Saddles - bit disappointed :/ (long, sorry)

marmalade76

marmalade76

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Right, here goes.

I need a saddle to fit my boy, he has withers and but a flat back and all of the saddles I've tried on him so far (oldish saddles belonging to me and my friends) curl up away from his back at the back. I have made do up until now and now I have the money to buy him a new one. Yay, never had a brand new saddle before, should be exciting!

I have set my budget at a grand, as I feel I should be able to get something good quality for that money and to spend more than that for the amount and level of riding I do would be a bit of a waste.

So, due to the shape of my boy and my taste in saddles and budget (most of the saddles I like are well over a grand, ie, Pennwood, Jeffries Elite) I decided to go for a Native Pony Saddle Company GP. When I started looking for saddles on the net this really appealed to me, I liked the style and colour and it looked really good quality. By the time I had the money, the NPSC had changed the saddles on it's website to ones which looked to me not as good as the previous ones, not as nice a colour and not as good quality.

To give you an idea of the previous model, on page 26 of last weeks H&H (17th March) there is a pic of a horse with a NPSC saddle, the one I wanted was the same as this but more forward cut.

See the new model here, fourth one down.

http://www.nativeponysaddles.com/saddles.html

I was really disappointed, but thought there may be a chance that some stockists may have some of the old models still in stock. So I 'phoned one of the fitters listed on the NPSC website and she said she did have some of the old models in stock - great - or so I thought.

Had her out today and she brought two saddles for me the try, the Native Pony GP and a Comfort Saddle Four Star Jump. Both fitted my boy a treat. The GP was exactly the same as the one currently on the NPSC website apart from there was no line of stitching down the middle of the knee roll. It did not look much like the old model I had admired or the one pictured in H&H and IMO, didn't look terribly good quality. My boy went well in it but I found it rather slick and I was sitting on top of it rather than in it, IYKWIM.

I other saddle I found more comfortable, but my boy went less well in it. The fitter said that this was probably because this saddle had gel pannels and some horses didn't like them and he would probably be fine with a flock pannel.

Both saddles, I felt, were not made from particularly nice leather. The fitter said the Comfort was made with better memel (sp?) leather, didn't look that much cop to me. This saddle was nearly £1200, and I would expect a saddle costing that much to look like it cost that much!

So, Ive had a rather disappointing day which has cost me £55 and I don't know where to go next. :/

Am I the only one who thinks that saddles are just not what they used to be in terms of the quality of leather and workmanship? Would you buy either of these sadlles and just accept that that's the best you can get for your money? Any suggestions will be gratefully recieved.

A glass of Harveys Bristol Cream for those who bothered to read all this waffle! :o
 
I would agree with you that the vast majority of modern saddles are not as good quality or as well made as they used to be - I think it's due to bulk production and speed of manufacture, among other factors.

We've got a Stubben Siegfreid which was made over 30 years ago and is tough, hard wearing and in immaculate condition. It's used every day and hunted in every week......

My OH has had many years experience fitting saddles and he found one for a horse a couple of years ago which sounds to be a very similar shape to your boy - the saddle that fitted the best was an Ideal GP - can't remember the model, but could probably find out for you.

She was a very narrow withered, wide flat backed small WB type - every saddle she had previously swung left/right on her back and rubbed the hair off. The Ideal never moved and she also stopped being cold backed :)
 
The leather isn't nearly as good quality as it used to be, due to the tanning process. A saddle was supposed to last a lifetime, but not now. Mine is about 8 years old and is still OK, but the stain has faded and it looks as though it is a few years old. It doesn't come up "good as new" when it is cleaned.
 
Have a look on the Ideal saddles website, they have a big range of GP saddles all around the £1000 mark, great saddles, Ideal's usually fit flatter backed horses. They do a 'wider' range just for this type. Good luck.
 
