Kent and Masters Saddles

[swellhillcottage]

I am looking for a new saddle for Connie pony and I have been pondering a Kent and Masters but I have seen quite a few older threads about these saddles and them causing problems with riders seat tipping forward does anyone know if this is still ongoing or was it just a fashion )

S X

 

[Under-the-radar]

I haven't seen the threads you've seen, but a problem like that would make me think that the saddle doesn't fit either the horse, or the rider.

I have heard quite a lot of good things about the K&M - IF they fit your horse

 

[MandyMoo]

I have a K&M saddle and I love it!

 

[Coblover63]

I've seen people having tipping problems with the Thorowgood version of the K&M's, but not the leather ones. I only ever see and hear glowing praise for them. They are on my wish list for my boys when I can afford them...

 

[BobbyMondeo]

Only had mine a month, I love it and so does everyone else who has ridden in it!

 

[PolarSkye]

I have a leather GP and it is nice quality and doesn't tip me forward - however, I much prefer Z's old, beat up dressage saddle (but that's just because I don't jump and I like where the dressage position puts my legs due to the placement of the stirrup bars).

P

 

[kathantoinette]

Just bought a GP one - love it. If anything I'm sitting up more.

Good thing about them is the changeable gullet.

 

[measles]

A livery client had one and it made her tip forward but more because it didn't fit her horse despite being professionally fitted. She has now changed saddles and both her position and the horses way of going have improved significantly. So, not the fault of the saddle.

 

[Joyous70]

i have a GP version, very comfy lovely saddle, and great that it used to fit my 14.2hh and now is being used for my youngster after some re flocking and a gullet change lovely saddles for the money

 

[sbloom]

How flat is your Connie? In my experience if they are very flat, typical Connie shape, then any synthetic treed saddle has a high chance of just not quite being flat enough and they can perch. I most commonly fit them with our very flattest tree which is much flatter than the Symatec trees from TG and K&M.

 

[vam]

I had a K&M jump when i first got my boy, it was fine but always tipped me forwards a bit. In the end it stopped fitting him and me so i got a Prestige, the difference was amazing in not only his way of going but my position. Now i can feel as soon as i start to tip, something that i couldnt really in the K&M. In the end it just didnt work for me and while the tipping wasnt that bad it was enough to make a difference in the way i rode and hindered us both.

Worth a try as they work for some and not others as with all saddles. Have noticed that i cant seem to shift it for love nor money so worth bearing in mind.

 

[Tronk]

I have had a K&M GP for nearly 3 years now and I cannot fault it. Great value and exceptionally comfortable.

 

[TPO]

I've got the high wither GP for my TB and I really like it. I also used to exercise a TB for someone else and they had the K&M jumping saddle; again I really liked it.

I fit for another company but just got my mum's horse the cob GP K&M and she loves it. Her horse is a connie x and it's a really good fit on him.

 

[Henry02]

I have one for my hard to fit horse, and its the only saddle I've found that fits him. Its comfy to ride in, and I dont think tips me forwards.

I like it that much I've ordered a dressage version which I will be trying out this weekend!

 

[swellhillcottage]

How flat is your Connie? In my experience if they are very flat, typical Connie shape, then any synthetic treed saddle has a high chance of just not quite being flat enough and they can perch. I most commonly fit them with our very flattest tree which is much flatter than the Symatec trees from TG and K&M.

He is typical Connie shaped Steph - I am going to trial a K&M next week but much as I love the look of yours Steph he is only a 4 yr old and I cannot justify spending 1200 on him yet )

 

[sbloom]

Always happy to advise on what might work if you see a used saddle of ours , anything on our sport pony tree is a likely match.

 

[i-love-wellies]

I just ordered a GP for my connie(not sure if its the gereral or the flat back version as the saddler ordered it for me). Its the only thing that would go near him (and iver tried all sorts). He's short and flat backed so vert hard to fit especially seeing as im 5ft5 so cant use a pony saddle. I didnt find it tipped me forward but the seats are very small fitting for both horse and rider - I had to order 17.5 in the K&M as it sits on him and rides like a 17 so maybe bear this in mind (might explain some of the reports of tipping people forward. The GP's are good but the Jump saddles are apparently a funny shape and dont fit alot of horses. The GP is forward cut enough to allow you to jump

 

[dibbin]

I had the Cob GP and loved it - sadly didn't fit Jazz so I had to sell it, but it was a lovely saddle.

 

[sbloom]

Its the only thing that would go near him (and iver tried all sorts). He's short and flat backed so vert hard to fit especially seeing as im 5ft5 so cant use a pony saddle. I didnt find it tipped me forward but the seats are very small fitting for both horse and rider - I had to order 17.5 in the K&M as it sits on him and rides like a 17 so maybe bear this in mind (might explain some of the reports of tipping people forward. The GP's are good but the Jump saddles are apparently a funny shape and dont fit alot of horses. The GP is forward cut enough to allow you to jump

I fit loads of adults on natives, you're not as tall as some of my Exmoor riders even!! So it depends what you mean by pony saddles - saddle designed to fit natives are available in all seat sizes, and as I said above, Connies tend to need very flat trees and close contact panels. I fit one tree called a sport pony tree that I have fitted up to an 18", in fact it's the tree I fit to most Connies. The flaps are not small like some TG/K&M. The TG/K&M trees have very short deepest spots in the saddle and the slope to the cantle is long which is why lots of people end up sitting too far back, up the slope.