Kent&masters or Monarch jump saddle?

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ramsaybailey

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Currently have a kent&masters but dont think I'm 100% happy.
Has anyone had experience of both saddles?

Going to get a saddler out but also having a look online to get some ideas. Does anyone know which shape horses the saddles are best suited too?!

Thank you ?
 
I'm not familiar with the jump saddles but know both as GPs. My impression is that the K&M s are often a good fit on a typical 'British' pony / horse shape, work well for native ponies and cobs. The monarch/GFS that I have has a very flat tree and lots of padding, for the horse and for the rider. Fitted by a saddler for a very flat, straight backed horse, shapeless type.
I don't know all the models that they do, but as a generalisation, I think if your horse has 'shape' to its back and shoulders, ie. something for a saddle to sit into, the K&M is more likely to work. My Monarch, and the dressage version that i knew on another horse, were both fitted for the 'table top' flat cobby shapes, and fitted them when other makes didn't.
The monarch is very comfy to ride in, but IMO a bit too padded and slightly feels like sitting on a sofa on top of a horse. If you want to feel contact with your horse;s back it may not be the best. So might also be relevant if your horses is a sensitive sort or needs schooling etc and what kind of riding you want to do.
 
I had a Kent & Masters GP for my previous ex racer and have a Monarch GP for the current one.

I'm not fussy about saddles for myself (read as: not skilled enough to notice much of a difference!) as long as they dit the horses well.

Both have fitted/do fit well, I find them comfortable to ride in, both have worn well and still looked/look like new.

I really couldn't pick anything between them.

Again these are the GP saddles and jump saddles might have more impact on position when jumping bigger fences.
 
JunoJones said:
I'm not familiar with the jump saddles but know both as GPs. My impression is that the K&M s are often a good fit on a typical 'British' pony / horse shape, work well for native ponies and cobs. The monarch/GFS that I have has a very flat tree and lots of padding, for the horse and for the rider. Fitted by a saddler for a very flat, straight backed horse, shapeless type.
I don't know all the models that they do, but as a generalisation, I think if your horse has 'shape' to its back and shoulders, ie. something for a saddle to sit into, the K&M is more likely to work. My Monarch, and the dressage version that i knew on another horse, were both fitted for the 'table top' flat cobby shapes, and fitted them when other makes didn't.
The monarch is very comfy to ride in, but IMO a bit too padded and slightly feels like sitting on a sofa on top of a horse. If you want to feel contact with your horse;s back it may not be the best. So might also be relevant if your horses is a sensitive sort or needs schooling etc and what kind of riding you want to do.
Click to expand...
Thank you that's really helpful!
 
TPO said:
I had a Kent & Masters GP for my previous ex racer and have a Monarch GP for the current one.

I'm not fussy about saddles for myself (read as: not skilled enough to notice much of a difference!) as long as they dit the horses well.

Both have fitted/do fit well, I find them comfortable to ride in, both have worn well and still looked/look like new.

I really couldn't pick anything between them.

Again these are the GP saddles and jump saddles might have more impact on position when jumping bigger fences.
Click to expand...

Thank you that's good to know ?
 
Imo, with 12 years experience fitting flatter, wider backs, neither brand is truly flat in the tree. GFS has some flat panels, in fact they all do, but the trees really aren't that flat. They all have various trees so its impossible to say what shapes they might fit for the brand, same as most brands. I do find that flat panels seem to get slightly confused with flat trees. Heres my blog post on selecting flat trees https://stephaniebloomsaddlefitter....election-part-2-horses-with-low-or-no-withers, there is another on horses with withers. This is my perspective, there ARE different ways of fitting, but the scale of flatness, comparing one tree to another, isn't really opinion, it just depends what you've been exposed to, and your personal style of fitting as to what you call "flat enough" for a particular shape of back.
 
In my experience the Kent and masters jump saddle has a more shaped tree. Wasn’t a good fit on my flat backed connie, where the Kent and masters gp was fine on him. We now have him in a monarch jump saddle, fits him a treat ??
 
Cloudcomet said:
In my experience the Kent and masters jump saddle has a more shaped tree. Wasn’t a good fit on my flat backed connie, where the Kent and masters gp was fine on him. We now have him in a monarch jump saddle, fits him a treat ??
Click to expand...

I think things have changed with the models over the years, looking up the two current jump models (I thought they did more to be honest, perhaps they did in the past?) the current S series jump takes the R bar rather than the S bar that is in the cob saddles, so it will be less flat I expect.
 
I had a Monarch gp/event saddle for the first few years with my mare but it started slipping/bobbing at the back as she matured. Now in an older K&M Dutch GP (think this is now known as the flat back style?)

She is quite flat backed but has a smidgen more withers than she did as a youngster. I much prefer the K&M as it has a much more secure seat but this is maybe as it's less geared towards being an event saddle. I felt they were both of similar quality though.

Another rider at my yard switched the other way from k&m to gfs and is much happier with how it supports their jumping position.
 
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