Which leather Saddle with an exchangable gullet? Bates? Kent and Masters??

ponyforever

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Hi
I am currently looking for a preferably brown leather saddle with a 16.5 - 17.5" seat for my 6yr who is gaining muscle so I would want one with an exchangable gullet.
Does anyone have any for sale or any reccomendations?
I was hoping to spend up to £650.
It would need to be a jumping saddle or a shallower cut GP. Also, can anyone comment on Bates or Kent and Masters Saddle.
Thanks.
 
Can't comment on those but there are lots of brands that have adjustability now. Not sure on 2nd hand pricing but wow, Pessoa, Albion, prestige are all adjustable to some extent and I'm sure there may be more about if you did some research...
 
I had the same plan with my 5 year old, stick to my old wintec until she'd finished growing and changing shape, then get her a nice posh saddle. However they just didn't fit her. Got the saddler out who said that although she will change shape, they didn't think she would go above or below the width fitting she was in and I would just need to keep an eye on the fit and get them out to alter the flocking when needed.
So if I were you, I'd get a saddler out and see what they say.
 
I've got a pessoa legacy XP3 for sale. Brown, 17.5" and comes with 3 gullets(M-MW-W) and 2 sets of knee blocks. It would be a bit over your budget though
 
I have the Kent and Masters equivelent of the Thorowgood T4 Pony Club saddle.
It is a lovely saddle, very comfy and is brilliant for my boy who is a different shape every week practically.

I've also had a secondhand bates in the past and again I was very happy with it, very comfy. I would say go for which ever fits your horse the best as they are both very good makes :)
 
My WOW is amazing.

It was originally bought for a chunky ISH then was refitted to a skinny ex-racer & has now been resized to fit him again since he's put on a ton of weight & muscle.
 
I've also got a Kent and Masters jump saddle for my boy, and I really like it. Even though the flap is forward cut, the head it cut back so it doesn't interfere with the shoulder blade- which was a big plus for me as I was worried about this. It fits nicely and very good value for money, my 17.5" in black cost £700, so you could probably get one for £650. :) xx
 
The Bates GP saddles are very deep seated ime that said I have only had one pony it's been a problem on and otherwise they are great saddles. Fairfax and Kent & Masters look nice to me and I was going to by one before pony got injured. If you look on ebay though now and again second Pessoa XCH saddles come up as well as Bates Momentums and Elevations which have flatter seats than the GPs.
 
i have a Kent and Masters and love it. total god send as my boy has had 5 months off due to injury and has ballooned in size and if it wasnt for my kent and masters i'd be looking at having to borrow or buy a new saddle as he has gone up by two saddle widths!!!! saddler had it adjusted in about 20 mins!! i bought mine new and cost £750 inc fitting.
 
Hate hate hate the Bates GPs, but love my Bates caprilli DR saddle, and ive only ridden in a jump one breifly, but liked that too. So thumbs up for bates caprilli jump, but id avoid the GPs if it was me :)
 
I have a Bates brown leather GP and its totally changeable and really comfy a good saddle for jumping too, we bought our new so it was £1000 but i am sure you could get second hand ones cheaper and also the saddle came with gullets and pads to change the saddle to fit the horse :)
 
Side note: a cut back head is purely about fitting a high wither and has no real impact on the shoulder. The tree shape, especially arch shape and width, plus the front panel configuration has the biggest influence on shoulder movement.

If these are your options then Thorowgood but it depends what fits, if any:

http://saddlefitter.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/from-tree-up-sub-topic-adjustable-trees.html#more

And this is why Thorowgood:

http://saddlefitter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/changeable-gullets-details.html
 
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