Another saddle thread - has anyone tried the Envy saddles manufactured by Custom Saddlery?

[twostinkydogs]

I worked with a Custom Saddlery fitter yesterday who also reps Aviar and Envy. I think somehow Custom, Aviar, and Envy are all affiliated? There is not much information on their website - Envy Saddles I swear there was more information on it yesterday They are completely off-the-rack, no customization available, and are reasonably priced for a new saddle.

Is there anyone out there who has experience with them? Apparently the tree and rails (might be incorrect terminology) are all made from a single, flexible piece of some kind of material. My horse was very forward and seemed comfortable in it for one test ride. I am usually leery of newfangled saddle technology and am somewhat anti-Custom, but I am cautiously trialing it because my horse responded so well.

I will have an independent saddle fitter assess it, but I am curious if anyone is familiar with either of the Envy models. TIA!

[BEJ]

Do you know the price point? I tried looking, but couldn’t find one. Interesting concept.

[twostinkydogs]

I am trialing the Aurora - it’s $3495. I would say it’s comparable in quality to Custom’s Steffan’s Advantage. I just saw on the website they will be offering the saddle in a synthetic leather soon.

[Iused2]

Did you end up liking this saddle for your horse?

[twostinkydogs]

I ended up not buying it because the panels were not upswept enough for my horse. Even though she loved it, I was afraid it wouldn’t work for her in the long term and that I wouldn’t be able to resell it because the saddles are not well known. My guess is most horses will either love them or hate them because they do ride differently, but it’s definitely worth a trial.

[Runswithhorses1]

I think you dodged a bullet. I bought an Aviar.

[outerbanks77]

@Runswithhorses1

bought an Aviar.

Are you unhappy with your Aviar? I might be meeting with a rep this weekend, so any good or bad experiences would be good to hear about.

[Runswithhorses1]

More importantly, my horse is super unhappy with it. I initially purchased the Raavun, which exerted tremendous pressure at the back portion. I was sold a model that positively was a bad choice for him. It felt like it was shoving me up high in the rear, which in turn shoved down into my horse’s lower thoracic. It caused actual swelling in his spine per the x-rays taken after he went lame in it in less than 3 months. The company has been generous at least and has allowed me to trade it for a different model, no refund, so I have to choose from this same line of saddle. I also switched reps. I tried several different saddles and my horse was fussy to the point of tossing his head in all of them. After about three saddles, we put his Horobin saddle in him that I bought since I was having so much trouble with the Aviar and the first rep I started with was dragging this out for MONTHS so I got desparate and bought another saddle. He began to settle down and relax in the Horobin, which I will admit needs to be rebalanced as it has flocked panels and the flocking is new and extremely soft. Regardless, we continued on to another Aviar model and he went right back to running through the trot and throwing his head. In the end I put the Horobin back on him and he started to settle down again. My horse has spoken. So I did take home a new saddle because otherwise I would be empty handed after a large purchase. I got curious when I got home and sat it on his bare back, no pad and can now see why he got so angry. The panels contact down the spine channel side, but then are too flat from side to side and stick out off the sides of his back causing too much pressure along that inner edge. So now I have a very, very expensive saddle that I will not use on him. It was even worse on my second horse.

The saddle is supposedly more free in the shoulder because of how the tree is built in the front with very short points that are not really points. On my horse, once the saddle is girthed up, the panels still clamp down tight behind his shoulder blades. Now, my horse has enormous shoulders and is not quite as wide behind them, so saddles do tend to cause him problems in the shoulders. I had the same experience with the saddles I tried during my saddle replacement fitting as I had with the first one I purchased, he would not move out in the front because those foam panels were restricting him. He was short striding considerably. That went away when I put my Horobin back on him.

That is not to say you might have an entirely different experience. My horse has been a difficult fit and several brands have failed. This is just my own experience. I have heard that they are a better fit for warmbloods. I have an Arabian. The foam panels just do not match him and that cannot be fixed.

I do want to emphasize, the company has been very helpful in trying to find a fair solution.

[outerbanks77]

Thank you! This helps confirm with me that I’ll only go with one of I can buy a used one and have it adjusted to fit. At least then I won’t be out at much if it doesn’t work. I will keep my Black Country, which is a decent fit as a backup. My instructor said she knows some people with Aviars and the fit is tricky, but the horses do great when it’s dialed in. I do have a 17h warmblood, so she’s in their target demographic.

[NaturallyHappy]

@Runswithhorses1, If I were you, unless you paid cash, I’d dispute this w my credit card company.

[Runswithhorses1]

Unfortunately it is too late for that. The first rep is actually an independent fitter who sells this brand. She strung this out for months so I finally had enough and went directly to the company. They took back the first saddle and gave me a credit of its original value but minus whatever amount the dealer made on top of that. Of course the saddles went up since the initial purchase and I had to pay the difference. It was either that or be stuck trying to sell a model that seems to have been a problem for others and not likely to sell ever. I’m going to lose either way but at least have something sellable now.

[RevelRanchUT]

Ok, this is an older thread that I found bc I too was looking up Envy saddles.

Let me say this: I have had incredible experiences with Aviar. Like, horses moving better/more freely, rider position more naturally in the right alignment. I have been slowly putting them on every horse that I can, as we are able in my training program.

For me, the piece de resistance was a horse who came from Portugal with a *bad tongue problem. We rode him in a Custom Icon Star that was fitted to him, did *all the things: dental work (duh,) massage work, eastern medicine, western medicine, all the bits on gods green earth… and the Aviar changed it. It made it 75% easier to put the tongue back in his mouth. Such a relief.

I do think we have a good fitter/rep in this area (shout out, Powers Equine/Jenny for the help!) but also, I understand anatomy, have been in this sport longer than I care to admit, now, so I think we have a good decision-making matrix in place.

I now have a client who’s a little more challenged by the Aviar premium pricetag, so that’s why we’re looking at the Envy. Would be great to get her something that’s allows the freedom & structural advantages of the Aviar without the larger investment. Guess we’ll see!