What saddles...

[My Crazy Clan]

Do you like and why?

Have you ever heard of these makes? and what would you say about them.

So far I've got:

RhineGold -Cheap make, should never be on a horses back, has all sorts in side.
Indian Leather(no brand) - Should never be on a horsey back, Full I everything.

Jeffries
Fieldhouse
Thorowgood
Wintec
Maxam
Stubbon
Stephens
Hi-Lite
Aline
Shires
Hastilow & Stackhouse
Saddle Company
Henri-de rival
John Whitaker


Feel free to add more if you know of any.

[Twizzel]

Favourite saddle I've ridden in is a Lovatt and Ricketts Beaufort saddle, so comfy. Better for showing and schooling as it's got a deep seat, you have to canter out hunting with your bum in the air as I found out a few weeks ago, all you could see from a distance was an orange cob motoring through a stubble field and my arse out of the saddle like a jockey!!

Ideal are nice saddles too, ridden in a couple of those.

Not a fan of Wintecs, much prefer Thorowgood for fit and comfort.

I've seen a Rhinegold saddle, yes very cheap but very lightweight, ideal for breaking in which is what it will be used for.

Ebony had a Comfort Seeker WH saddle, that was very comfy, nice to school in and quiet slow hacking but too straight cut for me personally as I like a more forward cut saddle for hunting jumping etc.

Everybody will have different opinions on saddles... it's not like you can tar every saddle with the same brush, one make will fit a horse better than another.

[My Crazy Clan]

See i thought that about the Rhinegold but I was told never to use these because they put every thing in the saddle when making it, ie glass/dust/wood chippings/fasb butts etc which will cause a lot of damage to the horses back, not sure how much of that to believe but I brought one, I like it but am to afraid to use it.

[Twizzel]

I doubt they would still be allowed to sell them if they were supplying saddles with glass/wood chippings in them...

[CityLights]

its Stuben not stobbon and they are the most horribly uncomfortable saddles ever, at least the jump ones are, but are super secure

jaguar saddles are a bag of crap have never sat in something so horrible ever, kieffer saddles also pretty rubbish look horrible and are minging to sit on, albions are lovely but dont always fit everything, i love black country saddles, also love my kents and masters saddle, dont like whitaker saddles, ideals are nice thier xc/sj saddles are really nice to ride in, thier dressage are nice as well but if your on something huge moving arent that great, bates are horrible saddles i think they are really not nice leather on them or that good quality for expensive saddles, i like my lovette and ricket saddle but you do struggle to get much for them second hand,

[loubylou]

My favourite ever saddle was a GFS!! It was quite old and well worn, but soooo comfortable and fitted the horse fantastically!

My current saddle is a Collegiate Dignitary which I love- sooo comfortable!!

[eeek]

I used to ride in a MAXAM (GP I think) and hated it. It put me in a horrible position, kept pushing me forwards. But it was light and the horses liked it.

[XenaWarriorPrincess]

My favourites are Ideals - Xenas WH one was the most comfortable thing i have ever ridden in!!
I dont like stubbens much.
Just bought Xanth a wintec but yet to ride in it!

[Tiaki]

My fave Treed saddles are Ideals and Stubbens.

However, I am a treeless convert and out of the Treeless saddles I have, my fave is Abbey's dressage saddle made by EquineLibrium

xxx

[flipper]

Rhea, Rhinegold is a German make and is fine to use. It's the Indian leather saddles you have to watch out for. I love my Albion dressgae saddle, but it's not wide enough for my new mare, so have bought a Wintec. I used to have a Silhouette WH saddle and absolutely loved it. Looked lovely and was so comfy.

