Kent and Masters Jump Saddles?

Don't have one but my saddler stocks them, we were talking about them last time I saw her and she said she'd sent all the jump ones back as she found them impossible to fit anything.......not sure how much truth there is in that (and I'm sure someone will post about how great they are!!), but she is quite a good saddler ;)!!!
 
My daughter has one, she saved for ages and just bought it in October after trying quite a few different saddles, both new and second hand. I can give you a second hand opinion of it as I am not a rider (well not that horse in that saddle anyway)

She loves it, says she feels it really helps her keep her lower leg steady, she feels she can sit more deeply and work on her position and core stability more with it. Her horse also seems a lot happier in it than he did in the saddle he came with and others that we tried for him.

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Prior to this saddle she had Thorowgoods, (which I believe are made by the same company) she always liked the TG for her mare but never did for her gelding, it just didn't seem a good fit for them no matter what the saddle fitter tried to do.

I don't know what other makes/models she tried though before deciding on the K&M Jump, I do know she borrowed a friend's Wintec for a while.
 
I have a Fairfax jump which has now been rebranded as Kent & Masters competition range or something. It's OK, I certainly can't get excited about it but it does the job. The Kent & Masters normal jumping saddle didn't fit him at all.

I always have slightly bruised seatbones when riding in it, which is odd as it feels soft to touch, and my posterior has more than ample padding. I find this tends to make me perch/tip forwards to avoid getting sore. I would probably avoid one if I had another chance, but it fits the horse and has had 3 different gullets in it as he has changed shape, so it's saved me a small fortune in new saddles. So - my review is "mediocre" :D
 
We have had mixed feedback about the jump saddle. Have sold the Dr & GP's well, seem to fit well, but the jump....... models need tweaking IMHO!
 
I have one and have been very happy with it. Saddler I use is very picky and really rates them as being good design for horse and rider. Handy being able to swap gullet if needs be between "winter fit" and "summer fit"! ;) And wool flocked so you can adjust fit that way also.

As others have said, they are based around the Thorowgood tree so certainly won't suit all horses.

They do a CC monoflap now as well. I just have the normal version. Agree it is not the comfiest on your bum and I have plenty padding! :p Only really notice this on hacks when doing a lot of walk though, never notice it doing fast work or jumping.

I'd say really good value for money overall as you get a lot for what you pay. :)
 
I have one and i like it. I wouldnt say its the best saddle ive sat in, i perfer my Ideal Gandee as it was so comfy but didnt fit my current boy, ive still got it just in case but i dont think its going to happen.
Anyway, ive not had any probs with it. It has fitted until he changed shape, not caused any issues and it seems to do the job for him. However the longer ive had it the more ive noticed that it isnt the best for me. Before i got it adjusted resently i was feeling very tipped forward, after some flocking by the saddler it felt much better but i still felt abit tipped. My saddler said this was to be expected as it is designed to put you more forward which did make sense. The prob is that im a tipper anyway riding a yanker, ive had to work extremly hard to get myself to ride properly and while its not the saddle's fault that ive got a crap position i dont think it has helped. I'm now more up than i have ever been and the saddle doesnt hinder me now but it something that in the back of my mind when i ride. Oddly i never had this problem in the Ideal.
I also notice when i really started to sit on my butt that my seatbones really felt it so they are maybe not the most comfy saddles.
I would recomend them as they will suit some horses and riders plus being as adjustable as they are they make a good stop gap. I prob sell it at some point as i want something more close contact as i think it will suit both of us better.
 
I had one for my last horse and it was ok, like others have said i found it hard on the seatbones on a hack, i also found it tended to tip me forwards. I now have the T6 SJ saddle which is basically meant to be the same cut, but it is much comfier!
 
I've got one too and like it. For the money I think they're good saddles- obviously if we had thousands to spend I would go for a posher make but this one fits well and has helped my position. Only complaint is that the thigh blocks are quite rubbishy in that the foam keeps splitting so I keep glueing it back together again- perhaps time I ordered some new from t'internet.. :rolleyes:
 
If you can get one to fit well they are lovely. BUT as others have said they don't fit an awful lot of horses! My lad should in theory be very easy to fit but I couldn't get it to fit well so sold it

So if you are getting a saddler out then fine, but if your buying thinking it has changeable gullets so 'should' fit I would be careful
 
I rode a friends horse in one and hated it, very uncomfortable on the seat bones but then my YO went a bought one for her horse that I compete and I love - very bizarre and can't explain why ! I hack out in it, dressage in it and of course jump in it. I had an Albion fox-Pitt close contact jump saddle for my horse and the K&M saddle is a pretty good alternative.
 
My friend has one and absolutely adores it! She competes BE and loves the security of leg it offers, and comfiness. Also her horse is not a straightforward fit and this one is ideal for her.

Couple other girls on her yard have the gp and dressage versions and speak highly of these styles too.
 
One of our liveries has one, he seems to like it but it's VERY heavy. He's only got a small TB type and despite it having been fitted by a qualified saddler, it just looks very big on his back too - hope that makes sense?
 
Thank you for all your replies. I was thinking it might be a better option as a schooling saddle for youngsters, but by the sounds of it they could be tricky to fit most things. Think I'll look around for something second hand instead.

Thank you :)
 
I have one, on a mare that is quite difficult to fit (big shoulders, forward girth groove, short back) I have a treeless for dressage. My K&M has been mistaken for an albion (though I have to say its not as good quality), I find it quite lightweight. It fits her well but of course not every saddle fits every horse. Haven't had to adjust the gullet - have a prolite under it instead (after long discussion with saddle fitter). Mare is very sensitive and is happy in this saddle (was also cheaper than a 2nd hand albion). Its comfy for hacking in (we do a couple of hours sometimes - at a good pace) and friend hunted her all day in it. No complaints from horse or rider! There are about 4 horses on my yard that have K&M saddles, think at least two of those are jump saddles. I would say all of them are on the broader side (not TB types).

The Wintec shape doesn't fit my mare, the K&M/Thorogood does.

I do need a breastplate to stop it going backwards but think thats more my mare's shoulders rather than the saddle!
 
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