What saddle(s) do you own?

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Ginn

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So looking to get a new saddle for T - I don't like the wintec and my SC really is a bit small and I struggle to drop my leg down under my hip in it.

Soooo........

What saddle have you got, what "type" is your horse and what do you like/dislike about your saddle?

If I was looking for something comfy to sit in, either dressage or GP, that sat me more correctly (shoulder hip heel alignment) to fit Till's who is quite fine and is a tb type with a budget of £350-£400 what are my chances - any suggestions of makes, models? Any saddles that you'd avoid? Where would you buy?

And before anyone says it, yes I realise that what one person likes another hates! BUT this is just to tide us over until she changes shape and fills out a bit more at which point I will need another change of saddle!
 
I have

GP - saddle company, love it to bits, its adjustable so i could keep the same saddle as he grew and grew ! its so comfy to, love riding in it XC !

Dressage - Isabell again adjustable, i do love it but it takes time to love it !
 
I have :

Ancient old Stubben Romanus SJ saddle (not used now as too narrow for horse) loved it all those years ago.

Ancient old Barnsby dressage (not used now as too narrow for horse) old but comfy, no real knee blocks

Barnsby Shockemohle CC SJ saddle - love it to bits but rarely jump so it's like new at 6 yo!

Barnsby Davison dressage saddle - use daily, absolutely love it, not too deep seated, big knee blocks. Use it for hacking and jumping the odd small fence too.

OH has :

Kieffer Garmisch GP - rarely uses it but really like it when he did

Kieffer Rusty Dressage saddle - used it daily, he loves it (skinny person) but I find it too deep seated and restrictive - probably something to do with my fat backside!
 
See I really struggle to get my position right in my SC yet it makes me feel incredibly secure - I think for jumping it would be good as my lower leg is on the girth rather than under my hip (where I like it to be for flatwork). I do have a bates GP too which I love but its only been used a handful of times so I'll wait for some "parties" before I start ruining it!! Till's has already taken a chunk out of her SC on the gate
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Have contemplated an isabel but I really don't like Cair and am yet to find one (in brown) sensibly priced but flocked
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I also find that the wintec really is not the best fit on T (whereas the Bates fits her really well
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) so that put me off an isabel too...

Adjustability is the flip-side though! If I could get a Wow second hand for under £800 then I'd bite the bullet and use my remaining student loan (its only going to sit in my bank account anyway) as then I'd have a seriously nice saddle that I can adapt to suit the both of us as time goes on.
 
Have you taken the block out the SC for flat work, i cant ride in it flat work with blocks it tips me forward ! when i take the blocks out i can get a longer lower leg, instead of a jumping knee and leg !
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My Isabel is flocked and you can pick them up quite cheap now, also SC are very cheap at mo !

Cant comment on the WOW but i know lots of people who love them, but depends how you want to spend your £££££
 
I have a Cuckfields WH saddle that I leave up at the yard (so comfy but wrong colour for showing - black)

A Stubben for hunting etc (so comfy, but the wrong colour for showing - too red)

A Gallop dressage saddle that was bought as a 'tide me over' saddle

A Symmonds WH saddle that I cannot get to grips with and now want to sell it
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and now want a Jeffries Stamford (unless anyone can reccommend a better WH/Show saddle)??

Now that you realise I have a saddle fetish, lets talk bridles
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My SC doesn't have blocks - it was a custom made (with security in mind) so has a deep dressage seat on dressage length WH flaps, the idea being that I can stick to flatwork (we won't be jumping until June at the earliest) but still have just that little extra knee for if/when I do pop my stirrups up a few pegs.

Do you not find the isabel too restricting? I worked out I could probably get a synthetic one unflocked for between £300 and £350 on ebay but if I want to go for leather then I think I'd rather a second hand Wow (the wow stand at badders finally broke me and got me to sit in a wow
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- they are soo comfy!!)
 
Nope teh isabel has free his shoulder up no end, now getting medium trot, same as SC is never resticted him !

I got my Isabel sued one brand new for £470 ! you can pick them up on e bay for £250-£300 in good nick !
 
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Now that you realise I have a saddle fetish, lets talk bridles
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Don't!! I am debating whether I can blag a new bridle for xmas this year but am still torn between the Jefferies Elite and the Sabre Finesse
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For one horse i have a Paul Jones GP,
A Wintec 500 dressage,
a Wintec wide saddle
And a Bachelor saddle at the tackshop to be sold,If it sells i will be getting a WH saddle.
Gypsy the cob dosent have her own saddle but will use the Wintec wide should she be ridden again.
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The Highland has something unnamed that was the only wide saddle that would fit her.
the TBxID has a Wintec close contact and at the moment a Stubben dressage saddle which I really like as it is a small compact saddle with quite short flaps (but boy is it heavy)- but I am selling that to get a Wintec Isabel which should be much lighter and more supportive
 
I have a GP GFS saddle, really like it but would probably not be idea for yours not certain but I usually see them on larger horses
 
I've got a WOW with dr & jumping flaps. Totally love it, it's made loads of difference already to my horse's physical shape & way of going & you can get it adjusted to your heart's content!
 
