Showing in a synthetic saddle

[Bettyboo222]

Been talking to T's owner about saddle for him, as much as I love his saddle pad I really can't deal with slipping and it is starting to get dangerous now

Anyway she has found a really lovely synthetic saddle that will 'mould' to his shape which would be brill as we are struggling to find any normal saddle that fit him well.

So anyway, can you show in a synthetic saddle as long as it looks leather-ish?

 

[Bettyboo222]

Bump

 

[Meandtheboys]

Well I will be..............partly because he is only 4yrs so currently he is changing shape all the time so it would be a stupid waste of money and his is going so well with his current saddle.

I often see them in lower level showing............don't do T&T so could not comment.

As long as they are in a good condition, good fit......why not!!

 

[rockysmum]

What level? At local you see a few. If you want to go further I doubt that ride judges would be very happy and they dont look as nice.

To be honest if I saw one I would tend to assume that the people didn't really know what they were doing, but everyone starts somewhere.

 

[Bettyboo222]

It would only be local, just getting some experience under his belt really he has done lots and lots of inhand but barely any/no ridden showing

 

[Piglet]

I hate seeing the snobbery re synthetic saddles, they don't denote inexperience, some of them at the higher end of the scale look like leather!! If my horse wasn't in a made to measure saddle due to been an odd shape, I would quite happily show in one. Admittedly at the lower price range some do look cheap, but if that is all someone can afford then does I really matter?

 

[Bettyboo222]

To be honest the only reason we are using a synthetic saddle is becuase it fits him really well unlike his leather one which pinched his shoulders,

 

[Enfys]

BettyBoo...yes of course you can

What level? At local you see a few. If you want to go further I doubt that ride judges would be very happy and they dont look as nice.
Not much of a Judge then

I thought it was the horse that was being judged

If a saddle fits and the horse goes well in it then so what? As long as it looks traditional. Gaaa

Yes, yes, yes, I understand turnout etc, is terrifically important and every little thing helps, but it shouldn't, if a Judge cannot see beyond a bit of bling ( a bit? some browbands look like leftovers from a Christmas tree) a cleverly braided mane, cosmetic fairy dust whatever, then are they really qualified to judge at all? Yet another reason that I really could not be bothered with showing.

To be honest if I saw one I would tend to assume that the people didn't really know what they were doing, but everyone starts somewhere.

Aha, good old assumption! You have to love that word.

I always ride in synthetic saddles, no one could tell my English saddles were synthetics unless they looked carefully and I couldn't give a toot if they did, my saddles, my horses, my business.

Do you know why I used them? (Rather than just assuming it is because I know no better) Because they suited my horses and having a frozen shoulder I found leather saddles too heavy for me to lift, but there you go. I really don't have a clue afterall and as you say, everyone has to start somewhere

 

[Bettyboo222]

Good Point Enfys

 

[dumpling]

Just to add more ***** to the fan...

At local level yes, you see them all the time. At county level I'd say no, you're likely to get marked down and frowned up. Enfys- fair enough but if you've ever watched or competed at county level you're very unlikely to see one. You should be smartly and in some cases traditionally turned out. A synthetic saddle isn't traditional , and in some cases ,depending on which one, they are not particularly smart or ideal for showing off the horse.

 

[sbloom]

Would you prefer a leather saddle? What saddle fitting issues are you having?

 

[astridday]

My daughter showed my pony twice in 2009. Once in an open 153cm WHP and once in a 153cm SHP. Two seperate shows under two different judges. They were large agricultural shows. Her saddle was a leather-look wintec close contact saddle used with discrete numnah and a leather girth. You couldn't tell, even close up, that the saddle wasn't real leather. Her jods, boots and tweed jacket were all bought cheaply from eBay. At both shows they won their class and went on to take the championship!

 

[ebonyallen]

At a local level this would be fine, you can get some great ones now, its different from when they first came out, can not see what the problem would be. Good luck with it.

 

[Cheiro1]

At local level im sure a synthetic is fine, although it would be possible you would get marked down.

I would be more worried about the idea a saddle with a tree can "mould" to a horses shape on its own accord!!

 

[sbloom]

True - if it's one of the cheap synthetics that has a supposedly flexible tree I'd run a mile. Only flocking or treeless saddles should mould to a horse - the first over time, and the second on each horse it is used on, as it has no rigidity.

 

[Enfys]

Just to add more ***** to the fan...

