Sue Carson Saddles..

[ajb]

I currently have a Keiffer dressage saddle but thinkthat my thighs (and rear probably) are too long for it and having saved for the last year am in a position to sell this and buy another ...I went to watch the Nationals in September and was realy taken with these...anyone have one/hate/love???

 

[Quarrybank]

I have a dressage one & I'm awaiting delivery of a jumping one (hopefully next week

) My youngster is not easy to fit & I was concerned that he was likely to change lots as he grew and muscled up. I didn't want to end up having to change it. I'm also v tall & long legged, so what fitted him didn't necessarilly fit me! They've basically built a bespoke saddle for both of us. Very profesional. I tried loads of different styles & they decided which bit of which saddle to incorporate in my one. They spent a lot of time making sure we were both happy & comfey.
Re the dressage saddle- He works much better in it than his old one (forward, relaxed & working well) & is already starting to build up correct muscle. With having flair it can be adjusted easily as he changes shape & there are no pressure points.
I would def recomend. Not cheap but they are lovely saddles & if it saves me having to change saddles in a years time, it'll have paid for itself.

 

[ajb]

thats what appeals..im 5.9 and have according to my trainer, long thighs!! which should in theory make me a good dressage rider!! ha ha..the problem with the keiffer is that i sit on the "back" of the saddle which she thinks makes him hollow ...was really impressed with Sue Carson at Stoneleigh as she said about building the saddle around the rider and the horse..have talked OH into good idea to have bespoke and horsey has some savings so think this is the way forward..sadly the only thing I didnt like was the tacky name plates on the saddles..how sad am I!!!

 

[Tierra]

I personally dont like them. I dont find them particularly comfortable and after seeing a fellow livery have huge problems trying to get one altered (which didnt fit that well in the first place), it put me off completly. She ended up trading both of them in for albions.

Im very long from thigh to hip too and it does cause issues but its an issue that most made to measure saddles should be able to cater for (I opted for the wow)

Of course, what suits one horse / person doesnt suit another so it's just my opinion!

*Edit* Im 5ft 11 by the way so know how you feel!

 

[Quarrybank]

Well I'm 6' tall girlie, also with a long thigh, so def can't buy off the peg as it were. (I've had albion's in the past, which fitted me but sadly not my youngster) I have heard it should make me a good dressage rider too but not sure it does....ha ha!!!

I thought they were much more professional (and didn't do a hard sell) than conventional saddlers I've used in the past. Plus if anything needs altering at a later date, they can do it all for you.

 

[ajb]

umm I liked the WOW when saw at Badminton in the spring-trouble was it was pink which put me off..might google them and see if they have a site..

 

[SillyMare]

I tried both the Sue Carson and the WOW jumping saddles recently.

I know some people absolutely love the WOW - I couldn't get on with it at all personally (all the pads in the wrong place for me and everything feels far too big in every direction).

I loved the Sue Carson jumping saddle. Really comfortable and they balanced it using the air thing to straighten everything up which felt great! It was much more to my sort of taste in saddles (narrow twist, knee rolls adjustable to exactly the right place).

Eventually am going to go for the Jeffries flyover though to save the weight (Lex is tiny) and because it is half the price of the Sue Carson.

I am medium height (5ft8) with long thighs (which makes it quite hard to find a jumping saddle that suits me).

 

[air78]

I really liked the wow's and have ordered one with jumping and dressage flaps.
You should arrange a fitting/ trial to see how you get on with them on your horse.
I haven't actually tried the sue carson's (but have heard good things), but thought the wow was more flexible for the horses changing shape- i'm hoping he will actually develop some muscle this winter!

 

[Tierra]

@ air78

My gelding went from a narrow tree width to a MW (very very close to a wide) in 6 months in the wow

Im sure you'll see a lot of difference

They also had to do a rather custom jobby on the gullet to accomodate a lot of muscle across his back.

(The difference between the gullet width on my wow and say, a "standard" albion of the same tree width is staggering)