The Saddle Company - any experiences?

Angelbones

Angelbones

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I have just come across some adverts for The Saddle Company and have now checked out their website.

Do any of you have any experiences of them / their saddles / service?

Prices seem almost too good to be true, and the idea of being able to modify the tree etc when pony changes shape seems very appealing (I'm onto the 2nd saddle in 11 months, ho hum)

Many thanks guys x
 
Brilliant saddles for the horse and the low level rider. Hopeless if you actually want to compete above about Prelim or 3ft.

I had SC saddles for my horse and up to intro he was fine - worked well whilst he was a baby changing shape. Then I needed saddles which were a bit better designed for competitive riding than the SC ones. If all I did was low level RC stuff and hacking, I'd have a SC saddle for sure as they are so good for the horse.

So it entirely depends on what you want to do.
 
I have had two Saddle Company saddles, a dressage one and now the endurance one with the memory foam seat - brilliant for a creaky wreck like me. One of the few makes that I have managed to fit well to Highland ponies so I am very impressed with them.

I agree if you are into serious competition they are probably a bit too 'soft' and generic fit to do any one job really well, but at RC level they are one of the best options.
 
I have two, the GP and the dressage. I love them, my friend has a jumping saddle but hasn't really competed since she got it so I can't comment on that. I had a wide warmblood then had to retire her and now I have a scrawny warmblood/TB cross who is only 5 and how good is that this saddle will grow with her! Hope that helps!
 
I too can recommend them until you get to the stage where you need a specific purpose saddle. Ive used them, both GP and dressage on my young horse and they have proved to be excellent. They have a good resale value too which is always nice!
 
Fantastic saddles. I've tried the GP, close contact, WH and event models. The event is by FAR the best one (unless you are more flatwork of course). I've had my event one 2 yrs and it still looks new. I've done XC at intro / pre-novice sort of height (with riding club) and jumped up to 1.15 in it with no problems. I've done some prelim dressage in it but I'm not really into dressage anyway. I found the GP a bit hard and the close contact just too flat. I mostly hack out to be honest. One thing that's well worth the money is the suede seat and knees. The serge is wonderful and you can get them made to measure at no extra cost. They can then be adjusted if need be. The leather is excellent quality and mine gets cleaned maybe twice a year. It doesn't need regular cleaning at all - though I do waterproof the suede with nikwax spray now and again.
 
I have a dressage one that has been adjusted twice to re-fit a growing horse over two years so I am really pleased with the original price and with not having to fork out for another two new saddles. This horse competes Novice, but I don't think I would need to change it when he moves on to Elem so not sure why some people do not like them for more 'serious' dressage.
 
Interesting you say that they have a good resale value Spaniel. They fetch next to nothing on eBay and there's usually a string of them without any bids. Even Saddles Direct won't touch them with a bargepole as they don't sell. I know a lot of the problems with the Saddle Co saddles is finding a decent saddle fitter. I have two £800 models sitting at home doing nothing as I probably wouldn't be able to sell them even for £150.
 
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Interesting you say that they have a good resale value Spaniel. They fetch next to nothing on eBay and there's usually a string of them without any bids. Even Saddles Direct won't touch them with a bargepole as they don't sell. I know a lot of the problems with the Saddle Co saddles is finding a decent saddle fitter. I have two £800 models sitting at home doing nothing as I probably wouldn't be able to sell them even for £150.

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Gah, that's disappointing.

I have a black Verona Cob saddle to sell and had thought about putting it on Ebay.

Used it for almost three years and loved it, but found I needed a saddle with a more open seat for jumping now that I'm progressing a bit more.
 
I've not spent more than £250 on a SC saddle, but I've not sold one for less than £200 either. I would think the best way to sell one (though one of mine went on ebay) would be to contact a local SC fitter as they often know people looking for one, that's where one of mine came from.
 
I have a WH one for my NF and I really like it - very comfy and jump, hack out do a bit of dressage.

Nice and light saddle and easy to keep clean.

I only compete at RC level and I got my pony when he was just 5 so being able to have it adjusted has been a real bonus.
 
I don't like my cob saddle, never really have. It has given my mare a bad back even though I had it checked and re-checked hundreds of times by different SC fitters, because I have to use the back balance strap and it puts all of my weight on to a very small area on her back. I no longer ride in it for this reason as if I don't use the balance strap the back lifts up.
It is also not very comfortable, like sitting on a plank of wood.
But that could just be my fat ar*e.
 
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I've not spent more than £250 on a SC saddle, but I've not sold one for less than £200 either. I would think the best way to sell one (though one of mine went on ebay) would be to contact a local SC fitter as they often know people looking for one, that's where one of mine came from.

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I daren't do that because my local fitter is the man who makes them. I don't want to have to explain to him why I've ditched the saddle.
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Patches you don't need to explain yourself to him, just tell him they are for sale and does he know anyone?! Crikey, your horse could be crippled or dead for all he'd know about it!!
 
I have the event as much as it is incredibly comfy for me I have found that it does nothing to help me now we are jumping a bit higher and asking for more on the flat. Its not just me either, everyone who rides in it finds it pulls them into a funny position. Very secure for XC and hunting, not great for anything else. I've always been happy with the saddle and thought my mare went well in it until this weekend when I tried a conventional dressage saddle and she was brilliant, so it appears the SC isn't as great on her as I had thought. I'm loathed to get rid of it however as I like it but unfortunately EBay becons....

Another thing - my event was new 2 years ago and looks fairly worn, however the GP I had previously was a couple of years older and still looked new so I dont know if the leather has changed but the older one was better quality.

I'd definately suggest looking at one and trying it...
 
I had the same problems as you IrishCobs. It gave my Irish Draught a bad back even though I had the same fitter out every eight weeks to check it. In the end I got Lavinia Mitchell out who apart from selling her own range is also a Saddle Co fitter so is not biased in any way. She confirmed my suspicions that the saddle panels are too narrow for his wide flat back - you could even seen the permanent indentation caused by it.
 
Really nice saddles although I found that the flaps mark easily - just make sure you use a good fitter - that's where it went wrong for me!
 
i had a WH one for my pony. i had a lady from surrey fit mine.
good saddle just slipped like all the others til i got an ideal!
i had the nubuck knee and seat and it was gorgeous! took me a while to get comfy in it though. If it had fit her properly after her changing shape i'd still have it.
 
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