Saddles - Albions?

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NicoleS_007

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Hey everyone :) In a bit of a conundrum regarding a saddle for my ISH mare :confused: She is about 16.2hh weight taped at 587kg the other day, she has lost weight and needs to lose some more but also has to muscle up!! She has big shoulders, I wouldn't say huge shoulders but big and upright-ish. We had a wintec 500 gp medium on her and her shoulders push it back and saddler says it could be doing with being widened to a mw and the flocking sorted as it was flocked more for my TB. My thinking is that there's no point spending £150 to get that to fit to a decent extent as i hate the saddle and will not get the money back if i sold it. Next saddle up was a James Sterling Puissance saddle which was also Medium (a friends saddle) apparently the gullet sits to low and the panels sit to much on her shoulder and looks to narrow now. Saddler checked his stock and the only thing he has in mw 17.5inch seat and in our budget is a Black Country GP. But I don't want another GP, I want a jumping saddle!! So I have been looking around and found some albions in mw in our budget (k2's, legends etc) Im trying to see if anyone I know has one I could try as its a bit of a gamble buying one online for it not to fit her!! Im pretty sure there's lots of ISH's with an albion, has anyone ever had any problems with them?
 
YES! Albion make a variety of trees and not all fit a specific type of horse - V and U shapes as an example. I love Albion saddles and have owned them for many years, however my current hunter has a Falcon Adler VSS as we could not find a secondhand Albion to fit. No choice in my opinion, the saddle must fit the horse, even if the Albion Ultima has to be sold!!
 
Hmmm interesting, thanks. It's more the jump legend one im interested in but cant find anyone with one and our saddlers rarely have them so they go for extortionate rates ;) Shes not really a U (as in round with no withers) or a V (as in like a TB) shes more so in the middle ;) ETS, i have rode her in an albion Gp and she went super in it hence my thinking lol
 
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I love my albion K2 - and it seems to fit a variety of horses pretty well, something about the way it sits, it just looks right. Its being reflocked atm as I've let a friend borrow it to event on whilst mine was lame, don't want to tell her I might want it back in a couple of months..... :eek:
 
I must say I am not an albion fan, I sold my SLK dressage saddle because I hated riding in it, I also got rid of a K2 jumping saddle.... can you ride in one before you buy it?
 
echo poster above- I would make sure you sit in one first.

I have ridden in quite a few different Albions on different horses and hated them all!

For some reason they just really do not suit me; shame as I think my gelding is quite Albion shaped but not any point even trying one on him.
 
No unfortunately cant try before i buy as there on Ebay :( I have rode her in an Albion GP (think it was a K2) and it fit her really well and she went super in it, but I don't know weather to take the plunge and buy online!!
 
Make sure you ride in one first!!!

Bruce used to have an Albion SLK and it was by far the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat in! From what I've heard, read, experienced etc; Albions are easy to fit and adjust to horses, but not to people.
 
Would definately think twice before buying one on ebay without having first tried one out first! I have an albion k2 jump m/w for my connie and it is the most comfortable saddle i've ever sat on, the knee and thigh rolls provide a really secure seat, ofcourse it fits her really well too, she is quite 'broad' and has quite a front on her, it's also really soft and supple. I have an old fieldhouse jumping saddle on my other horse which is similar in style but they seemed to have stopped making them in that particular style when I was looking for similar last year.
 
I'm about to try a K2 jump on my toungster this Friday! Where in country are you? I also have an old Albion XC (might be a legend?) on my little Arab, love it but then it's like a comfortable armchair for me riding him anyway as have had him so long and done so many hours in the saddle!
 
I have an Albion k2 jump for my wb, I love it secure seat, big knee rolls it's saved me a load of times, mum has an ideal impala on the ish she likes it however I'm not keen as have longer legs than her and I don't sit right in it, maybe as I'm used to the Albion?!
 
I might be able to get hold of a K2 jump to have a sit in but don't know how different the legend is lol hmmmm!! Really loved my exselle but alas the foam panels were its downfall!!

Lol Only_me... I don't believe you :p don't tell me he's a medium!! We shall blame Annie's extra width on baby fat hehe ... Ps ... The saddler likes your horse ;) For some reason he instantly knew her breeding and then complemented how lovely the Billster was!
 
@nicole - lol annaghmore? Lol I guess glenhill gold stamps his stock pretty well! Eg. For some reason his breeding dosent show on EI - but everyone who sees him sees GHG :p
 
i just bought an albion K2 dressage (genesis) and although i've only had it since Friday i LOVE it :D

Very different feel to the SLK though, felt that locked me into a position which i don't like. The knee rolls on the K2 aren't as big as the SLK but still put my leg in a great position without restricting me :)

I paid my local saddler to come out with some brand new versions of saddles so i could try a number of brands without having to buy and also get good advice as to which fit her best - i was honest with them when i booked his time, told him it was unlikely i'd buy new and that ideally i'd want to go 2nd hand.

He told me i was cheeky but they'd just charge me a little extra then normal (£60) He was so helpful though and really nice about it and it was a very useful exercise!

In the end i ended up buying brand new because i'm impatient and my OH very kindly offered to stump up some of the cash..... :D
 
Am just awaiting the arrival of my new Albion K2 jump from Albion. Have to say I've ridden in a few and absolutely love them. Really pleased to see Albion have taken the time to see his templates and make sure the saddle will be the best possible shape for him, just wish it wasn't going to take so long!!

They seem to really suit those of us who are a) tall or b) have a long hip to knee measurement.
 
I would try one from somewhere like Saddles Direct for a small fee so you can easily send it back if not right.

I had an Albion VSD that fitted my old pony very well, he was cob type but with withers, I loved it.

However even though it 'looked' right on my new pony who is a similar shape, he hated it. Had the same reaction with an Albion Dressage saddle recently, looked perfect on him, I absolutely loved it, he hated it..
 
Try saddles direct they have some Albions on there and you can try and send back if not suitable. You can have more than 1 saddle to try at a time to give you a choice.
I love Albions but you need to try before you buy :D
 
I adore K2 jump saddles, they seem to fit me to perfection!

I was gutted when my K2 jump didn't suit my last horse, but am pleased to report have managed to change to a new horse thats suits the K2!
 
So....K2 has a jump, dressage and GP version. Loved my SLK but panels proved too broad for my next horse so had to sell it. The K2 jump was the only saddle that fitted my previous ISH as I had the same issue with his shoulders,. He ended up in a W fit as well. Have a dressage SL which I don't like nearly as much as my SLK. Unfortunately my horse does!
 
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