[lilholley]

Saddle company ones are fantastic! Can be adjusted to fit most horses (though some very very wide may struggle with certain panel shapes). The panels are serge lined which mean they mould to the horses back. The have a synthetic tree so are very lightweight, but are leather covered so still look good enough for showing. The only slight thing is the leather covering is fairly thin, so they recommend you just wipe them over, don't oil them or anything.
Used to have a wintec and really didn't like it - it put me in a bad chair-like position and didn't really mould to Bel's shape very well.
Also used a thorowgood maxam years and years ago and felt very perched to start with, but was a good saddle when you got used to it.
My cousin has two beautiful saddles, one native pony company which is just lush, the other is a balance saddle - amazing for fit but very expensive and I found it quite heavy personally..
x

[lozy]

I like the Ideal and Fylde showing saddles, i like jumping in them to. For propar jumping(3'6"+) you cannot beat Devoucoux saddles.

[cocopops]

Jeffries - nice saddles, secure to jump in
Fieldhouse - this is what i have, love it, nice leather, very comfy fits a variety of horses
Thorowgood- Had a brand new T6 and sold it to get 2nd hand GFS, really didnt like it.
Wintec- dont seem to fit anything properly
Maxam- best cheap synthetics for cobbies and ponies in my opinion
Stubben- brilliant and last forever but like sitting on a rock
Butet- Nice XC saddles, very close contact
Albion- Lovely dee seated Dr and secure jump saddles
Passier- Secure and last forever- again like sitting on rocks, ours nicknames the haemeroid saddle!
Pessoa- Nice jump saddles- useful now with adjustable gullet
Barnsby- Personally dont like them, seem to only really fit TB types
Ideal- Love the new event saddle, and dressage saddles but not keen on GPs

[Mobell]

Like the Thorowgood, Ideal, Jeffries, GFS, my Wintec Dressage was a comfy saddle, the Ideal GP is a well made saddle with lovely leather and not too heavy. Cass has a Griffin GP and it has a lovely seat and feel very secure. My little mare had a Farringtons Burford Event Saddle and I love it. I have just bought a Kent & Masters Cob saddle because it was one of only a few at a reasonable price that would fit her but it is very comfy and well made.

[jodee]

i love my jeffries saddle!

money well spent!

[casper_cb]

Farrington - lovely- soooo comfy, I've got the GP, super saddle, leathers gone a funny colour but feel so safe going XC in it.
Sue Carson - WOWZERS, their air filled using flair so fit the horse perfectly and also sit the rider correctly. Love my dressage and jump saddles.
Ideal - Fantastic too. I have 2 spare Ideal jump saddles and an Ideal Jessica, don't want to part with them as they are very good and I'm sure I'll find a horse to fit them. LOL!!
GFS- I have the Eva, they have the adjustable tree system, very simular to the Baites range but £1500 cheaper!! Very comfy and light weight on the horse.

[My Crazy Clan]

Thank girls :)

[amandaco]

ive got-
ideal jessica is a nice dr saddle
albion also nice
wow saddle also nice but can be tricky to fit right and need changing often as the horses tend to put topline on quickly

[CityLights]

ive got-
ideal jessica is a nice dr saddle
albion also nice
wow saddle also nice but can be tricky to fit right and need changing often as the horses tend to put topline on quickly

cant stand most wows they are so freaky to ride in, sat in one and the pannels were so thick you couldnt feel the horse, and were stupidly long im like 5'10 and my legs were only a few inches past the flap, the seat was horrible and you were like a million miles off the horse, then sat on another and it was fab they seem to be really varriable depending on who has fitted them

[The Little Magician]

I have an Ideal Dressage saddle, it fits really well now and it is so comfy, and very well made.
I have also recently bought a Thorowgood T6 3D, and it fits really well and is comfy, but I have done enough hours in it yet to give a honest opinion on how they fair.
I have seen the insides of quite a few of the cheaper saddles, and a few I would stay clear from would be any thing made from italian leather, the wintec and bates (especially the cair ones).
The ones I rate that are good are, Jeffries, Feildhouse, Black Country, Nathaniel Underwood, Albions, Lemtex, and the ones I have already got.

