Saddle Company Saddles..?

[southerncomfort]

So I'm looking on the 2nd hand market and I don't know anything about these saddles. I will admit to being a bit put off because you have to use one of their fitters.

How likely are they to be suitable for a 13hh Fell pony?

I'm having an absolute nightmare trying to find a saddle that fits him.

I had a TG pony club saddle to back him in. All went well until he changed shape and it was sitting too low over his withers but too tight behind shoulders and is slipping forwards.

I've tried daughter's pony's Black Country on him which sits better on him but not the right size and still slips forwards.

So I'm looking for something like a working hunter (BC, Ideal, Barnsby etc) but the only ones that seem to come up in his size (no bigger than 16 1/2" and XW) are Saddle Company saddles.

I've got my saddle fitter booked to come back out middle of this month and I have no other saddle for her too look at.

Help!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I have had a SC saddle altered by a master saddler - nothing to do with SC. I liked mine, it was lightweight and fitted me and the horse(s). Eventually I got a Solution saddle for a different horse and wouldn't want to go back.

 

[Tarragon]

I used SCS on my two 13hh Exmoor ponies, so they might well suit your fell. I think mine were 17" saddles. I like them. I like the serge panels and the fact that they can be adjusted if necessary. I must admit that I now have a second hand Strada C Endurance saddle on my main riding pony and can feel the quality but I did choose SCS originally as they were the best mid-price range saddles I could find and I felt good value for money. You can pay an awful lot for your saddles!

 

[Tarragon]

Just to add that the lightness of the saddle was a criteria, especially when you are an adult riding a pony.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I haven't found a Fell pony yet that the Saddle Company saddles fit decently, sorry. Maybe I haven't seen all the SC types tho, but the ones I did see tended to put the rider in one position, a chair seat.
There is a long post on the Registered Fell pony Facebook page dedicated to types and fit of saddles.
Can you look for a 2nd hand AH saddle, or the likes of Black Country, Fiona Cork in addition to the other makes you mention above? A good number are also listed on the Used Native Pony Saddle Facebook page.

Mine has an older model AH saddle (before they were called AH saddles and were Native Pony Saddles) for showing and going out, a Wintec wide gp for every day stuff (I hate the blooming thing but it fits well enough and she likes it, which is very important). I'm still looking out for a 16.5 Falcon Hawk event in a W fitting, having tried a friends 17 it fitted well but was a tad too long, another friends 16 was perfect but she isnt selling it and I really could do with the 16.5.

Good luck.

 

[southerncomfort]

I haven't found a Fell pony yet that the Saddle Company saddles fit decently, sorry. Maybe I haven't seen all the SC types tho, but the ones I did see tended to put the rider in one position, a chair seat.
There is a long post on the Registered Fell pony Facebook page dedicated to types and fit of saddles.
Can you look for a 2nd hand AH saddle, or the likes of Black Country, Fiona Cork in addition to the other makes you mention above? A good number are also listed on the Used Native Pony Saddle Facebook page.

Mine has an older model AH saddle (before they were called AH saddles and were Native Pony Saddles) for showing and going out, a Wintec wide gp for every day stuff (I hate the blooming thing but it fits well enough and she likes it, which is very important). I'm still looking out for a 16.5 Falcon Hawk event in a W fitting, having tried a friends 17 it fitted well but was a tad too long, another friends 16 was perfect but she isnt selling it and I really could do with the 16.5.

Good luck.

I've been looking at all those makes but unfortunately I can't find anything in XW in a pony sized seat.

I posted a wanted ad on the used native pony FB page but all I'm being sent is SC saddles. ?

Really not sure what to do.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I've been looking at all those makes but unfortunately I can't find anything in XW in a pony sized seat.

I posted a wanted ad on the used native pony FB page but all I'm being sent is SC saddles. ?

Really not sure what to do.

Can you get a good saddle fitter out to advise on makes and fitting? I know this will cost tho but at least you would get perhaps a better idea?
Our local saddler will do this, he mostly sells K&M and another 2 make of saddles new, but he would still advise if other makes would suit, will add to or adjust flocking on site if required to fit and does fit most other makes. Trouble is, he currently has a 2 month waiting list, as I suspect other good fitters will have too!

 

[southerncomfort]

Can you get a good saddle fitter out to advise on makes and fitting? I know this will cost tho but at least you would get perhaps a better idea?
Our local saddler will do this, he mostly sells K&M and another 2 make of saddles new, but he would still advise if other makes would suit, will add to or adjust flocking on site if required to fit and does fit most other makes. Trouble is, he currently has a 2 month waiting list, as I suspect other good fitters will have too!

Yes thats the other issue! Saddle fitter is booked but she's so busy that it's been a but of a wait. She will have some stock but probably not in the size or shape we need. So the liklihood is that she'll be able to tell me what to look for but won't be able to come back and fit it until August.

But he's only a youngster so if we have to wait a while it won't be a huge disaster.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I haven't found a Fell pony yet that the Saddle Company saddles fit decently, sorry. Maybe I haven't seen all the SC types tho, but the ones I did see tended to put the rider in one position, a chair seat.

Good luck.

I bought mine for a short-backed Clydesdale, used it on a different but very similarly shaped Clydesdale and then had it altered to fit a long-backed ID.

 

[southerncomfort]

Just seen an ad go up for a 16" XW working hunter saddle from Colemans saddlery.

I've not heard of them and can't find any reviews on their saddles but looks the right type and is cheap enough to take a punt on.

P.s just re-read and seen that you use a Wintec TFF. Out of interest do you think they fit better than TG's?

P.p.s sorry for all the questions ?

