What's your Saddle like?! (The difference a good saddle can make!)

[Susan]

I just thought it might be interesting to see what different types and makes of saddle we all have and which ones are comfiest, what we hate about them, etc! Does anyone have a magic saddle that corrects all their faults and holds them perfectly in a lovely position?

It might even be helpful if anyone is looking for a new one! (oh and I wanted to put a thread in Saddlery & Tack, lol!) So humour me!

So, Maguire's main saddle is a general purpose one. The make is GFS Pro Event, in brown leather. I think that it has good and bad points!

Good.

* It is cut in a really nice shape which flatters the horse, is suitable for jumping but not so forward cut that it makes flatwork a pain.

* It is generally a comfortable saddle

* It cleans up beautfully and really shines. It still looks brand new and I rarely clean it!

Bad.

* It is a very, very heavy saddle.

* It doesn't really help/encourage a deep seat, well I don't think so anyway. Definitely not the kind of saddle that disguises a lot of rider faults! lol!

* I feel that the stirrup bars are too far forwards on it!

He also has use of a dressage saddle, which belongs to his 'brother' but he can get away with. Now I can't remember the make of the dressage saddle, but it is to die for! It is the comfiest thing I have ever sat on and makes you feel so incredibly secure and a much better rider than you really are as it helps absorb so much of the horse's movement! The dressage saddle's only fault is that you can't jump in it!

[CityLights]

I have three!

Lovette and Rickets APD
basically a cross between a GP and dressage kind of working hunter ish

Good points
Quite old but very tidy looking, shows off Kizzies front end nicely, quite comfortable to sit in and very hardwearing

Bad Points
L&R saddles are worth squat second hand for some reason even though they are brilliant saddles, a little bit more knee roll would be nice but having long legs i struggle for that anyway

Kents and Masters Dressage
Good Points
Changeable gullets and still leather, quite cheap at £650 for a leather dressage saddle, very light weight, comfortable, changeable knee blocks

Bad Points,
Not sure it has any, when i first got it the pannels were very bulky but has moulded very well

Saddle Company Jump Saddle
Good Points
fantastically forward cut, i can actually fit my legs in it, very light as it is part synthetic all the underneath is synthetic or serge and the top is leather,

Bad Points
could do with being a touch flatter, isnt the comfiest although i find jump saddles arent, they are very slippery seated so i had a model with a suede seat put on

worst point about the last two, they were dennis' and wont fit kizzie so have loads of saddles

[Bay Chaos]

Champ and Dina have Saddle Company Saddles.

I love them as

* they can be adjusted width wise by a saddler

* They are leather on the bits that show, so OK for showing

* They are comfy

Bad points

* Expensive to buy

* quite heavy

* Dina keeps changing shape, so I have to keep getting the saddler out!

[black crow]

Spud has a standard Wintec. At the time i got it, he was changing and was bum high, so had to make do with a Wintec. It still fits him after several refits, and i would love to get him something like a Pessoa saddle in the future, or something similar, as long as its leather!
I find it a very comfy saddle, although i feel most at home in jumping saddles :lol:

I did have a Thorogood saddle which got stolen, that was really comfy

[Scarlet]

gypsy's saddle is a cheap old one from ebay as she changed shape so much none of her old saddles fit her so were sold on.

The saddle is a perfect fit for her but its not very comfy, im waiting to see how she is going to mussle up etc before buying a new one for her, but am thinking on investing in either a changable gullet one or a cheap "normal" looking treeless in the meantime

[coloredred]

In the 3 years i've had Magic he's had 7 saddles!

Currently he has an Ideal Ramsey show saddle.
It's good points are that it's straight cut so his shoulders are free yet i can still jump in it.

It's a lovely comfy saddle and seems to fit the monster well.

It's the only saddle that hasn't moved about on his back!

Bad points are it's quite heavy.

He's also had a cheapy synthetic which was the most uncomfortable saddle i've ever sat in. Two saddle co saddles, one too long for his back and one that wouldn't go wide enough but both lovely saddles and would buy another. A GFS Pro generation trainer saddle which is a close contact jump saddle which i loved! So comfy to ride in even on long hacks, secure to jump in but it wasn't quite the right fit for magic. A wintec dressage which has been the only saddle i've been able to do sitting trot in for long periods of time but Magic doesn't like the panel shape of wintecs. Put me in a lovely position though. Next we had an ideal working hunter saddle, lovely little thing but too wide for him, don't think i could fault it. Then came the Libra hack about treeless, lovely to hack in although rising trot was a nightmare! Very lightweight, comfortable for him and me but didn't fancy jumping in it and the stirrup bars rotated (just a fault with that particular saddle not the whole range) so had to send it back.

[Tiaki]

Kiwi - Has an "Ideal" Treed Jumping saddle. I brought it brand new when I got Kiwi (8yrs ago). Fits him like a glove and is super for jumping. He also has Equistation (Treeless) which we use for everything else. It's lightweight, totally flexible, Kiwi adores it and goes really well in it, plus it's very comfy.

Abbey - Has an EquineLibrium Dressage Saddle (Treeless). Fits her very wide flat back perfectly, doesn't slip and I find it really nice to ride in.

I also have an Equine Whispers Bareback pad which gets used on anything and everything (without stirrups).

xxx

[Spockky boy]

Spock got a saddle by the saddlers own make!

Its SO comfy! I can ride for hours in it without discomfort. Scrubs up well, fits Spock well.

