Which Saddle - advice please

[vicm2509]

When I got baron last April he wasnt toned at all and I knew he would change shape lots as I really wanted to build him up so I bought a wintec with changeable gullet and cair. It has been fantastic as it has adapted to him really well.

Anyway I would like a leather saddle around april time (we will be working on the top line all winter) as I feel by then he should have filled out a bit more and be pretty much, give or take a little, the shape he should stay. And tbh I would like to show him in leather rather than my wintec.

I dont have a huge amount to spend, maybe around the £400 mark. But I came across the bates saddle which also have the changeable gullet and cair, they are £650 on equestrian clearance (not that much more in Robinsons though) http://www.equestrianclearance.com/perl2/v2.cgi?page=/templates/details.html&productid=33441

Now what I was thinking was would it be worth the extra £250 as it has cair so wont ever need flocking and I can change the gullet if need be rather than having to get a new saddle if he goes from a medium to a wide for example. Has anyone got one?

Any other suggestions of saddle for around the £400?

 

[vicm2509]

Oh and I should add he has highish withers, although not too high for the wintec 500.

 

[flyingfeet]

If the Wintec fits him well, then a Bates is probably the best option.

Different breeds suit different types of saddles, so not quite as easy picking a brand you like - for example Stubbens work well on warmbloods, but tend not to fit English TB's.

I had a Bates and liked it, however recently blown all my cash on WOW saddles, which has not been stress free either as one of mine gets dry patches no matter what you do!

I bought my Bates on eBay for £420 delivered. Alternatively if you take out a Robinson credit card, I believe that gives you 10% discount, which would be worth it on £600+

 

[Honeybee]

Hiya

I got a new well (2nd hand saddle) £500 Event field house and its BRILLIANT love it to bits.
Good luck with the huntx

 

[vicm2509]

There is a lovely Bates event saddle on ebay at the moment, just wish I had the cash for it now. I think I will get the saddler to come and check how well the wintec fits him now his shape has changed and maybe go down that line if they are simalar in fit.

 

[annaellie]

I bought a bates dressage saddle for half that and it was brand new you just have to look around.

 

[perenzo]

Hi iv been looking for a Wintec Isabell Dressage Saddle for my horse and the cheapest i could find new was 495.00 with cair, was looking for a second hand one but on ebay they are close to 350-400 anyway....so did some searching on the internet and foound a saddlers in germany that does the Wintec Isabell Dressage Saddle brand new with cair for 415.00 with 15.00 postage.


I thought this was a bargain, the same shop sells some brilliant dressage saddles to at a lot less than uk prices

 

[Law]

Is there a saddler near you who has second hand stock or did you definitely want new? I had to have my boy changed from a wintec to a leather as the wintec wasn't fitting very well and gullet changes were not going to fix it. I got a beautiful second hand saddle for £250 and he had dozens and dozens of saddles. Others on the yard had him out at the same time and all got saddles they had had a chance to ride in and that they knew were well fitted. (i'm not saying for a second that you aren't capable of fitting a saddle

) He had lovely saddles at a whole range of prices second hand and new.

Good luck