 

[Coblover63]

I'm not a fan of SC saddles for very wide ponies. Imho they have a tendency to "perch and roll". Also I find them exceptionally uncomfortable. They changed my undercarriage to blisters!

 

[southerncomfort]

I'm not a fan of SC saddles for very wide ponies. Imho they have a tendency to "perch and roll". Also I find them exceptionally uncomfortable. They changed my undercarriage to blisters!

???

 

[TPO]

"A day in the life of a saddle fitter" aka Poppy Webber/PeeWee Saddlery has a youtube channel. She has posted a video explaining SC saddles and how they are adjusted as well as the basic details about their various ranges. Might be worth a watch

Iirc (& if nothing has changed) SC have three different trees that they build on. The issue with buying second hand is that it is hard to be 100% sure what tree is in the saddle. Also as saddles are m2m from templates there could be subtle tweaks done to fit a specific horse.

They don't tend to hold their value second hand (approx 225- 300 on ebay last time I looked, pre covid admittedly) so even adding the cost of an adjustment and reflocking should leave you this side of £500.

The catch is that your average fitter doesnt have the templating machine to adjust the saddle and not all SC fitters even invest in the machine. Then if you do find a SC fitter with the machine it's how do you know if they are any good other than trying. One way round it is if you have a fitter you trust they can template your horse and write up notes then the saddle can be sent to SC HQ (phone first to check availability and prices) who will adjust it. I dont know if he is retired but Dave Johnson that owns SC is/was a master saddler and possibly a fellow? I know he had something to do with making the industry standard tree and he created Kent & Master saddles (they couldn't name then Kent & Johnson because that's the name of a s3x manual in USA so it would impact their search function online!).

I'm not a fan of SC saddles for very wide ponies. Imho they have a tendency to "perch and roll".

Quite simply a saddle doesnt fit if it does that. That isn't a brand specific "fault". I've fitted SC saddles to very wide show Highlands (one that also did WH and HT/ODEs), welsh cobs, Dales and cobs and not had any perching or rolling. Those were all new saddles for those horses and not second hand though.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

SC I've not ridden in a TG since I sat in one many years ago. Tho I understand they are better these days.
The Wintec 500 wide I use mostly in the winter, it's ok for straight line hacking and in the rain and tho I have previously jumped in it, I really wouldn't now as prefer the Fen.

 

[atropa]

My Highland x came with a Saddle Company saddle, it was a nice saddle in that it was lightweight and looked smart enough but it quite clearly didn't fit either the horse or myself. It moved up my poor mare's shoulders and neck as soon as she started walking, and I found I was sitting on the cantle, in chair seat, with my legs swinging about all over the place particularly in trot.
I swapped her to a Thorowgood T4 cob, a saddle I'd previously never have looked twice at, and the difference right away is immense

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I used to ride a horse that had one and hated it, it was the half leather half synthetic serge version and I didn't think it looked that nice either.

I would much prefer a AH, Ideal or black country saddle any day much better saddles all round in my opinion and probably will fit better that type.

 

[RHM]

Another brand to look at is flyde those fit my fell but I didn’t think they were that comfy. Ideal H&C fit mine also, though now he just lightly hacks I have a treeless on him - barefoot.

 

[palo1]

I have had several SC saddles - one I hated but the others have been fine - especially for a young or changing horse. I have a SC saddle at the moment with a native/cob tree that has been machine altered to fit my mare. I like it more than I have liked previous ones though it is a full leather with serge panels rather than synthetic bits sort of saddle! It is not as lovely as some of the more expensive ones but it is absolutely doing a decent job and both me and horse are comfy with it. I trust my saddle fitter implicitly and have been glad of her expertise for more than 15 years; I think for any saddle you must have a decent fitter who can either alter/re-flock or advise that it doesn't work! I have had M2M saddles in the past as well as second hand saddles of other kinds; the only important thing really is that it fits. I don't think the SC saddles are particularly poorly made but they are never going to be as luxurious as a more expensive saddle. But they can do a perfectly decent job!

 

[Abby-Lou]

I own 2 saddles by them and they are so light weight. I bought a breaking saddle at a table top sale and to be honest that is the one I ride with the most the best £100 I have ever spent

 

[Coblover63]

Quite simply a saddle doesnt fit if it does that. That isn't a brand specific "fault".

I quite agree! I had Dave (the owner) himself out from the SC who measured my mare and custom-built a saddle for her.... and it still didn't fit. You kind of lose faith after that ?‍

 

[Fire sign]

I had one that never fitted properly . I had no faith in the SC fitter either who simply seemed to be in it for the money and was always keen to sell me another more expensive upgraded Saddle Company saddle .. to solve the problem of it sliding sideways or up the horse's neck. Avoid at all costs !

 

[southerncomfort]

Thanks everyone.

I think I'll have a chat with my saddle fitter but my instinct is to keep looking for a BC, Ideal or Fylde.

 

[suestowford]

I do have one, and it has been fitted to my Fell. It doesn't slip or roll and he tells me it fits him well (he would buck me off if he wasn't comfortable!). It was set to xxw when I got it but it's now at xxxxw as he is very broad in the back.
It's not a bad saddle but I don't like the synthetic seat so have added a sheepskin seat cover for comfort. It's light in weight and easy to clean. I bought it as a stop gap while I was saving up for a different saddle, but I gave up on the other saddle and just kept this one

 

[SEL]

I've got one on a part bred dales pony which was refitted by a local master saddler. I find it comfy but I'm not entirely sure the pony agrees

 

[Flame_]

I haven't found a Fell pony yet that the Saddle Company saddles fit decently, sorry. Maybe I haven't seen all the SC types tho, but the ones I did see tended to put the rider in one position, a chair seat.
.

They do that on just about everything, not just fells, IME.