Lightweight leather saddles?

Mrs Jingle

Mrs Jingle

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Do they even exist? I have done a search and googled but nothing very helpful comes up to help compare them to synthetic saddles. I am not totally set against synthetic but do have a preference for leather or at least a synthetic that looks like leather, I hate suede or similar anywhere on a saddle, just ends up looking like tatty rubbish with my not very good tack care regime.

I have a new horse that is rather large and unfortunately my lovely lightweight treeless saddle does not fit him so will have to find him a treed lightweight saddle that I can manage to throw up on him. any help and experience would be great thank you.
 
Plastic trees will be lighter, but really do not give the best fit on all types of shapes, wooden trees are much better on most wider flatter horses. Brands and models vary so much, it will be really hard to know which might work for you and your horse AND be light enough for you to handle. Can you work with a good fitter?
 
cold_feet said:
My Kent and Masters is pretty lightweight.
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I had the K&Ms for many years and loved them until old age hip and back problems just made them so painful for me to use, no idea why that was.


milliepops said:
What kind of saddle? My equipe dressage monoflap is super light.
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to be honest if it is light and comfortable for me I am pretty easy on style and intended discipline, although i will only be hacking etc. You have reminded my I had a gorgeous Equipe endurance mono flap back in the day and that was very lightweight and super comfy...but very expensive!

sbloom said:
Plastic trees will be lighter, but really do not give the best fit on all types of shapes, wooden trees are much better on most wider flatter horses. Brands and models vary so much, it will be really hard to know which might work for you and your horse AND be light enough for you to handle. Can you work with a good fitter?
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yes there is a very good and reputable fitter over here (Ireland) who I am more than happy to work with, but I cannot find any lightweight/synthetic saddles in her stock list, plus I am fortunate enough to have this horse on trial before purchase so needing to find something that is a reasonable fit for him and light enough for me to tack him up, fairly quickly, even if I change it to something a little better at a later date.
 
MrsJingle said:
Are they? I looked at those and liked them very much but did think they might be the normal leather saddle heavy weights? Perhaps I need to cotnact them and ask the weight of their saddles?
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They are plastic trees so yes can be lighter, and most are part synthetic. Whether you like the fit and quality is another matter, same as with all brands I guess.

I would chat to your fitter MJ, I have so many people assume things without asking me, always best to check.
 
Thank you sbloom - yes I think I will contact her and see has she anything that might suit in the interim, although the trouble is it is a hefty price (around €200) just to get her out and then if the horse doesnt suit and goes back that is a lot of money for me to lose. :confused:
 
I recently bought a m2m saddle for one of mine from Black Country, and I was amazed by how light it is. It's leather and a wooden tree so I'm not sure quite how they've made it so light.
 
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