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dumpling

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What's your opinion of these saddles?

eBay

290611500099

They look good from the outside but once you see the girth straps,etc they look a bit 'cheap'.

If they're worth putting on a horses back, they wouldn't be too bad for keeping as a schooling saddle?

Seems to have 100% feedback
 
im by no means a saddle "expert" but i used to sell second hand saddles, and to me it looks like a cheap indian import. The girth straps, a real give away, are all on one piece of material instead of two, which is for safety reasons, and a real give away to the imports.
I know they state this is not an import saddle, but id need convincing other wise as to me, it looks unsafe.
 
No, it's not a cheap indian import, it's not top of the range by any means BUT it IS English made.
The skirts are hand sewn on which shows some care has been taken to make it. (if you can see stitches along the length of the skirt, it shows they were machined on which is a massed produced cheap way of doing it and they aren't as good).
The bars show it is an English tree. Not a bad little saddle really, it's just not finished off as well as it could be.The girth straps are solid, possibly made from chrome leather rather than veg tanned. They are adaquate for showing.
 
I'm not a saddle maker, just a fitter, but I can'see a couple of things that raise question marks - the pommel/panel placement doesn't look quite right in the photo taken from the front, it's not quite symmetrical, though that may be the picture. For a very wide native it may have limitations - no point strap (and I agree that girth straps being attached to one piece of webbing is less than ideal), though you can have one added, and the panels look a little pouffy for my liking, though they may look better after they've been ridden in. It looks like it might perch a little which can cause instability.

And I love their PR - most smaller saddle producers that sell leather Walsall saddles buy them directly from the makers, having them made to their design. It's really not that unusual and does not give a special cost saving. You generally get what you pay for.
 
I think you'll find it's the angle and shadows on the photo that make it look like that.
The girths straps on one web is ok if the saddle used just for showing.
The fitting is down to the OP as to whether they get a Saddler or Saddle Fitter in to fit it.
It should be flocked to the horse's profile at the time of sale so the flocking would be sorted out then.
 
I guess I fit very wide and very flat natives and cobs day in and day out and that does not look like something that would work for a fairly extreme shape - I'd want the panel to be right in the first place before tweaking flocking. Just my approach. And I see what you mean about it being okay for showing, but most people want one saddle to show in and ride in everyday, so you just know this will end up being hacked out in. And you can still have a serious accident if a piece of webbing gives way, wherever you are.
 
I have one of these- I bought it a couple of years ago....but not from this seller but the page layout is exactly the same....looks to have changed userID for some reason?

It actually is a cracking little saddle- I have a brown one in 16" XW fit and it fits the highland perfectly.....its softened up nicely and moulded to his shape- he hacks and shows in it. I think it cost about £140 or something like? I've also used it on my arab and it fits him well too.

Personally...for the money its brilliant- no problems with the stitches coming apart or anything. Its not english leather.....but you can't really tell.

I would buy another.

The photos didn't do the one I bough justice.....I bought it thinking if it was crap I could just not use it, not a lot of money to waste really when you're talking saddles......
 
English leather has a distinct smell and grain, european leather is similar, Indian leather smells like pigskin (stinks) and has a unique large grainy appearance and texture,you can't mistake Indian for English or Euroean leather.
Some cheaper English leather (panel hides for example) can look a bit grainy but the smell will tell you what it is.
When you say it is not English do you mean it is European?
I for one,(from what I can see), would say that the saddle in question IS English leather even if it is a cheaper hide, it is still English.
Unless proved wrong by the seller of course!
 
Thanks for your replies.

Poppymoo I'd love to see a photo of your saddle to see what they look like instead of sellers photos?

I have a GP saddle, not cheap or anything but it does look grainy, I'm sure it's not Indian though as it smells fine! I do however have spare cheap stirrup leathers that are absolutely hoaching! Get a waft of them everytime I open the box.
 
And if you do buy look closing at all the points, stirrup bars etc are level, most cheap saddles aren't balanced and levelled up,

My friend brought one of those ones for £60 from eBay rode in it for ages then had the back person out who had a look at the saddle as pressure points in the saddle region, the whole thing was a good 2" out on the right side and the flocking all lumpy (another thing to check)
Saddle went in the bin and a new one fitted
 
Mucky Shavings said:
It says that other saddle brands buy these and rebrand them, ask them what make?
Click to expand...

Alot of saddleries do it. Years ago I was buying in Walsall made saddles through a wholesaler, they had no names on, the guy who was making them up used to work for Sandringham saddlery until they went bust, then he went out on his own making unamed saddles. If we wanted to we could put our own names on.
I personally didn't bother as the quality of the saddle spoke for itself and didn't need advertising with a name brand and I only put my name on saddlery I have made but alot of the big names simply buy in these sort of saddles, add their own logos and sell them on. It's common practice.
 
I never knew sandringham saddlery went bust! I had a lovely little saddle when I broke my boy in, it's too narrow now though.

I'm worried about wonky flocking too, the photo makes it look wonky but perhaps it's because it's not sat that straight. I suppose if they have 100% feedback there's no harm in buying and returning if it's no use.
 
cremedemonthe said:
Alot of saddleries do it. Years ago I was buying in Walsall made saddles through a wholesaler, they had no names on, the guy who was making them up used to work for Sandringham saddlery until they went bust, then he went out on his own making unamed saddles. If we wanted to we could put our own names on.
I personally didn't bother as the quality of the saddle spoke for itself and didn't need advertising with a name brand and I only put my name on saddlery I have made but alot of the big names simply buy in these sort of saddles, add their own logos and sell them on. It's common practice.
Click to expand...

I understand that a lot of companies do this, clothes, shoes, handbags, food, horsey things etc.
I reason was it you could then compare the saddles to see if a) the quality, b) if the sellers are being honest c) if the 'make' is any good, and the tree sound.
D) you could maybe have an idea of the shape of the tree ie wintecs being banana

From the pics it looks like a bargain but if you can get more details then the better, it may also help if needed to sold on etc.
 
cremedemonthe said:
lol, I have visions of everyone going round smelling their saddles now to make sure they are English!
:)
Click to expand...

I recently bought an Indian leather bridle on ebay. The leather looks fine, but the other day I left it in the car and when I returned to my car it wasn't the usual lovely "new leather" smell which filled the car. It smelled sour and a little "off". :eek:
 
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