opinions on kent and masters saddles

Bennions Field

Bennions Field

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Hi i'm looking at possibly buying a kent and masters gpd, and wondered if anyone on here has experience of them? are they comfortable and do they wear well, i understand they have a changeable gullet system, how flexible is this and is it easy to fit other widths in if they need it? hope you all can help, felt sure someone on here would have experience with - good or bad :)
 
I went to try a horse for a friend and the horse had a kent and masters saddle. Didn't notice at the time but for a few days afterwards my bum was really sore!!
 
A friends just recently brought one & says that its really comfy - not needed to change the gullet so cant comment on that , but she seems very pleased with it at the moment
 
I bought one for my horse a year or so back as he'd had his other one years and I think someof his back issues may not have been helped by it! So far I am pleased with the saddle - the price for a new saddle is great, it fits well (although I have to pad mine out as my horse needed to build up) and is perfectly comfortable.
 
Hi,
I have the cob one for my roly poly cob :) I was devastated when I had to exchange old one for this because it was the comfiest saddle in the world!!!
But having said that , Im used to it now and its very comfy :)

I havent had to change gullet yet so cant comment on how easy/difficult that is, but Im happy with mine in general :D
 
I have a new dressage saddle by Kent and Masters, lovely saddle and very good value for money, I was trying more expensive ones but found K&M was just as good.Have had it for 5 weeks and very pleased so far.
 
My new saddle is the high withered version of the GP and i'm really pleased with it :) very smart and comfy and (touch wood) has been okay to stay on my bunnyhopping over excitable tb! We had to have it as it is the only one that fits him, but no complaints from me. Very reasonable too! iirc it was £640.
 
I have a Kent and Masters high wither saddle and its great in that its easy to change the gullet, looks good is comfy for the horse etc the ONLY problem i have with it is that i feel slightly pushed forwards. I like to ride short and this saddle feels wrong if i do ride short (even though its a jump version?!) With longer stirrups its a very very comfy saddle.
I bought it to replace my Thorrowgood T6 which i felt majorly in the wrong position so its a huge improvement on that especially now im used to riding a bit longer! For the price i'd recommend i think but i'd also like to have tried the GFS high wither with changeable gullet as think it might be better!
 
Like all saddles it's a good option if it fits! I've seen plenty badly fitted. I think even fitters seem to be tempted to change the gullet width simply to bring the saddle back into balance; like all adjustable saddles they will not fit every horse, nor continue to fit a horse just because a saddle once did, and just because you can change the gullet.

http://saddlefitter.blogspot.com/2009/11/from-tree-up-sub-topic-adjustable-trees.html#more

I do prefer the Thorowgood tree (as in the K&M also) to the Wintec.
 
Had my K&M GP for two years now and it's worn extremely well (but then I do take good care of it). It's comfortable, looks good and fits Kal well. No issues with the dye running (and we've ridden in all kinds of wet weather).

For Kali it was a good saddle for the money . . . but like others have said, whether a saddle brand is right for your horse is really dependent on whether it fits your horse.

P
 
I trialled the cob version (equivalent to the Thorowgood T4) - very comfy and pretty good value for the money. However as someone else said I felt slightly tipped forward in in and ended up putting a riser in the front - how much of this is inherent to the saddle and how much is due to my mare's conformation I don't know - she is cobxarab so has no withers!!

Gave it back to the saddler and swapped for an Ideal - this worked much better for our combination.
 
thanks guys, really helpfull comments as usual :) think i may take the risk and try the GPD id had my eye on, will get the saddle looked at to make sure its got the right width in and to ensure its fitting along his back also.
 
I think they are great to sit in although i worry about the panels .They seem weak through the centre and can be easily pulled apart .I wonder if over time these may spread making it difficult to flock straight and thus maintain an even panel may lead to lateral movement over time or reduction of balance.only time will tell.
 
I have a cob one, going to have to sell it though as although it fits the horse really well, I find it too wide and it hurts my hip like hell - gutted as it is a lovely saddle...:(:(
 
I am going to disagree with many here I am afraid, I recently tried one when we had the fitter out, and I found it really uncomfortable, it sat me funny and I felt like my horse didn't really want to move in it (but that's not the saddle he is a funny shape so may have just been him).
I have ridden in the dressage saddle previously and found it so comfy but the gp I really didn't.
I will always have Bates, don't know why I tried any different!
 
Oops! Seen others do it in reply to a thread so thought that was ok, it was just starting a new thread was against the rules *slap in the wrist* anyone know how I remove it?
 
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