Saddle prejudices...

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kit279

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I had to eat humble pie at the saddlers today
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Having for some not-good-enough-reason decided I didn't like Ideal saddles, I have now bought one... And I'm not alone, saw another girl flatly refuse to try anything but Jaguar saddles and then when the horse was so bridle lame, she eventually tried a Barnsby and the damn thing went brilliantly.

Have always had Albions and really loved them but now I'm in a grey area! Anyone else with saddle prejudice?
 
wows look realy horrible to ride in but everybody raves about them

everybody seems to rant about stubbens and i love them!
 
Yep used to have prejudice against Ideals too, but now have an Ideal Springbok which is fab. Also not the greatest fan of Albions, but have an Albion dr. saddle which suits us!! Still dislike Stubbens though!
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And there are a few makes I wouldnt put on my horse just because there are too many "grey" areas surrounding them!!
 
Gosh yes, tell me about it!! There are quite a few saddle makes that I would not put anywhere near my horses, but I am always prepared to be proved wrong as every brand of saddle is constantly evolving and changing
 
I'm another one that wasn't keen on Ideals and now have an Ideal Grandee which I love! I'm not very impressed with stubben from the experiences I have had and when looking for a new saddle was adamant I wasn't going to try one.
 
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Ehm, I have to disagree here - so long as it first the horse properly I don't really care about the 'make' as such
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But certain saddles have such curved trees (comfy for rider, disastrous for horse's back, which is essentially flat) that the bearing surface is seriously reduced, so although it can look as if it fits perfectly, the comfort of it for the horse is seriously compromised.
ditto a certain top make of saddle (particularly known for dressage saddles, British make) which has sausage-shaped pockets in the panels for the flocking... Master Saddler told me they are a nightmare to try to re-stuff because there's no adjustability, room to move in there etc.
Certain close-contact jump saddles have very short points, which can cause a lot of problems. Others have a trumpet-shaped front of tree (that's how it was described to me) which comes forward and pinches the withers and shoulder as you land over a fence.
Of course, NONE of this is visible just from looking at the fit.... you only find out about it when the horse starts telling you in no uncertain terms that something's wrong...
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I ended up with the Ideal because it was the best fit for my mare, the reason I didn't want a stubben is because I know of 2 horses who's backs were ruined by stubben saddles that had been professionally fitted. If the saddle that fitted best on the day had been one with no makers badge then that is the one I would have bought, no question on that one
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I dont really have a prejudice for any make although there are a few makes I wouldnt buy. I would also go with what fits the horse best.

I have a wow and have found it to be great for my horse. But that doesnt mean they would be great for every horse. I had an albion which she hated.
 
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the only saddles i'll put on my horse's backs are Ideals and Barrie Swains.

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Surely two makes of saddle do not suit all horses?? I agree in part with what you go on to say about flat treed saddles but some horses do have quite curved backs, especially if they are lacking muscle. Some horses need thicker panels than others as well. Which makes to try depends on the shape of the horse. For flat backed horses I like ideals but am less keen on the Barrie Swains, they just don't seem to sit into the horse as well. If you like ideals try Lovatt and Ricketts, they make flat treed saddles but IMO the leather is alot nicer, and some have a deeper seat for the rider.
 
I think you missed the point slightly there - I don't have any preference for saddle brands - for me so long as they fit the horse (and the rider) correctly then fashion doesn't come into it At the end of the day every horse is different - my WB mare is just coming back into work at the moment after a long lay off and her own saddle doesn't fit - she's currently hacking out in an endurance saddle (which I would NEVER in a million years have ordinarily tried) as the weight bearing surface was wider.
 
KVS, those makers both use a variety of trees, it isn't as if all Ideal saddles are on exactly the same tree!
I have a Swaine Madonna dressage saddle with wide flat serge panels which really does fit beautifully most middle-of-the-range horses... it doesn't fit my TB mare, or a very wide horse, but is fine on every other horse i've put it on, and they find it really comfy.
A lot of top yards use a few saddles and they are put on every horse, sometimes with various pads underneath. makes a bit of a mockery of us being so fussy about one saddle fitting one horse perfectly, i guess... but when i see a top sj sailing over huge fences in a saddle i would wince to put near my horses, i don't know what to think, tbh.
 
Having had a back exp with Albion im not sure I would go there again - the "honeymoon" period of the saddle lasted a year then he went sore, sensitive and lost muscle tone - changed imediately (even rode out in a racing saddle) till I had found the right one - Fusion saddle for jumping and a Barry Swain dressage saddle - which I adore as most importantly does the horse - we are still on saddle "honeymoon" 5 months on, The thing is with saddles not everything suits every one, a friend of mines eventer is with a junior Brit - she rides everything in her Devoucoux, his horse bucks her off everytime she sits on him in it - instead he prefers his ancient family hunting saddle - which now does dressage and jumping phases, 5 double clears this season and a win at Hambleden cant be wrong!!
 
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wows look realy horrible to ride in but everybody raves about them

everybody seems to rant about stubbens and i love them!

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I certainly don't rave about WOWs
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