The saddle co. saddles

Daisychain

Daisychain

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I have seen these saddles and was quite impressed with them, and with the kind of fit for the horse, just wondered who uses them on this forum and what you thought, my young horse can be cold backed and sensitive, so thought this might be good, as they dont weigh a ton either!
 
IMO, having had several, they are lovely for the horse, but not supportive enough for the rider once you get beyond prelim/3' (depending on which you have).

I think it is down to individual preference though, but I always felt like I was struggling to keep in a decent position in all of mine. The dressage one was not deep seated enough for me, and the GP one my horse jumped me out of the saddle quite spectacularly and I nearly got a ducking (as BBs, S_V, Silly Mare and others will remember!!).

So I got rid of them all. Real shame as I loved them and the horse went beautifully in them, and if they were designed a bit more towards the competative rider I would deffo try them again. They were the only thing my ultra-sensitive mare I used to have tolerated too, so for sensitive types they seem great.
 
There is no doubt that my horses have gone really well in them.
I have the SC event saddle for Owen for jumping in and I feel super secure in that- have learnt to adapt to it over a period of about 2 years! Owe jumps fab in it.
BUT also have the same model of SC event saddle for my much wider young mare- who is built like a table across her back- and I do not feel as secure in it at all.It rolls from side to side a bit. She is a wierd shape though TBH. I think this could be due to the fact that she is not quite so 'together' yet as she is young so its harder to feel the centre point of balance on her?
Owen went better in his Saddle Company dressage than he did his WOW but the SC dressage saddle is HELL to ride in- it was beyond the joke Im afraid, I must have looked like some sort of 4 year old riding for the first time! Was sad because he did go beautifully in it. Never seen an effect like it with that dressage saddle.
 
Doff I had exactly the same problem with my SC dressage saddle - I don't ride beautifully on the flat at the best of times but this made me look like I'd never sat on a horse!
 
I would love one for a horses going point of view, but a friend very kindly let me try her Dressage saddle and I really couldnt get on with it. The stirrup bars were in the wrong place and I really couldnt maintain any sort of position
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That put me off trying any of the other models either tbh. They also look cheap IMHO, and I cant see their jump saddle offering any support and all the older ones I have seen look like crap after a while. So fab for lower level/pleasure rider, but not so great for competitive rider IMO.
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IMO they are designed for pleasure riders rather than competitive riders. I think the GP is okay but the dressage and jumping models are badly designed. It's a shame as I think the principal of them is good.
 
Thank goodness because I thought it was just me! I bought it because I thought 'its just me, so I had better learn how to ride in it'! I was determined so tried to get used to it,hacked out for 2 hours a day, worked without stirrups in it etc. but there was NOT a chance in hell of me 'riding' in that saddle!- in fact my riding must have got worse LOL. Thankfully lady took it back after two weeks.
 
i have the working hunter verona.

i got it becuase it is so light - lighter than my wintec wide synethetic even was !! i am an adult on a pony so weight issues are imporant.

the first few times i rode in it i thought oh god what have i done !! i am usually very balanced but i was all over the place especially in trot, the stirrup bar is a little further forward than im used to so it took me a while to sort out my centre of gravity i think. after about 5 times of riding in it i was fine.

i don't think its the comfiest saddle in the world for me or the best for my position - however my mare is very hard to fit, and it fits her and doesnt slip, her comfort is more important to me.

i got a nubuck seat and knee rolls, i wouldnt recommend a nubuck seat it seems quite hard i think leather would be softer.
 
If they have aimed the saddles at that kind of market, which they obv. have, its funny that they dont make them more secure isnt it? I wouldve thought that the pleasure rider would need MORE help and support with their position than a competitive rider would. How on earth would a poor happy hacker do dressage in the dressage saddle I dont know ! Shame really, I think that they would only need to make simple adjustments to the dressage saddle to make it more rideable. However,I do think that the event saddle is very secure to ride and jump in when youve got a narrower TB though.
 
Dunno about the event model, but I had the close contact sj model and it was awful. Narrow through the gullet and completely out of balance, that was on a bog standard medium horse that you can normally put any off the peg saddle on!
 
Thanks everyone, it was the event saddle i liked the look of, and i dont personally like a big bucket seat, i like to have a bit more flexibility for when going down drops etc, dont like the feeling of a saddle hitting my backside! Havent really looked at the dressage version.
 
I have an event one on its way to me now for my gelding... I would never class myself as a very competative rider, my big aim is to do the odd Intro and some other Rc stuff so these saddles are perfect for me. My horses love them and they have changed how both of them move, I would be wary now of changing to a different type/make of saddle as I would worry that there would be a detrimental effect to my horses... So I may have to put up with the fact they may not help me with my position, I can cope with that to know how comfortable my horses are.

I ahve a Verona GP currently on my mare and I cannot fault it, no matter how hard she has tried to dislodge me she hasnt (so far) and I have been dressaging, xc and sj in it (albeit all small local level). Its the comfiest saddle I have ever sat in. I cant see me needing anything else on her.
 
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