What saddles does everyone have?

Wow! I wouldn't have the first clue about GP saddles! I'm fully stocked up with show saddles, my favourite being my Jeffries one. Once you get the proper show saddles out of the way you then get the shetland pads! They are basically stirrup bars and a felt and leather/suede seat and side panel. My other, most frequently used saddle is my race exercise saddle. I use it at work and when I am bringing any of my TB's at home back into work before their muscle has built up sufficiently to fit their show saddles again. I do love my excercise saddle!

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18" Kent & Masters high cut back GP, to fit a very difficult to fit (saddler's words not mine) horse who is high withered, doesn't have an ounce of fat on her and not much condition over the spine area. Sounds awful but that is just her build and she has other issues :)

Saddle fitted both her and me like a glove from day one, bought it at the beginning of August and he's cam out last week to adjust the front slightly where she had changed shape and I can't rate the saddle highly enough.
 
Ideal Jessica, which I love though doesn't currently fit horse and am waiting for saddler to come out so it can be adjusted (expensive :( going to have to go back to Ideal to be made wider).

Also have a Thorowgood T4 which I hate with a passion. It's the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat in (and that includes Wintec saddles!), have to use it with a seat saver because it's so hard. The only thing I like is the adjustable gullets which means I've been able to put a MW in and use it while I wait to have the DR saddle altered. It's a horrible, big saddle - feels like there is more of it than my DR saddle, it offers no support whatsoever. I did have a jumping saddle which I sold when I stopped jumping my horse. I jumped him over a handful of fences out hunting on Sat in this saddle and it was truly awful to jump in. Am only keeping it because a) it was cheap and B) I can adjust the gullets (plus horse seems to like it) When DR saddles fit, both me and horse like that one so I ride in it whenever possible.
 
Agree with JHoward, those two saddles are not sitting level.

I have an Apex Ideal for my TB and a Lovatt and Rickets Dressage saddle.

For my Haffy I was using a Saddle Company GP but it is a bit small for me (nearer 16.5 than 17") so I'm selling it if anyone is intersted and have bought a Wintec Wide for her. Getting a wide enough saddle is very difficult, almost as hard as it is to keep her to a constant weight. I would like an Idael H&C but will have to save up for that for her and I would worry it wouldn't be adjustable.
 
I have a Balance saddle for my Section D and a Heather Moffatt for my connemara. I have to say that the Balance saddle is superb and my boy's back has now become the best it has ever been. I used Balance some years back and was put off by all the pads but they have moved on since then and as he only uses minimal pad and numnah, it all feels brilliant and my chiropractor agrees.
 
jhoward said:
tbh honest id say that was not a great fit, it does not sit level, which meens when your in it, your weight will be on the back of the saddle. which will over time cause a huge amount of damage to your horses back.

i am not a saddle fitter, but have seen enough, read enough and experianced enough to have my own thoughts.
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tbh you can think what you like but as you say you're not a saddle fitter, it was fitted professionally and I know it fits my boy well (have had experience of ill fitting saddles) and he has gone SO much better since changing saddles.
 
I have a brown 17 inch Thorowgood T4 Cob with an orange gullet on my 14hh PB Arab. We've just upgraded from a 16.5 Thorowgood Griffin Pony Club in wide as my bum got bigger, and Yas changed shape loads.

She has a Prolite wither pad under it at the moment on recommendation from saddler when I had the T4 fitted as she dropped a lot of muscle over the summer after being in with laminitis. Saddler reckons she won't need this when she muscles up but her overall shape is wide, and if he fitted it to her withers as she is now, it would bash up against her shoulders and sit too low over her withers.

She is a very confusing shape and had him baffled for a little while anyway!
 
I have just bought a Black country wexford which I love! so comfy! :D

For my old girl I had a stubben jump and a ideal jessica dressage Both were great! Stubben was quite heavy compared to new one though.
 
A Wow dressge with huuge knee rolls and exra deep seat, very comfy and secure and should be easily alterable when my baby is broken, since you can change seats/ panels/ head plates etc as you like for different horses.

I find Stubens generally uncomfy, Barnsbys and Albions very comfy.
 
I just wanted to add that my daughter's "dream" saddle is a Ryder ( a jumping one I guess) but her friend has a very nice Pessoa saddle that she covets from time to time too :D
 
jhoward said:
sorry but this too... it re iterates my point of where your weight will end up in the saddle. a rider should be central, and engulfed in the saddle, not sat on the back of it.

sorry a.. will hop off now. i got asked over the weekend which saddle fitter i used.. my reply was myself.. yep i sounded like a right know it all. but to be fair my horses as you know see vets/chiros just for checks and ive never had a issue yet.
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Beg to pardon on this.... it's been about 2 weeks since a VERY experienced rider, and master saddler came out to check my saddle and watched my ride in it, told me to take off the sheepskin as that was doing nothing, and that my saddle fitted him very well and it does, it sits level on his back,nicely over his withers with no pinching and perfect for his shoulders.
My horse too has had in the last 3 mths that I have had him EVERYTHING checked by professionals.
 
jendie said:
A Farrington. Very comfy.
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I have a WH farrington for my cob, it fits her beautifully accommodating her big moving shoulders nicely :) however its still not 100% for me. Have been riding my friends TB in a falcon and its THE most comfortable saddle i have sat in, its really secure and very comfy :)
 
I've just got a Thorowgood Fairfax dressage for my mare and its fab. Have a Zenith Balance GP for my gelding which has been great for him as he has had some back issues in the past.
 
Ive got a custom built Sankey event saddle, i love it as it really frees up her shoulders. Andy was great and listened to what i needed that would allow her to use herself to her best,while supporting me
Im in the process of having a sankey dressage saddle made as well as i love my event one so much
 
An Albion Platinum Ultima dressage saddle which I find super comfortable and puts me in a good position, ie stirrup bars are far enough back and an Ideal Susannah, which is fab.

I use Roy at Wychanger Barton, fully recommend him.
 
Im currently horseless but Ive got 3 saddles, a couple Im selling. Im not hugely keen on the Stubben altho its great to jump in. I love the Barnsby gp but it wont probably fit the new horse. I do like Albion jumping saddles and they hold their price on ebay but again probably wont fit the new neddie.
 
I have a Heather Moffett Phoenix tree free saddle also a Black Country VSD GP saddle made for me by Jodie from Hoopers Equestrian based at Okehampton for a very awkward to fit horse
 
I have a Bates Caprilli GP, which is worse than useless, but I use it to break in the youngsters, as I don't mind if it gets battered. A Bates Caprilli close contact that I love! A Wow dressage saddle that I hate and is for sale if anybody is after a size 1 dressage saddle. A Devoucoux Makila, it is incredible, but unfortunately doesn't fit my new horse (Luckily it still fits the old one, and isn't going anywhere!). An Ideal Impala which is nice enough, but once newn horse is competing at a higher level I will probably want something less blocky. And an Antares jumping saddle. Unfortunately i've sold the horse that saddle was for, and it doesn't fit any of the others, so thinking i'll part ex it for a dressage saddle for the new beastie!

I have previously owned a Sue Carson jump saddle (work of the Devil, DO NOT TOUCH WITH A BARGEPOLE). A Albion K2 jump, just didn't fit me, and the blocks were far too big. And a Black Country Venici jump, which I really liked, unfortunately it didn't fit any horse I currently own, so sold it.
 
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