If you had £2k to spend on a dressage saddle...

kirstie

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What would you buy?

I have to get a new saddle as my horse is now too big for her Albion SLK :(

She is 17hh 7 yr old Trakehner and is a big, wide girl. The saddler said that the old style SLK is too angular at the back of the panels for her and is making her a bit sore.

So... I need a nice new saddle. I have had a tough time and decided to treat myself to a nice new saddle. I need something that will make me feel secure as I broke my back last year and am loath to fall off again.

I really like the look of the Albion Platinum SLK Ultima so far.

She can't have anything with too much of a deep seat as she has a fairly flat back but I would like it to be as deep as possible for myself.

£2k is the rough budget, will stretch a little more if necessary, if I can get a great new saddle for less then that would be great!

What would you buy/ have you got?
 

TheoryX1

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A Bates Innova for Mini TX. Original price £2k, paid about £1.4k for it. Originally had a Wintec dressage saddle, but it ended up pinching her slightly roach back and slipping forward as she has a huge and powerful rear end, and very slim shoulders. Fits a treat and I can vouch personally its very comfortable. Its quite a big saddle though, and the mare in question although possessing a huge and powerful rear end and a bit of a belly, even when fully fit, is a finely built 15.2hh wb/tb.
 

BeckyD

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I've got a Passier Corona and I love it. The new version has sticky flaps, but I didn't like those so much - prefer to be in control of where my leg is myself, even if it isn't as still as it should be! Mine is the older style. It is so unbelievably comfy.
 

brushingboots

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We bought one recently, and tried a Hennig. Honestly, the most comfortable thing i've ever sat in as has gel in the seat! So comfy, and felt so secure in it, as if i could really sit into the horse and ride forward.

You could get one second hand, as i know brand new there around the 4k mark :eek:
 

SpottedCat

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A lovely close contact one, like a butet (secondhand!). I love my Ideal saddle, think they are superb saddles, but I feel a million miles away from my horse in it (he is large, I am small) and so I am going to try and PX my dressage saddle and my 'spare' albion selecta in for a second hand close contact dressage saddle.

With your budget, there is a lot out there, so get a saddler who has a wide range to come out as what one person loves, another will hate.
 

zxp

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I would buy a Butet with £2k. I love my monoflap XC version, and am desperate for the dressage but can't afford it. I love their quality, fit and close contact - you really are closer to the horse and have a much better feel.

But like someone else has said, you have a great budget so call out a number of saddlers and have a play about and see what you and your horse like.
 

kirstie

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Thank you for all the replies!

I really love the look of the Bates innova, I don't know of any fitters around my area that actually come out and fit it though. Think I might need to do a bit more looking around.

I have a saddler coming out on Tuesday with a load of saddles. I can't wait, feels like I haven't ridden for ages. She took a contour of my horses back and said that she wouldn't be the easiest to fit but wrote quite a long list of different saddles down that she wanted to try on her so that is a start.

I am very taken with the Platinum SLK ultima, wondered if anyone here had one?
 

KPM

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I really like my Albion SLK Platinum Ultima. So does my boy who can be very cold backed. Nice and secure but still lets me move in the saddle as needed (as opposed to the bucket style saddles!!).

I paid (far) less than half the RRP for mine though, it had only been sat in a handful of times and barely showed any signs of use. Was a very lucky find! :)
 

Gamebird

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I would buy a Butet with £2k. I love my monoflap XC version, and am desperate for the dressage but can't afford it. I love their quality, fit and close contact - you really are closer to the horse and have a much better feel.

But like someone else has said, you have a great budget so call out a number of saddlers and have a play about and see what you and your horse like.

Ditto this, though it might come as a bit of a shock if you're used to more 'furnished' saddles. I compromised with a Jaguar XKC and actually really like it, though I expected not to.
 

Farma

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My friend and I recently had these budgets and tried just about every dressage saddle you can think of and the prestige optimax was by far the best we sat in and we both straight away loved it, however my girl is wide and the albions just fit her much better than any other make for some reason!
 

mtj

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My horse has the albion platinum ultima.

He is an old fashioned warmblood, big mover and built uphill. Due to his build, the saddle is bespoke and has extra deep gussets.

I find the saddle very comfortable and the knee roll has kept me onboard during some of his acrobatics.

For this sort of budget I would expect an adjustable saddle regardless of brand.
 

kirstie

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Wow, just google the butet C, I want! Bit out of my price range though unfortunately.
I'm a bit nervous of buying something online or second hand an then finding it doesn't fit or doesn't suit us.
 

rowy

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I have had a pain of a time getting my boy fitted cos he is so wide and flat backed. In the end I am getting a made to measure dressage saddle with is Harry Dabbs (jaguar) who are using one of their native pony show saddle trees inside the leather etc of the harry dabbs so if you get stuck there is always an option there. Its not really expensive either, I could have had the Jaguar option which is about £2100, but instead went for the Harry Dabbs which is basically the jaguar without the name tag which is £1100.

If any saddle fit my horse, I would get either a devoucoux or a jaguar.
 

racingdemon

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last time i bought a dressage saddle i have this as my budget.... i ended up with a Wintec Isabell as it was the ONLY saddle that fitted the horse in question and that didn't leave me feeling like i was sat on a mattress (i was coming back to eventing from racing & found everything horribly raised and acres of saddle everywhere.

if i was buying again (& it fitted the horse i'd be looking at one of the V close contact saddles, as i really like a very flat saddle (IYKWIM)
 

millimoo

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Paul Fielder International.....
My mums had Albions and a Sue Carson over the years. This is the best saddle shes ever had. Plus the block placement is tailored for the rider in addition to being made to measure for the horse. Google them, Paul has a web site and you can read the blurb on there.
A couple of people on he yard now have them and love them
 

Durham

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We have a Butet for one of ours; it's by far the best saddle we've ever had, a really good second hand one fitted by Sederholm Selected and altered in France, which took a couple of weeks. We had excellent service and my daughter loves riding in it. The horse goes much better than he did in an Ideal, too.
 
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