I hate having to get saddles for new horses so sympathise with your problem. You should be able to get a very nice saddle for less than £1k. I have both my horses in farrington saddles which were made to measure for them and fit brilliantly, cost about £800. You could try getting a saddle fitter out who stocks lots of different makes of different prices to see what fits horse and your budget. May be able to get an almost new but second hand one for a lot less than brand new price. good luck.
 
Have a look at Blackcountry saddles and Geoffrey Fieldhouse - Ideal are also worth a look, all good quality and can be fitted to the sort of horse you describe.
 
If its for native type then ideal are good saddles.We had welsh cob on loan and had to refit saddle she was flat backed and croup high .The best fit was ideal.
 
For quality, my 5yo Saddle Company saddle looks good as new still when cleaning, and it was around £500 new (the version with half leather and a synthetic underneath for the panels), so you can get the quality you want for the money you have to spend. My jump saddle was also £500 or thereabouts from Catlips (own make) and still looks fab and is so comfy for my horse, a year or so on.
 
I had exactly the same problem for my warmblood mare (nice withers but very flat back)and finally found the Pessoa Blythe Tait to be a perfect fit. I totally love this saddle. Unfortunately after only light use of my beloved saddle my mare had an accident in the field and is now retired, bless her. The saddle doesn't fit my new boy (a TB) so I am putting it on ebay next week and buying him a new one.
 
Many thanks for all the replies.

Spacefaer - I also have a Stubben Siegfried, not as old or as well used as yours (it's had a few years off work gathering dust and is now at Stow waiting to be sold) and like yours, does not look it's age at all and cleans up really well. It's too long for my pony, sadly. Do you think a Stubben would fit a flat backed horse? Stubbens seem to be quite reasonabley priced.

I think they sell Ideal at Stow, so might give them a ring on Monday.

A friend of a friend has recommended Lavinia Mitchell, so might give her a ring too.

Mrs.M - I've had a look at the Bridlepath website and they have a fab selection, but they're so far away!

Like the look of the Farringtons, there's a saddler in Bromsgrove that does them, so not too far away. Like the look of the Black Country too.

Despite Gloucestershire supposedly being the most horsey county, we're not spoilt for choice when it comes to saddlers up here in North Glos!
 
I have a Farrington xwide Wh saddle for my welsh cob who has a flat back, it was recommended to me by a saddler and i am v pleased with it, sooo comfy and you feel secure in it. My friend bought a ideal at the same time as me, it is a good saddle but no where near as comfy as my Farrington!
 
black country do a made to measure service and a new one should be around £950, best saddle ive ever had by far, and ive had all the top brands
 
Hi I actually have the four star jump saddle which I have had for about a year - it is bloody fantastic ! never budges and looks fab (mine is brown) - the memel stays supple all the time. I do have the flock and would probably agree about the gel - it isnt generally as good fit wise and it cant be altered so you are stuck if the horse changes shape. I got mine cheap even though it was brand new as i worked for the company (not as a saddle fitter) but I would say that because all saddles are made by hand each one can differ slightly - the quality of mine is oustanding. The four star is made with the same tree as the Mountain and Moorland saddle by the native pony saddle company and I used to have the Mountain and Moorland but wanted some thing a bit more forward cut for jumping ! the knee blocks have saved me numerous times. I may be worth asking to look at a different four star in flock - they will also send the saddles out on trial so you wouldnt have the fitting cost again but would have to pay for postage (you would need to know which fit is required) ! hope this helps
 
Another Ideal fan here.

I have to admit though that I do prefer the build quality of the older models with the silver studs, the workmanship is of very good quality and they seem to last forever. The horses and ponies all seem to go just a little bit better in them too.
The new ones are still very good value for money, I have the H&C model in 2 different width fittings and a couple of the WH models too. Am very happy with them and tend to use them as first choice over any of my other saddles, some of which were twice the price.
 
I used to have Saddle Co saddles, actually scrap that they were the even more expensive Barrie Swain version. Exactly as you describe the seat is big and flat, giving you that awful feeling of being very much "on top" and not in or with your horse. People on here will rave about them but I think they are just dreadful, and I had two (marketing).

