Any major differences in how these fit for either horse or rider? Are all 3 wool-flocked?
I don’t have a Passier so I won’t comment on it. I have an Albion dressage and one Barnsby AP. Both are very comfortable and well made and are wool flocked. I like my Albion just a tab better because it fits my horses better. I think Albion fit Baroque horses better than Barnsby does.
yes. I have/had older models of each. My older albion tended to be wide, a bit U shaped, have a wide channel, wide twist, wide panels that were flat from front to back. My older barnsby tended to be more U shaped than the albion (all things being equal, fit wider than albion up front), narrow twist, very curvy panels from front to back and dramatically upswept, medium width of channel. My passier/s tended to be A shaped in tree, short pointed, medium width of channel, average twist, rounded panels and moderately curved from front to back.
albion & passier I’ve seen so far are wool flocked, passiers tending to become harder in the panel faster (talking about old saddles here). My barnsby was wool over felt, and for its age had some of the nicest panels I’ve come across. I liked the leather on the barnsby best too, probably the best of any saddle I’ve had actually, albion was a close second. All of the saddles I’ve had are/were quite a bit older and things could or probably are much different today.
The Passiers I’ve seen tend to be a little less deep in the seat, with the deepest point set a little further back, than say a County. There also seems to be less tush cush. :sadsmile:
Well it really depends on the models because they are all so different. Albion and Barnsby both have models that fit very wide horses. I have an older Legend (for sale) and two Barnsbys (love them both).
Barnsby makes a great saddle. My #5 tree fits my x-wide horse very well, and they will go as wide as you need. My #4 tree with some adjustment fits my narrower TB with high withers and hollows quite well, even though it’s considered a wide. Both saddles are very well made with generous panels, long flaps and high-quality leather.
Well, I’ve had all three brands and they are all good saddles. I think it does depend on which model and size, of course, but generally the ones that I had did fit my horses pretty well. My guy & girl are big bodied TBs w/hollows behind the withers that I was able to deal with by using a saddle pad or half pad to help the fit, but finally got the ones I really liked flocked appropriately.
As far as my riding goes, I would rank ease of use/balance the best on the Passiers, then the Albion. I had an issue w/my Barnsby not helping me find the best balance for me, but it had really long flaps and seemed big for a 17.5. I had the Dresseur model.
The Albions I had were the traditional Comfort (very comfortable!) and the Style, which had a narrower twist, giving me a closer feel of the horse but was a little ouchy for me. The Comfort is like a couch vs the Passiers are not cushy but not nearly as hard as they were in years gone by!
I have two Passiers now and love them both, an Antares and a Relevant. I know these two saddles and I think the Albion Style are not real suited for a flatter backed horse, as per what my saddle fitter said when fitting them to my horses. I didn’t keep the others long enough to have properly fitted as they weren’t just what I wanted so I can’t comment on what type back they are most suited to.
Just try 'em and see what works for you! You’ve got some great choices there.
Much prefer Passiers with a PS-Baum tree. Passiers fit an amazing number of horses (most are cutbacks) and the fit guys better than the Albions or Barnsby’s.