Catembi would you recommend finding the extra money and going for a Wow over something else with the amount of growing and shape changing she has yet to do? Also, how straight forward is it to swap flaps? My thinking was that I could start with dressage flaps, use my bates GP for when we initially start jumping (baby x's etc) and then invest in some jumping flaps when we start proper jumping in a year or so's time??? Or get something (much!) cheaper for now and change saddles as she changes shape....
 
With a WOW saddle how do you get around what would normally be a need for a different depth of seat? I would normally want a deep seat for dressage but expect to have a much shallower seat for jumping and XC (well would if I did jumping any more)

Changing the flaps is one thing, but there must be a compromise in the seat, either right for dressage, right for jumping or somewhere in the middle and not ideal for either?

(Genuine question, I'm not a WOW knocker, in fact I would love one but can't justify the expense)
 
I'd wondered that myself! I wouldn't go for the deepest seat but I do like a deep seat for all round work - I could see myself buying a set of jumping flaps to begin with followed by another seat and pannels when the jumps get bigger if I'm honest which is another reason I wonder if it would be a worthwhile investment??

Also, how much do these saddles depreciate? If I bought second hand and decided to sell on in a few years would I stand to loose a lot if the saddle was well cared for?
 
I've just got the one seat & I did wonder myself what it would be like for 2 disciplines (I do BSJA & BD) but it hasn't been an issue at all. Not sure why. I think I've got a deep-ish seat. If anything, I find it reassuring to have the same one cos when I had 2 saddles I only used my jumping one for jumping so it was really weird trying to gel with it when I only sat in it once a week!!

Cos I'm bone idle, I don't always swap back to my dr flaps if I know I'm jumping again in a couple of days, & unlike my Barry Swain sj saddle, if I put my stirrups down 2 holes I can school perfectly ok in my jumping flaps without feeling off balance.

The flaps take about 10 - 15 mins to change but I wouldn't recommend doing it if you're in a mad rush or feeling impatient as it makes you go all fingers & thumbs. Eg if you're competing, I'd do it the night before. Basically there are 6 bolts to undo - 2 on the pommel where the manufacturer's stud is on a normal saddle & 2 on each flap in the gullet & you get an allen key to do them with.

If you try one, borrow it for a bit & take it on a hack or a full schooling session - to start with, they feel like a wobble board & you REALLY want to get off, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Also the saddle needs to be set up for YOU, which makes a huge difference. Mine was 2nd hand & its previous owner was a lot heavier than me so it had too much air in it for me, which gave me the 'space hopper' effect.

The saddle will adjust from the narrowest to the widest so will always fit your horse no matter what happens.
 
Ok here goes..............

Sabre Dressage saddle, love it..
Sabre Jumping saddle, love that too....
Matlock Saddlery WH, nice saddle...
Amerigo Mono Flap Event/Jumping, lovely lovely saddle, comfy and nice....
Stubben Eidlweiss Jumping Saddle, nice saddle, but still getting to grips with it.
French Jumping Saddle, can't remember the make, OK saddle, don't use it too much...
And finally rather old but in very good condition Side Saddle.......

My excuse is I have four horse, but only three are ridden (two TB's and a TB/Welsh D)......

So next it will be bridles and I have far too many of them..............
 
I have an Albion K2 Legend dressage saddle which is very comfy and is a great saddle for my little legs, and a Stubben Siegefried jumping saddle which is ancient and battered but gives me lots of balance over fences and I love it.
 
I have a Black Country GPD for everyday (basically a very straight cut yet supportive VSD) - everyone who rides in it says how comfy it is.

A Frank Baines Eclipse Dressage saddle with doeskin seat and knees

A Symonds WH saddle for showing which I LOVE! I am not a great rider so I really worried about swapping from the GPD to show saddle but it's FAB! Don't know why I ever worried.
 
1 nr KenTaur dressage saddle which I love to bits
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1 nr Stubben Siegfried jump saddle which I love slightly less
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For me unless I was riding very short I could not get a good position with the Stubben; my dressage saddle locks me in and allows me to try and relax.
 
if i were you, i'd go to local tack shop in stroud and have a good chat to them (head saddler very knowledgeable). IMO i highly recommend them, tell what your budget and then they'll come out to you with a load of saddles and fit them and you'll be able to ride around in them to see which one you perfer and of course which fits T best.
You don't have to buy but you'll get horsey fitted, so if you don't like any saddles at least you know which size will fit (you'll pay call out charge) and they keep there templates for years-very useful
 
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