Lightweight saddle recommendations

Season’s Bleatings

Season’s Bleatings

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Have recently been recommended by my vet to change my saddle :( I currently ride my boy in a lovely Barnsby GP, but vet feels it is simply too bulky and inflexible for my boy.

Anyway, regardless of the reasoning, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a nice, lightweight saddle. I have a budget of around £400-£450.. horse is a TB shaped ISH with medium high withers.
 
I have recently bought a GFS Genesis saddle. Its extremely lightweight and cost me £450 new. I have arthritis in my neck and needed something I could lift easily and this certainly fits the bill :)
 
Well under your budget but lightweight, I have a Maxim. I bought it as an emergency saddle so I could compete while my saddle was being repaired nearly 20 years ago. It has since been an everyday saddle for a couple of horses so it has had plenty of use. It is very very light and still in good condition. The only real problem I've had with it is that leather girths don't mix well with the synthetic, it rubs both the girth and the saddle. As my current user of the saddle requires a leather girth I have just retired it back to emergency use only, it is a handy little saddle to have about.
 
Thorowgood saddles aren't very heavy and they do a TB/high wither version. The T8 is lovely and looks like leather. They are about £500 new. If you put composite stirrups on you'll save a lot of weight (I've noticed my saddle weighs nothing without stirrups on). I think they're quite adjustable as well.
 
I have a shires optimus jump saddle that's fairly light its adjustable to which i have for my young ish while he's growing and filling out mines been brilliant u can get leather or synthetic I've had both leather is better quality but still within your budget
 
Just to be devil's advocate, a rider's weight can vary (their own weight, the weight of what they're wearing) can vary by more than the difference between a light and a heavy saddle. I really don't think saddle weight is an issue for most horses, it can be for riders though. I would be quizzing the vet further, consulting any other physical therapist that was trusted and knows the horse, and a good saddle fitter. The right fit is MUCH more important than the weight of a saddle in most cases.
 
sbloom said:
Just to be devil's advocate, a rider's weight can vary (their own weight, the weight of what they're wearing) can vary by more than the difference between a light and a heavy saddle. I really don't think saddle weight is an issue for most horses, it can be for riders though. I would be quizzing the vet further, consulting any other physical therapist that was trusted and knows the horse, and a good saddle fitter. The right fit is MUCH more important than the weight of a saddle in most cases.
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Definitely. I think I need to explore a few options regarding saddle and fit; vet seems to think that something more lightweight and flexible (as he described it) would be better for him. He has a few issues, including mild kissing spines, so it will be a while before I think about getting back on him.

But I can absolutely see where you are coming from. Perhaps the vet has a sideline in saddle sales and wants even more of my money..! ..cue credit card exploding
 
ANY SADDLE WITH A SYNTHETIC TREE SHOULD BE LIGHTWEIGHT. AN ALL SYNTHETIC SADDLE IS PROBABLY LIGHTER THAN A LeaTHER ONE. THERE ARE SEVERAL MAkes. Jeffries RaPTOR, Wintec, Thorowgood to name but a few.
 
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