may apply to France. Plenty of other issues with them as far as I'm concerned, tree shape and panel materials and design amongst others, though they will vary of course.

Thanks.

Just out of interest, and I don’t mean this in an antagonistic way at all, what is wrong the the tree shape and panel design - for example?

I only ask as I have almost exclusively used Butet saddles since I moved onto horses about 15 years ago and AFAIK, I’ve never had a horse with a bad back - my vet physio would vouch for as much. I suppose I have exclusively owned blood type warmbloods, who have quite a narrow frame, would that be a contributing factor?

 

[sbloom]

It would yes. The trees tend to have very narrow twists (which don't actually suit all riders, in fact nowhere near, despite what you might read) which don't allow horses to push up under the rider, and cause pressure, see below. The panels are so often very basic foam which has a fair bit of rebound ie bounce, and of course isn't adjustable.

I think some can get away with them in part because they have a selection of these saddles so can switch when the saddle no longer fits a particular horse ie the horse is sore. A single horse owner is usually better off with a more tweakable flocked panel in most fitters opinions.

They also work better if they really suit the rider who is correctly sat in a forward balance, so often that is not true. In fact it's true that horses can go better if the saddle really optimises the rider, even if the saddle doesn't truly fit the horse. Many anecdotal stories/slants I could add to back that up, kind of takes us back to the pre professional fitter age.

Saddle fitting it complicated, there just aren't hard and fast rules, but these are all factors I see regularly.

 

[teddy_]

It would yes. The trees tend to have very narrow twists (which don't actually suit all riders, in fact nowhere near, despite what you might read) which don't allow horses to push up under the rider, and cause pressure, see below. The panels are so often very basic foam which has a fair bit of rebound ie bounce, and of course isn't adjustable.

I think some can get away with them in part because they have a selection of these saddles so can switch when the saddle no longer fits a particular horse ie the horse is sore. A single horse owner is usually better off with a more tweakable flocked panel in most fitters opinions.

They also work better if they really suit the rider who is correctly sat in a forward balance, so often that is not true. In fact it's true that horses can go better if the saddle really optimises the rider, even if the saddle doesn't truly fit the horse. Many anecdotal stories/slants I could add to back that up, kind of takes us back to the pre professional fitter age.

Saddle fitting it complicated, there just aren't hard and fast rules, but these are all factors I see regularly.

Thank you, that is interesting.

 

[Baywonder]

Antares for one, there may be others. There are plenty of British saddle makers who say all their saddles are made here, yet most of the work is done overseas and they are simply assembled here, enough to count for the Made in England stamp. No idea how much that may apply to France. Plenty of other issues with them as far as I'm concerned, tree shape and panel materials and design amongst others, though they will vary of course.

@sbloom you have hit the nail on the head with this comment!

This practice of using the 'Made in England' badge on some saddles, along with very clever wording and marketing, has been going on for far too long. As my husband has been a traditional Walsall saddler all of his life, this truly makes his blood boil! (And that is an understatement, trust me!)

Unfortunately, for some saddle brands, the truth about their real origin is cleverly marketed. The majority of the general public are trusting, and take the 'Made in England' claim at face value.

Public awareness really needs to be raised around this increasingly common practice.

If you want a genuine English made saddle, ask the question "Are your saddles 100% manufactured in England?" See what answer you get. Ask them to put it in writing. Then ask even more questions. If you don't get a straight answer, then be very, very, cautious.

If anyone asks my husband this question, he truthfully tells them his saddles are 100% made by him, and also the saddle making process, trees, leather etc. He also posts his saddle making stages on his FB page for anyone to see, for those who are interested.

It's a pity there aren't more saddlers around like him.

Rant over