Is a really good saddle worth the money?

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icyfreya

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Had the saddle fitter out this evening for my boy, she's highlighted a few issues with my saddle, and says she can try and repair/reflock etc, but I thought I'd try a few of the other saddles. I tried a German one (can't remember the make!) which is almost brand new, it has a good deep seat so it was like riding in a dressage saddle, even though it is gp so i could still do some jumping. It is £1,400 new, but this one, which is in new condition, is only £600 and fits my boy (awkward high wither tb) perfectly. He was so much more forward going and easy to ride, and he had his ears forward the whole time, it really made a massive difference :). I felt like I was sitting on his back, rather than on a bit of wood & leather!

Sooo my question is, is it worth it to get a saddle of this calibre when all we do is unaff & riding club stuff, and when his old saddle can be repaired & reflocked for £30? I feel really guilty about buying a new saddle, (which I can't really afford :rolleyes:) but my instructor & the saddler reckon the difference it'll have on the horse will be huge, and it honestly felt like floating riding him in this new one. Is it worth it?
 
It is worth getting a saddle that is the best fit for your horse, whether it happens to be expensive or not.

An ill fitting saddle can cause all sorts of problems. What you save on paying for a saddle you will pay out to a physio over time to keep your horse pain free.

Given the choice, I'd opt for the saddle :).
 
100% yes. It's false economy to have and old saddle that 'sort of fits' as you will find costs crop up with the physio/backman etc and performance is reduced
 
totally agree the saddle that fits your horse best should always be the one you pick,could you sell your old one on ebay or saddles direct to recoup some of the money? x:D
 
''' the saddler reckon the difference it'll have on the horse will be huge, and it honestly felt like floating riding him in this new one. Is it worth it? '''


Think you have answered your own question here :)
Unless you really can't afford it and it will cause you problems.
 
Get the best fit saddle for your horse.
I shopped around looking at saddles and got a sankey bespoke saddle made for £1,500 for my horse, it was in the same price range as the others i'd been looking at, so decided to get one made to measure for her
 
I "only" hack now but did do low level endurance and spent almost £1000 about eight years ago on an australian flexible tree endurance saddle because I just could not find a saddle that would fit her changing shape(there were not the range of similar saddles in uk then). I have never ever regretted it because we are just both so comfortable with it even when she changes shape because of fitness levels or time of year.

If your horse is telling you so clearly that this saddle feels so much better then really if you possibly can then it def will be worth it ;)
 
Absolutely 100% yes its worth it!! i had an awful saddle for my cob really uncomfortable and just horrid to ride in, it used to slip and didn't fit my legs. Had another saddle fitted, a WH one and the difference in her was massive, much more forward, more willing and it fitted me perfectly :)
Def worth the money IMO :)
 
Definitely worth the money - and £600 is not a lot for a really good saddle at all.
 
A GOOD saddle is one which:

1) fits the horse perfectly;
2) fits the rider and puts the rider in a good, effective position;
and
3) is decent quality leather and workmanship so it will last!

Good saddles are NOT like laptops - they will not come down in price! If you look after a decent quality saddle well (and that doesn't mean just cleaning and conditioning, but getting it properly reflocked regularly and any minor repairs done) then it will almost certainly STILL be worth the same amount of money when you've had 10 years' use! It may even be worth more!!

And in the meantime, it will have made riding better for you - and protected your horse's back and movement! Sounds like a real bargain to me!
 
You definitely need a saddle that fits, though I'd want to know the exact issues that the current saddle is causing - it "sort of fitting" isn't enough info for me (but then I'm a fitter :D). £600 ain't bad for a new condition leather saddle - the bigger budget you have the more choice you get. Those with dinky budgets may find something that works for both of them but the more awkward shaped the horse the less likely that is. This isn't relevant to you, but with a new saddle you can only partly compare it to buying a new car - yes there is depreciation just like with a car, but the choices you have when buying a car do not affect health (unless you look at saftey of old cars compared to new!) but being able to choose a new saddle if necessary, if that is what truly works for your horse, makes it an invaulable purchase, whatever the cost.

My ReactorPanel saddle is 9 years old, cost £1400 back then, but still looks in great nick, and has been on at least 7 horses if not more, as it is fully adjustable. Well worth the money to me.

I will say though that custom isn't better in my mind - I've not met a horse yet that needed it - it has a bigger risk financially and fitting wise. Even with a new saddle the advantages of buying from stock are massive. Maybe 10% of my clientele, at most, need a slight tweak to a standard model for the horse's fit. Even fewer riders need a tweak. And no-one needs custom. In my experience.
 
I'd really really like to get the new one, and if I had £600 quid spare in my bank account then i'd go out and buy it today, but I really don't have the money, so am gonna have to beg borrow or steal from relatives ;).

I know £600 isn't alot for such a good saddle (the saddle fitter said it was a great bargain, it's more than half price). The problems with the other saddle are that 1) It needs to be repaired as something to do with where the front of the tree/near the pommel/is broken so is pressing down on his back (but that can be repaired) and needs reflocking as it doesn't fit his shape atm. It is uphill quite badly, and also isn't high wither cut - he has an extremely high wither, which can make it uncomfortable for him. The other saddle is cut away at the wither, and has a very central/deep seat, where current saddle has a very flat seat. Also current saddle is a little bit too small for me, whereas new one is just right. Ahhh I need to win the lottery :rolleyes:
 
JanetGeorge said:
Good saddles are NOT like laptops - they will not come down in price! If you look after a decent quality saddle well (and that doesn't mean just cleaning and conditioning, but getting it properly reflocked regularly and any minor repairs done) then it will almost certainly STILL be worth the same amount of money when you've had 10 years' use! It may even be worth more!!
Click to expand...

I have just replaced my beloved imperial dressage saddle due to my horse changing shape, saddler offered me £650 trade in on it, I bought it 2 years ago for £650.00.

I know it is a big outlay but if you look after it will retain its value.
 
Absolutely definitely yes, you have already answered this yourself. Perhaps this could be your Christmas Present, with your rellies contributing what they can afford etc etc?

The other thing is that you may find that this saddle is one of those that fits anything, in which case it will turn out to be worth every penny. We have an Ideal Working Hunter saddle that is like this, I had buy it new, so had to save up a bit extra to get it (and keep using the borrowed wintec for an extra month) as it was the only one that fitted properly, there were no other alternatives available other than made to measure. Anyhow, things didn't work out with that pony, but the saddle is still going strong 5 years later, and on its 3rd pony fitting beautifully with minimal adjustment. So, that saddle has turned out to be a very good buy... and because it is a well known make has a good resale value should I ever want to sell it on. So I would go for it, even if it means putting down a deposit and "making do" for a couple of months until you have all the money, you will be doing the right thing in the long run.
 
I agree with PennyJ.......... even if you have to get it for xmas or need a few months to get the readies I would go for it.

When I did not have a saddle for Taz for 5 months I rode bareback ( even hacking briefly on the roads to get to bridleways / fields :rolleyes:..... dont do that though !!!!) rather than put on one I was unhappy with. Not advocating you go to that length as there are much better saddles at affordable prices these days to make do with till you save to get the "perfect" saddle. ;)
 
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