Saddle company saddle reviews???

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Jessie83

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Looking for reviews/advice on Saddle Company saddles as I'm considering one for my mare but haven't tried it yet and don't know anyone that has one.

My mare continually changes shape so I need a fully adjustable saddle which has drawn me to this brand. She's also quite high-withered.

I'm looking at a jump saddle, have also considered Bates but have heard negative things about their Cair system. Have a Kent&Masters dressage saddle so have also looked (without trying on my mare yet) at their jump saddle and Thorowgood's as adjustable options but not sure if the wither will be suitable.

So primarily looking for people's experiences of Saddle Company, or any advice on adjustable jump saddles if not! Thank you.
 
I have 9! :) And am now qualified to fit and adjust them myself! Absolutly love them! Horses love the serge including my ridicliously high withered TB (could be camel cross the size of his wither) who has had a KS op.
Recently got a sienna CC Jump which i utterly adore! Although expensive the Buffalo leather is SO worth the money.
Also, have 2 for sale but there dressage and show models as im giving up flatwork and stressage!
If your local you are more than welcome to try my cc jump and event :)
 
Oh and the fact they adjust to any width, not just the "standard" widths is a real bonus. And on top of that serge makes for incredibly easy flocking adjustments meaning you really can get a perfect fit.
My only real bad point is the Verona range dont wear very well. Spend the extra £80 or so and get the Vicenza.
If you want any more help or info, please feel free to pm me.
 
Wow, FRP that's really helpful, thank you! I'm not local otherwise I would take you up on your offer.

I'm particularly interested about the finish choice - the buffalo leather swatch looked really think, hard and grainy - is yours a thin buffalo or the thick? Is it really comfy ?
 
The thin buffalo is the seat and knee roll leather. Thats soft hide, the harder hide is what is used for the flaps. The grain is quite deep, personally i like it but its a matter of taste i think. (Difficult to clean as soap sits in the grains) i think its so hard on the swatch as its such a small piece.
But regards finish the smooth thin leather, that is used on the whole of the verona saddle, and the flaps are backed with PVC hence why nit as hard wearing.
I can send you some pics of mine if you like?
 
I have a GP one and love it, didn't like the look of the dressage one so have a different make for my dressage boy, but really impressed with the GP.
 
Ok, thanks again for your advice.

It's the close contact jump that I'm looking at and with the pics in the brochure they don't show much detail, so I would really appreciate some photos, especially of the knee roll area because I did XC in an Albion K2 and felt so secure but I've been told that their knee rolls tend to be way bigger than other brands.

Also I've heard that some also have adjustable thigh rolls, do any of yours?

Do you also use the CC jump to hack in? If so how comfy is it to sit in for a period?

Trying to think of the other questions I've been wanting to ask - thanks so much for your help :-)
 
Will take you some pics now. All saddles are bespoke so you can have anything you wish. I have dressage girth straps on mine. I dont have thigh blocks as i dont like them. But have both large and small knee blocks.
I do hack in mine. Was awful to start with as i came from a dressage for hacking. But i quickly got use to it. Have an allvaco gel seat saver for if i have a sore back end! ;)
Pm me your email and will send pics :)
 
I ride a friends horse in a VSD saddle and whilst it is a lovely saddle I do find it really uncomfortable, it's really hard and feels like you're sitting on a plank of wood!!
 
Great saddles, I have one, but.....make sure you have:
1) A local fitter. The flocking packs down quickly so they need checking / flocking 'topped up' more often.
2) The panels are BIG so you need a BIG saddlecloth, some FS are too small (I also use a prolite as per saddler advice, and my horse prefers it, it needs a wide one, normal one is too small, on a 17.5").
3) Get memory foam in the seat (optional). They are quite hard without, but fine with.
4) I didn't like the GP or jumping one. I love the event and also liked the WH one. That seems to be quite a common theme!
5) If you opt for suede, it does get worn, so be warned.
6) Get the one with all leather flaps (I forget the name) and not the Verona.
 
I have a WH. Nice and lightweight for the horse, I like it but its not the most comfortable of saddle and the horse feels much narrower in it. Having said that wont sell it and would by another.
 