At local level yes, you see them all the time. At county level I'd say no, you're likely to get marked down and frowned up. Enfys- fair enough but if you've ever watched or competed at county level you're very unlikely to see one. You should be smartly and in some cases traditionally turned out. A synthetic saddle isn't traditional , and in some cases ,depending on which one, they are not particularly smart or ideal for showing off the horse.

Of course I have watched at County level, I have worked for show producers at national and international level, I still find showing incredibly boring and 'inbred' when it comes to judging.

At top level no-one is going to use synthetic, and tradition, quite rightly, should be adhered to (hmmm, so where do those ghastly blingy browbands come into the equation there then eh?) but it still doesn't change the fact that Judging should NOT be based merely on a saddle.

 

[dumpling]

I understand what you're saying. I think with regards to the saddle- I ve never seen a synthetic show saddle(?) thus if you show in a synthetic (county +) you'd be in a GP ,dressage etc which is incorrect and will blemish the overall 'look' of the horse....

Can't comment on the blingy stuff as only show traditional m&m types.

 

[Rowreach]

I'm with Enfys

I judge, and it wouldn't bother me if a horse was shown in a well fitting synthetic saddle. It would bother me if they were in an ill fitting traditional one, and if I'm ride judging and I'm not comfortable, then the horse isn't either, and neither of us can do our jobs properly

I show my horses in treeless. When I'm sitting on them, nobody can tell the difference. Ride judges sometimes look a little askance as they're legged up - they nearly all come back with a smile on their faces saying how comfortable it is. I do workers in a GP, and usually swap to a dressage style for show hunters as it shows the shoulder off better. Solution make a specialist showing saddle nowadays, so there is clearly a market for the non-traditional (and expensive ) in showing.

I would far sooner ride my horses in a saddle which fits and which the horse likes than worry about some narrow minded judge marking me down because my saddle is non-traditional - or in the OPs case, synthetic

 

[HOWEN]

Last year my horse was shown in a brown synthetic saddle all season with no questions asked at county and local. He was placed top 3 in 99% of his classes and had his photo in H&H. I have a synthetic saddle as it’s lightweight and fits him perfectly. I suppose I have to start somewhere, as I really don’t have a clue what I am doing. Off to buy an leather one ASAP as I don’t want the judges to be unhappy as they don’t look as nice. Seriously if a judge was upset I didn’t have a leather saddle, they could shove the class up where the sun doesn’t shine.

Better than some of the clowns you see with all the gear but no idea!

 

[sbloom]

I would far sooner ride my horses in a saddle which fits and which the horse likes than worry about some narrow minded judge marking me down because my saddle is non-traditional - or in the OPs case, synthetic

Some showing peeps, used to teeny tiny little showing saddles (which I am no fan of for the sake of the horse's comfort) will even say that our Native Pony minimalist Fen showing saddle is "too much saddle" for their taste, even if you can show it allows the pony to move much better - like all horsey sports, there are some very narrow minds out there!

 

[Enfys]

Last year my horse was shown in a brown synthetic saddle all season with no questions asked at county and local. He was placed top 3 in 99% of his classes and had his photo in H&H. I have a synthetic saddle as it’s lightweight and fits him perfectly. I suppose I have to start somewhere, as I really don’t have a clue what I am doing. Off to buy an leather one ASAP as I don’t want the judges to be unhappy as they don’t look as nice. Seriously if a judge was upset I didn’t have a leather saddle, they could shove the class up where the sun doesn’t shine.

Better than some of the clowns you see with all the gear but no idea!

Have you got that photo to post here?

I hunted for years in a brown synthetic saddle and not one person (and some were quite happy to nit pick) said "Ugh, you have got a synthetic"

I liked it, more importantly my horse was happy in it. A good synthetic isn't exactly a cheap piece of tat, and they are getting better all the time, if you are talking the old style nylon covered ones then well, yes perhaps their place is not the show ring.

 

[jj4y]

At local level you'll be absolutely fine with a synthetic. At his last show I rode my veteran cob in his black synthetic dressage saddle as it is what he goes best in...he won the cob class, veterans and got ridden champ.

Best of luck!

 

[C&C]

I have shown Chance in a synthetic saddle for YEARS and never had a problem, we have still won and been placed regardless of not wearing a leather saddle....its the horse (and possibly you) they are judging

Dont get me wrong it is lovely to have a leather one but its not the bee all and end all

Have fun x