[rowy]

I have used a wintec and it was ok but not amazing.
had a thorowgood t6 and was honestly the best saddle i have ever used as it was so light and comfy! going to back my youngster in one! :) and looks like leather too. fitted my wide horse well. tried the jumping version of it and was pretty good and lush colour!
Have a 2 year old black country saddle made to measure and had it fitted today and turns out it fitted my very narrow horse really badly so we have to get a new one :( it was ok, nothing particularly amazing but does the job and nice looking.

[Wyrd]

All my saddles are treeless, ones I have liked the most are my startrekk western, sensation and I really like my 2 Torsions, although I swore I would never have one because of the stirrup hangers.

I sat on a Bates jumping saddle in a tackshop and liked it, I would probably look at a bates or a wow if I ever got a treed saddle again.

[banjo]

Banjo has a Jefferies Hawk event saddle it is so comfy!!!!!
I did buy a wintec but I found It made my hip joints ache and lower back too

[Spockky boy]

I like GFS saddles jump saddles, Saddle company GP's saddles are probably the bestest saddles I have sat in! I also don't mind Jefferies GP either.

[Kim]

What about the most safe and comfortable. I need to buy our first saddle and have no idea which one . HELP !!

[Kim]

oh dear !!

I'm now bedazzled by all the different saddles.

How about i say what i want from a saddle and you guys tell me the nearest in your opinion !!!!

1) Safety ( i mean by not bouncing my learner 12yr old around too much)
2) Comfort (not too many sore bums!!)
3) Style (doesnt bother me too much if the above are there)

I just want one that my Daughter will sorta sink in and feel like she is surrounded. Does that sound weird ? !

[x x Helen x x]

Kim you cant go wrong with a thorowgood saddle, synthetic and they look good, well the new ones.

wintec, they are spoon shaped so only fit a similar shaped horse.

Stubben tend to fit the flatter backed horses but always look unconfortable to me

[Jill]

My daughter's horse has a Stubben, which he came with, and she loves it! He hasn't said, but he seems perfectly happy and goes well in it. That's a GP I think - she has a jumping saddle too but I don't know what make that is.

So much depends on the horse, surely? Do different makers have differently-constructed saddles (like dressmakers have different 'blocks') so that, say, a pony saddle made by one maker would fit the same pony better than an apparently identical design made by another maker? Is that why we prefer one make to another?

I like my treeless - it solves an awful lot of thses problems. (Trekker Talent for Paddy, Copperbeech Treeless for Susie)

[gemma1309]

I have had many saddles and ridden in many different saddles over the years and i can honestly say hand on heart the best saddles I have ever ridden in are farringtons I have ridden in the samber WH andd also currently have a gp farrington and to be fair I would never have any other saddle for my horses (currently saving for another one lol) they are just so comfortable no matter how long you are in the saddle.
have ridden in Wintecs - do not like not that comfy and hate riding in leather boots on them. ridden in a stubben jump saddle-it was awful hated it. Lovett and ricketts GP saddle is another saddle that was lovely to ride in (was an old version but was an exceptional saddle for my old pony- many moons ago)
Ridden in cheaper saddles (on other peoples ponies-and have a gallop/rhinegold can't remember which that I used for breaking) and was fine for that purpose but always rode with gel pad underneath as you can never be sure but they were comfy enough)
Another saddle that I really disliked was jeffries Falcon i felt it just was not a deep saddle and left you feeling perched and not offering security in the seat but it could have just been me lol.

Its farrington Saddles all the way for me.

[Catg]

I love my Barnsby too, it is very comfy and fits Zeb well, interesting what cocopops said about them only fitting TB types as Zeb is narrow with high withers. I am thinking I'd be better if with a dressage saddle, someone on here mentioned it once cos of my position, depends how you sit in the saddle really but being a dressage bod it looks a bit weird when you sit in a GB saddle with longs stirrups as you have all this knee roll on front that you don't use.