I bought a Verona (Ebay) last Autumn. I liked the fact that it was lightweight, the shape and the square cantle. Didn't like the synthetic underside of the flaps, the leather on top was quite thin. The finish was a bit hit and miss, eg some of the girth straps were the wrong way round, smooth numbered side underneath :confused: I never actually sat on it because it was the wrong width for the horse, which I knew before purchase, but I did not realise there are so few SC fitters around. The only way I could get it adjusted was to post it, not ideal, so I sold it.
 
suzysparkle said:
Great saddles, I have one, but.....make sure you have:
1) A local fitter. The flocking packs down quickly so they need checking / flocking 'topped up' more often.
2) The panels are BIG so you need a BIG saddlecloth, some FS are too small (I also use a prolite as per saddler advice, and my horse prefers it, it needs a wide one, normal one is too small, on a 17.5").
3) Get memory foam in the seat (optional). They are quite hard without, but fine with.
4) I didn't like the GP or jumping one. I love the event and also liked the WH one. That seems to be quite a common theme!
5) If you opt for suede, it does get worn, so be warned.
6) Get the one with all leather flaps (I forget the name) and not the Verona.
Click to expand...

These are really good points! Espically the numnah point. The CC jump requires a forward cut pad. Lemieux are fab and so are numed (i use the plain lemieux but they do hald lined also which are very nice)
1) Not all fitters can flock or have a retemplating machine! Deffinatly check this out as it defeats the object having to post to Walsal and back.
3) Personally ive never found them hard. Buts its a matter of taste, if your coming from a conventional wooden tree, there completly different, (a wooden tree is hollow in the centre so your not actually sat on wood, i believe its the same material that seatbelts are made from which cover the "hole")
4) Standard GP and the Event have the same tree, so its quite confusing you like one and not the other. Unless you tried the CC GP which uses the CC tree that the Jump uses.
5) Suede depends on how you look after it, i have a 2 yo half suede show saddle. Its brushed before and after i ride in it without fail, never brushed until cometly dry and is dried infront of a radiator if gets wet. It still looks like the day i brought it.
6) Deffinatly the Vicenza or above. :)
 
FRP said:
3) Personally ive never found them hard. Buts its a matter of taste, if your coming from a conventional wooden tree, there completly different, (a wooden tree is hollow in the centre so your not actually sat on wood, i believe its the same material that seatbelts are made from which cover the "hole")
Click to expand...

Strange because I have always ridden in synthetic trees so not accustomed to a wooden tree but I really do find it hard, almost as if you are sitting on a bone in your bum!
It is a very new saddle though so maybe it will soften.
 
this thread has just saved me loads of money! my daughters pony came with a saddle company saddle, I wasn't convinced on the fit so when I had local saddler out to fit another horse I got him to check, No it doesn't fit was the answer, that's all, I've been waiting 2 weeks for him to come back with other saddles and he hasn't! now I've seen this thread I've realised they can be adjusted. my local person specialising is in Whitchurch which is close and it'll cost me less than £100 if he can adjust it, result! (please pm me if you have had bad experiences with a Whitchurch saddler though!):D
 
Thanks so much everyone for your feedback, it's really helpful before embarking on such a big purchase as a saddle to have some pointers to look out for.

Especially FRP, thanks for your time sending photos and answering my many questions!
 
I had a made to measure that I sent back, the tree was twisted and the memory foam was uncomfortable. They replaced it. :)
 
It was made odd. When mounted I could see the d ring on one side and not on the other, my knee came over one side a good inch and not the other. When you looked down, you could see the stitching additional leather bulking up one side. The memory foam was like concrete and my bum bones let like Dracula teeth and im no slim jim! Also they missed out the thigh block preparation which I had ordered. Saddle fitter said it was twisted.

As I said, they agreed with me and replaced the saddle, but I had to take pictures and email them to agree this. Very happy with new saddle. I opted for removal of mem foam n they and put extra padding in seat too when they made me a whole new one. The saddle is stunning. I'm a 5 foot riding a half shire giant, so made to measure was the only way for us and I'm glad they got it right in the end.
 
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Achinghips said:
It was made odd. When mounted I could see the d ring on one side and not on the other, my knee came over one side a good inch and not the other. When you looked down, you could see the stitching additional leather bulking up one side. The memory foam was like concrete and my bum bones let like Dracula teeth and im no slim jim! Also they missed out the thigh block preparation which I had ordered. Saddle fitter said it was twisted.

As I said, they agreed with me and replaced the saddle, but I had to take pictures and email them to agree this. Very happy with new saddle. I opted for removal of mem foam n they and put extra padding in seat too when they made me a whole new one. The saddle is stunning. I'm a 5 foot riding a half shire giant, so made to measure was the only way for us and I'm glad they got it right in the end.
Click to expand...

Please don't think i was getting at you, it was the comment about publicity saying it was untwistable. When actually no such thing is said by the saddle company.
And although i have never ridden in a memory foam saddle i most certianly wouldnt touch one after spending a fortune on an "all singing all dancing" MF bed. Which is like sleeping on a pile of breeze blocks! :)
 
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