I got shut of mine when I took it into a saddler near my work for an emergency repair as I was hunting the next day, I stayed there while he took it apart and showed me the rubbish "workmanship", I sold it and got him to make me a made to measure to horse AND me, my gosh what a difference! Also the first saddle I've EVER had where I can have the jump length I want without my knees being past the knee rolls!

This guy is in Swindon and will do made to measure for around a grand, I so recommend him. Also do not touch LM with a bargepole, pm for details if you want xxx
 
Have PMed you, Skewby.

Mrs.M, are you sure Bridlepath would come all the way to Glos just for one person and how much are they likely to charge for a fitting?

Meesha - I did find the Four Star comfortable, but the leather looked cheap, in fact I could have mistaken it for sythetic!

As for the M&M, it almost looked like an imported saddle, I was not impressed at all.

Thanks all for your help :)
 
Not read all the posts, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating info. :)

So, due to the shape of my boy and my taste in saddles and budget (most of the saddles I like are well over a grand, ie, Pennwood, Jeffries Elite)
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You should be able to get a new Jeffries Elite for just over a grand. I have seen them recently for just under £1100. They are fab saddles, I have one for my flat backed horse and I would happily buy another if it fitted the youngster when she's stopped growing.
 
I have always been an Albion snob, that was until I bought a horse which was similar to yours, wither plus flat back. I had a saddle company fitter out (she is on HHO) and she got me a made to measure GP for myself and also a jumping saddle. Both are amazing quality, my GP I had the top of the range, buffalo leather and nubuck seat and knees and it was still the same price as the basic Albion GP. The jumping saddle was just over half the price of the Albion and they fit him beautifully and the workmanship is brilliant. So much so I have ordered one for my ID as he is extremely hard to fit - no withers and very flat backed.

I never thought I would go for another brand, but Albion cannot fit to my horses and the Saddle Company saddles have been brilliant. I guess however it helps if you have a great fitter too :)
 
I no they seem abit pricey but have you tried Barnsby? (£1200 for a high quality GP), they travel all over the country (free at the moment, saw the offer in Horse and hound) the price on the website is inclusve of alterations/colour choices/different panels/tree etc. They also do fab follow up care and most is inclusive in the price of the saddle. They also make there own trees for the saddles so any fit/shape/size is possible.
Worth getting them out for a free saddle health check, see what they suggest?
 
SJcrazee said:
Have a look at Blackcountry saddles and Geoffrey Fieldhouse - Ideal are also worth a look, all good quality and can be fitted to the sort of horse you describe.
Click to expand...

I agree.

I borrowed a friends Sue Carson saddle and wow!! It was probably the best thing I have ever sat on. You should get a second hand one within budget

Good luck!
 
i'd definitely put Ideal top of your list, you can get a custom-made one for about your budget as long as you don't go for buffalo leather etc, i think.
another vote for Farringtons too though, I have one here that's with a visiting horse, it's a GP but it's not bad at all (high praise from me for a GP, can't stand the things!) and my v fussy saddler didn't have a bad word to say about it either when he checked it and did a little bit of reflocking etc.
if your horse has got a wither, i doubt a native pony type saddle would be perfect, they tend to be aimed at the oil-barrel-shaped sort! a lot of horses have very flat backs (hence why i can't stand saddles with trees shaped like bananas, they don't fit a lot of horses imho), so i wouldn't regard that as making your boy hard to fit.
as for wasting £55 and not buying a saddle, my saddle mistakes (always guided by Master Saddlers, fwiw) have cost me literally thousands over the years, so i'd be v relieved to get away with £55! ;) ;) ;)
good luck finding a perfect saddle for you both.
 
Balance International - their saddles are the best for any horse, and they are all now made by Frank Baines and are of excellent quality. A new one, with pad system, would be out of your budget, but many of the consultants and test ride facilitators have second-hand saddles for sale too, which start at around £400.
 
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