Downside is that it cantel is high so makes it a bit of a pain to jump in, and the girth gaurd came off aswell! (although can be replaced)... And I can't find another saddle which fits Spock as well or is as comfy to ride in!!

[bimba]

Mac has a leather GP saddle, it's marked as English leather but doesn't have a makers stamp or anything so not sure whether it was custom made - I got it 2nd hand.

Good points:

It's very comfy,
It fits Mac who is an awkward shape very well,
It's very much an all-round saddle, it allows you to sit straight and to have your leg lengthened for dressage or up for jumping.
It's a lovely colour.

Bad points:

It's quite heavy.

I also have a synthetic saddle which I bought for £10 when I first had Mac and he was changing shape loads and was the worlds strangest shaped horse.

Good points:

It was dirt cheap,
It's very lightweight,
It was the only saddle that came close to fitting him when we first started re-schooling.

Bad points:

It's horrible to ride in,
It's uncomfortable
It tips you forward,
It puts your leg in the wrong place,
It give you spots on your bottom!
Basically I hated it!!

[My Crazy Clan]

Magic's and Montys - Good, Lovely and wide, very comfy, Bad - its too slippery!

Jesters - makes my arse hurt.

[Evening Star]

I've got a wintec 2000. Its comfy but hideous.
Once ive got a new horse and some more monies it will be going byebye.
Currently am in love with the Bates Caprilli

[Ussiarella]

Shadow has just one saddle, but it´s a multifunctional saddle.
It´s a Sommer saddle in brown called Marakesh it´s for endurance riding but you can also ride a good dressage in it. The saddle has a big seating so it is gentle for the back and really nice to sit in this saddle! I love it!

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

Xen has an Ideal WH saddle in havanna - i love it, its soo comfy! Cleans up nicely too!
Xanth has an unbranded english dark brown saddle, havent ridden in it yet though!

[Poppy and Harmony]

Harmony's got a Wintec 500 GP

It's quite comfy and is a good shape for me but the knee roll bits are too far forward for harmony's shoulders

[Squid]

Chubbles used to be in a Wintec GP and a Wintec Dressage then I got him a Thorowgood T6 cob that fits him perfectly!

PROS;
-It's part synthetic but it looks all leather
-It's light
-It's easy to change bits of it so it fit's right
-It fits my pony!

CONS;
-It has a square cantle which I don't really like
-The stirrup bars are a bit far forward I think, but I'm used to a dressage saddle so maybe not!

[loubylou]

Uva has a collegiate dignitary, which I purchased orginally for Lola, and put up for sale via a local saddlery a few months ago. I remembered I had it when i was looking at leather saddles for Uva so got it back and it fits like a glove! Bonus!!

Pros:
Good quality english leather
cleans up beautifully and still looks new!
fits Uva really nicely
not to heavy for a leather saddle

Cons
Its quite a slippery seat (after the wintec 2000 she was in!)
Its not really adjustable

Lola has a thorogood T4 which I love!

Pros
Incredibly adjustable- gullets and fish!
Very comfortable- padded seat
Suede effect seat
Leather look
Thigh and knee rolls- both adjustable
Adjustable girth straps
fits incredibly well!!

cons
its not leather (I am a leather fan!)

[beks the artist]

Taran has a Thorogood Griffin Cob saddle which is lovely and comfirtable. Jakes has a Wintec Wide, which is really nice however I would love some leather saddles for them but it isn't practical at the moment.

[ness]

Kissie is a Wintec Cair in black. It fits her very well and is very large to spread my large behind around!

[eeek]

I have a thin, falling apart Irish leather saddle from the 1970s that has not received a lot of tlc in its time and still doesn't now..

It fits Vinny well, and I don't deserve or need anything that looks amazing.

It is VERY hard and old-fashioned so not a lot of stuffing/padding/shaping. It's also quite forward-cut so best suited to jumping.

[flambards]

My own saddle is a Collegiate Close Contact. Fits well, affordable, quality leather, comfortable, deep enough seat for dressage, not so deep that it's uncomfortable to jump over 3'0" (although if I was looking to go over 4'0" I'd have to find a proper jumping saddle). It is a little too small for my butt still, but I don't want anything longer on Domino's short back.

The saddle I used all summer was an older Crosby Prix de Nations. I ADORE that saddle. It fit me and every horse I used it on. It put me in an amazing position for hunters and helped me develop a much better forward seat and really kept my leg back. I would take a large chunk out of my savings for that saddle. It is wonderful. The end.

Unfortunately, I sort of despise Wintec - I wish I could bring myself to like it because it's so much more affordable and so much easier to take care of, but I guess I'll just be shelling out for leather for the rest of my life :(

[Evening Star]

i quite like the look of some of the Collegiates-yummy!

[Jill]

Mine (for Paddy) is a Trekker Talent treeless. Susie's is virtually identical but is a Copperbeech treeless - I bought both from Copperbeech, but by the time we got Susie they were having their own made as wel as selling other people's.

Good points

Wonderfully comfortable for both rider and horse. You sit really close to the horse and can ride with your stirrups longer; once you get used to the new feeling, rising trot is much improved - I sit much lighter in the saddle now and it has improved my trot even if I ride a horse in a conventional saddle. It's nice and light and I can feel Paddy's movements. And it will fit any horse I put it on, or fat summer horses or fit or thin winter ones.

Bad points

Only one, the stirrup attachment is a closed ring (more modern saddles have a safety gate like a conventional saddle), so I use safety stirrups. Also you can ony do small jumps with this model, again, more modern ones have been designed to allow higher jumping - don't ask me how, I don't intend ever to jump aything big!