New Saddle Need advice please oh wise ones!!

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pitter_patter

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Had the saddle fitter out yesterday and yes my 17 yr old cob DOES need a new saddle. His Ideal H&C no longer fits him and the saddle fitter said he COULD send it back to ideal to get the tree taken out and a new one put back in, but as there is no 'gusset' and he has quite a big dip just after the shoulder then it's not worth the expense of getting this done and I should really think about a new one.

Well I kind of thought this would be the case so I told him I have a budget of about £400 (me thinking probably about right for a good second hand leather one). But he turns up with a Thorowgood synthetic for £375.

Now I have nothing against synthetic, but (and probably due to the horrendous weather we had yesterday) I now feel that I've agreed to him ordering me one (8 weeks waiting list he said) and I have no idea what I've done and whether it's actually the right thing to do!!??

Cemented by the fact that Hubby took me to Wadswick Country Stores in Wilts today where there were rows and rows of £400 & Under second hand saddles in leather!! Oh Cripes!! Have I done the right thing?

So I think I need someone who has a thorowgood to tell me I've done the right thing and this saddle IS worth the £375 I agreed to pay. I kind of need confirmation of this as if I back out then I need to tell him tomorrow before the suppliers open really!!

Thanks for reading!!
 
Personally, I'd go with a good quality second hand leather saddle if you can find one that fits well. Like cars, saddles' values plummet the second they leave the shop, and I'd never buy a brand new one now.

Synthetics don't hold their value as well as leather saddles either, so if you needed to sell it on, you'd be well out of pocket.

Just my opinion, but I'd back out and find yourself a nice leather saddle
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I feel really stupid as I'm not even sure (after looking at Thorowgoods website earlier) if I'm supposed to be buying a T4 or a T6!! It has fish inserts.....?

What a daft mare I am.

Also I'm a bit afraid of the saddle fitter as he's a bit abrupt with you (well he has been with me! Probably thinks I'm a stupid cow who doesn't know jack!!) But he's local and therefore handy.

Don't get me wrong it WAS/IS a very nice saddle, comfy, seemed to fit him better and also my sharer tried the saddle too and liked it.

So I'm not totally unhappy with it - it's just cos I will need to scrape the money together to buy it (because it's also Christmas month) I just want to know that £375 is worth spending on something that isn't leather?
 
It's ok Munchkin - I think you are saying what I am thinking.....Also I read that Wadswick stores also do saddle fitting too.

I think I will ring back tomorrow and tell him to hold off ordering until the new year due to money etc, then at least I can have a think about what I want to do.

Also there are plenty of T4 Cob sizes (obviously if it is a T4) on Ebay as well you see for a good £100 to £150 less that I am going to pay for and surely they would all be the same thing, second hand or not wouldn't they?
 
Had nightmares re fitting a saddle for a big shouldered 16.2 Friesian cross. Had 2 saddle fitters out and they both told me my own (which was far too tight on the points) fitted better than any they had. I also bought a Thorowgood home and when the fitter came to see it on him she didn't think it was a good fit at all. She remarked that she thought that type of saddle wouldn't suit him. In the end I got Dave from The Saddle Company out who fitted him with an 18ins cob GP saddle which is bliss. It took no wearing in like new saddles normally do and the horse goes really well in it. The beauty of Daves saddles is as well that when the horse changes shape which they do with the seasons, more fit, less fit etc., he can alter the tree for you. He comes out and does that and it costs £35. I would look for a saddle company saddle on e-bay. They are called Verona saddles. They are £620 new but bear in mind second hand usually fetch about £350/400 and Dave can alter it to suit your cob for £35. I was delighted with the service. It's easy to pick up the phone tomorrow. Get something you will be happy with. If you or the horse are uncomfortable you will be forever fretting. Trust me I was for about 4 months. The OH is so good too where the horse is concerned and I didn't want to feel I had wasted our hard earned cash.
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Cemented by the fact that Hubby took me to Wadswick Country Stores in Wilts today where there were rows and rows of £400 & Under second hand saddles in leather!! Oh Cripes!! Have I done the right thing?


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I would hold off untill you looked at the options - Wadswick do do fitting as well - praps you could talk to someone there about it?
 
another one for the second hand leather ones. I have always found in the past that a second hand saddle will pretty much hold its value (obviously as long as you take care of it!) and would get more or less back what I had paid for my second hand ones. The store must have either a saddler or can recommend someone who could fit a saddle for you as well.
 
You are all ruddy right!! I must be living in cloud cuckoo land - but when someone says you could be potentially harming your best friend and this is the best option (ie synthetic saddle) I suppose I just took it in. Not to say he's not right of course. It may well be that he is but I just want to do a little more research I think before I dive in.

Thanks guys!!
 
The Saddle Co are based in Walsall. I will text Dave tomorrow and see if he travels your way. He seems to cover most of the country. PM me if I forget and you are still interested. I know it's really hard but don't rush. You want to get it right.
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Thanks HarryTom!! I Would be interested incase my Plan B below doesn't work out!!.

Have got a Plan B though thankfully. I have contacted another saddler and they have an ideal 'normal' in 17.5 wide and LEATHER for £399 I can try out!!

The other Saddler advised that I had told his assistant that I was ONLY interested in synthetic which wasn't totally true!! He's really narked me off really as to be fair if the research I had done actually said that a Thorowgood synthetic was worthwile I would have given him the business, but I didn't really get offered any other choice.
 
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