For anyone who's switched from a Kent & Masters saddle...

mustardsmum said:
Ditched a K&M after less than three months, it nearly ruined my pony who hated it because I was so tipped forward and I felt perched and insecure because it was so flat. Pony hated it as much as I did, became nappy and one day he went to bite me as I lifted it on so I took it off and sold it a week later. Quite honestly the worse saddle I have ever used. Happily riding back in my old (reflocked) Ideal…..
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Yes I haven't had the saddle long...bought my mare at the end of July, saddle start of August. So less than 4 months and 2 saddle fittings/checks before I've more or less decided I can't bear it any longer. Getting lots of recommendations for Ideal so suspect I will try that next :)
 
Strange, I have ridden in both Thorowgoods and K&M and I think the only time I felt tipped forward was when I had a TG that was a smidge too small in the seat. Going up half a size fixed it.

I have a TG cob T4 GP and a Bates Innova Mono. Compared to the Innova the TG is obviously like sitting on a crappy piece of cardboard, but horse likes it 🤷🏼‍♀️
 
Elno said:
Strange, I have ridden in both Thorowgoods and K&M and I think the only time I felt tipped forward was when I had a TG that was a smidge too small in the seat. Going up half a size fixed it.
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That's fine if your horse has the space, so many don't and the rider is restricted on seat size, when the shape of the seat causes these issues. That's without pelvis shape and some people being more stable than others - longer pelvises are more stable and in fact we now wonder if some of the best riders are those that have an easy to fit pelvis so are naturally stable in the saddle, it certainly gives an advantage!
 
Sprogladite01 said:
...what saddle did you switch to? My mare is young and still growing/developing muscle so I think I'd lean more towards something with an adjustable gullet. My K&M saddle fits my mare well but I feel like it tips me forward. I've had a couple of bad falls recently and really feel like this tipping thing is not helping my riding (or confidence) at all.
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I really don’t like K&M I think they’re so I uncomfy but have bought one to back the youngsters in. I rode in a Fairfax usually!
 
Glad it's not just me, I've been finding when I'm riding it is allll I'm thinking about is how uncomfortable I feel and how tipped forward I feel. It's almost like I'm physically unable to get my back straight/shoulders back its horrendous. Saddle fitter coming in 3 weeks so the countdown is on! My poor girly has an abscess at the moment so no riding til she's recovered. Can't say I'm too upset about it at the moment!
 
I've often looked at the K&M and felt I'd never be able to ride in one as the cantle seems so much higher and more angled forward than other saddles.

It's not a comfortable feeling being tipped forward in a saddle. I get a very sore core afterwards.
 
Sprogladite01 said:
...what saddle did you switch to? My mare is young and still growing/developing muscle so I think I'd lean more towards something with an adjustable gullet. My K&M saddle fits my mare well but I feel like it tips me forward. I've had a couple of bad falls recently and really feel like this tipping thing is not helping my riding (or confidence) at all.
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do you know which model k&m this is?
 
mustardsmum said:
Ditched a K&M after less than three months, it nearly ruined my pony who hated it because I was so tipped forward and I felt perched and insecure because it was so flat. Pony hated it as much as I did, became nappy and one day he went to bite me as I lifted it on so I took it off and sold it a week later. Quite honestly the worse saddle I have ever used. Happily riding back in my old (reflocked) Ideal…..
Click to expand...
which model of k&m this was?
 
Sprogladite01 said:
...what saddle did you switch to? My mare is young and still growing/developing muscle so I think I'd lean more towards something with an adjustable gullet. My K&M saddle fits my mare well but I feel like it tips me forward. I've had a couple of bad falls recently and really feel like this tipping thing is not helping my riding (or confidence) at all.
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I presume you had saddle checked??? MY saddler just changed my K&M from the long gullet to the short one, bran new, made difference as was too close to pommel.
 
ILuvCowparsely said:
I presume you had saddle checked??? MY saddler just changed my K&M from the long gullet to the short one, bran new, made difference as was too close to pommel.
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Yes, twice in 4 months but would be temporarily better (although still not quite right) and then go right back to tipping me. I don't think I'd ever go for K&M again to be honest unless there was literally nothing else that fit my horse!
 
I’ve got a K&M Dressage saddle and find it so uncomfortable and like everyone else says it tips me forward. I’m often quite ‘saddle sore, 🥴🥴

I’m hacking my mare more than schooling at the moment so will be speaking to my saddler on their next visit about a change.
 
10 years ago I bought new K&M saddles for my two horses Choccy (then aged 21) and Thomas (then aged 5). They are lightweight and the horses seemed to like them, fairly comfy for me too.

The adjustable gullets were handy and I kept about 3 sizes at home, changing gullet if their weight went up or down, and had the saddle fits checked annually.

Choccy then retired and I used his K&M on young Kasper (4).

Last summer (Tom then 14) I had a problem with him tipping me to the right and this shunted the saddle left. I felt his body shape had changed enough that the saddle no longer fitted him comfortably. Had saddler out, adjusted the stuffing. Rode him but problem remained. A couple of weeks later I went to adult riding camp where there was a saddler present to offer saddlefit checks and she confirmed it didn't fit him well anymore, hence him tipping me left. Nothing wrong with the saddle, but his shape had changed.

After I got home, she came out to me and we tried a variety of saddles, different brands on him, me riding, narrowed them down from 7 to 4, then 3, then 2. I chose a brand new Harry Dabbs close contact saddle for him. it's lightweight, got half length shoulder pads (dunno what the right term is!) so he can swing his shoulders freely and it feels like I sit "in" him, not on him. I did wonder if it would mean I'd go out the side door more often but it's given me a more secure seat and balance.

I booked a double appointment so she could look at Kasper's K&M saddle and that wasn't a good fit for him (remember it wasn't bought for him, he just inherited it) so we tried a variety of saddles on him and I settled on a secondhand Ideal event saddle, which doesn't sound like the correct sort of saddle at all for a 16hh cob but honestly, it's like a comfy, familiar armchair for me, it fits him like a dream. When she first showed it to me, I said "oh no, it's got knee rolls and other bits, that won't work for me, they'll be in the wrong place for my long legs" (I was thinking of my previous experience riding saddles with knee rolls on horse holidays) but she said to try it and I might be pleasantly surprised. I was, grinning from ear to ear, absolutely loved it, could ride in it all day!

My conclusion is Thomas's saddle makes me sit and ride correctly, which is a good thing, and Kasper's saddle I could sit in all day!

The K&M saddles sell well and easily so no probs rehoming them. (Which reminds me, I should phone them and ask if they've sold them for me yet!)
 
Albion K2! Lovely saddles, have owned 2, both second hand and great saddles compared to the K&M
 
Fairfax. I previously had a K&M jump, which just didn’t quite suit me and now have a Fairfax dressage and a Fairfax jump. Everyone who’s sat in them has commented on how nice they are to ride in and probably would be my continued choice so long as fit the horse in question.
 
Some saddles just miss the mark for being well conceived for the rider to sit well - we all need different things to a degree, absolutely, but some brands show they are better able to help the rider than others. And if we don't sit well (and often it's subtle, we don't even realise) then it affects the horse's way of going, again, even if it's subtle and we don't necessarily see it. We need ALL the little parts to be working well, to help optimise the whole horse-saddle-ride equation.
 
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