Anyone Ride in a Prestige Saddle-Italian vs French Saddle

[DR1]

Hello, I have a French saddle with nice, grippy calfskin and a secure, comfy, wide seat. I love it, but need a second saddle. I’m really curious about the Prestige saddles-I like the calfskin option, but most importantly the fact that the trees can be adjusted by a pro.
However, my trainer is not going to accept anything that doesn’t put my leg directly underneath me and have a great balance over fences. Just wondering if anyone here rides in one of the Prestige saddles and how are they different from the French saddles? Is there one model that really locks your leg underneath you and keeps you correct over fences?
I am an amateur hunter rider. I don’t jump over 3’

Thanks!

[alto]

Well Prestige is certainly capable of making a jump saddle … unless you (& your instructor) feel that Ian Millar & family are just not managing decent form over the jumps :lol:

Of course not every saddle fits every person, so the only way to really tell is ride in some demos
Talk to Paul at VTO Saddlery.

[vanessajean]

I love my Prestige Boston. It is the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden in. I would say that it puts my leg a bit more forward than is ideal but not a lot. Definitely see if you can try one out.

[horsepoor]

I adore my Prestige Hunter, and felt my position in it was as close to my old preferred position in my Tad Coffin as any other saddle has been able to make it. It is also kind of flat and hard compared to the French saddles I have ridden in, so that feel may not be for you. Personally, I like it! But Prestige also has many models, and having ridden in only two of them, my experience is not broad.

If you are near a vendor that carries Prestige, go sit in some, then maybe you can narrow down your likes to a certain model or two and get those on trial. VTO Saddlery does have a great trial program, so might check that out.

The one issue I’ve had with Prestige is that I have now found out that the tree warranty does not extend beyond the first, original owner. My Hunter, purchased used, is popping and needs to have the tree inspected (and then repaired or replaced), and just getting Prestige to respond to tell me they won’t cover it under warranty and then to get a recommended saddler…it has been like pulling teeth. In fact, they never have responded to me directly, only through VTO, who are being kind to help me out as I didn’t even buy it there! I think they are nice saddles, love mine enough to consider spending the $$ to fix it, but customer service has been pretty pathetic. But that doesn’t seem that uncommon among tack manufacturerers.

[alto]

[QUOTE=horsepoor;7430995]

just getting Prestige to respond to tell me they won’t cover it under warranty and then to get a recommended saddler…it has been like pulling teeth.
<snip>
But that doesn’t seem that uncommon among tack manufacturerers.[/QUOTE]
Did you have any confirmation that Prestige even received your emails & phone calls?

I had no difficulty a couple years back to a query … I’m assuming you were contacting Prestige Italy …

You’re right about some manufacturers though, some just DO NOT deal directly with the consumer … which is understandable when they are paying a distributor to do that job … I find it more frustrating when the distributor refuses to entertain communication. That said, with the exception of Weatherbeeta, I’ve had good luck with direct response from manufacturers when the distributors won’t/can’t answer my queries (but sometimes waiting for awhile until the english specialist came back into the office )

In regards the tree warranty transfer, a surprising number of companies practise this policy (in the fine print or only when put to the test): from their point of view the saddle history becomes unknown, horse may’ve rolled or fallen with the saddle, or other scenarios that may weaken or crack a tree.
I’m just grateful to any company that does offer transferred warranty … of course, what’s transpired now, is rather limited time warranties on saddle trees - from many companies that offered a “lifetime” warranty, to 3-5 years being common

Of course this may actually just be a reflection of changes by the saddle tree manufacturing company (whose number is very few now) rather than the saddle maker companies.

[horsepoor]

Not meant as a complaint about the warranty transfer, just they don’t make that clear on website or anywhere else until you actually have an issue. So just mentioning it as no one else does! When buying used vs. new, I think this is an important piece of info to have.

And who knows if my call/emails were vaporized, but even VTO has had trouble getting an answer and I’m pretty sure they know who and how to contact! Now Prestige is out of the picture and I’ll deal with the US repair person, as I’m sure not sending it back to Italy.

sorry for getting off topic, OP…

[alto]

[QUOTE=horsepoor;7431098]
When buying used vs. new, I think this is an important piece of info to have.[/QUOTE]

Very much so - it’s actually a question that I always ask when looking at used saddles (& usually want confirmation from the manufacturer as many “sale” shops will answer based upon assumptions rather than knowledge )

but even VTO has had trouble getting an answer

That says a lot!

As this is basically Prestige related, I think it’s just lateral topic extension vs off-topic :lol:

(sorry about your experience with your saddle, that is awful luck)

[AdrenalineJunky]

I have an older model Prestige and I have no problems with where it puts my position jumping well over 3’0. They make quite a few different models so I’m sure you would be able to find one that fits you and your horse. I also have an Amerigo which is also Italian and I have a CWD (french). They CWD puts me in the best position however it was a custom saddle where as the Prestige and Amerigo were not. I love all of them though and they all fit different horses. I would definitely buy another Prestige though, they are great saddles.

[swmets]

I have a Prestige Meredith and my horse and I both love it. I had been riding in County for more than 20 years, but it was causing a lot of position problems for me. I never thought I’d ever buy a saddle with foam panels, but this saddle has changed my mind. It fits my OTTB beautifully, and his movement and demeanor under saddle completely changed when I started riding in it. He used to try to get me out of the saddle and off his back at the canter. Now I can sit. It keeps me in the perfect position, and I LOVE the grippy, soft leather. And I also like that the tree can be adjusted if necessary. The minute I first sat in it, I felt like it was “home.”

[FalseImpression]

My DD went through this in the summer. She chose the Prestige Roma. She tried the Boston, Bellagio, and Versailles… as well as the Passier Marcus Ehning and a Butet (which made her knee hurt after 20 minutes). The Roma felt “like home” when she sat in it the first time. Her trainer commented immediately that she had the best two point position she ever had and perfect position for jumping. The Roma is definitely very comfortable and she feels secure with a great position. She is 5’10.

She used to ride (and still flats often) in a Bates Caprilli, but for jumping the Roma places her in a much better position.

[fatappy]

I had the Anatres Jumping Saddle and I loved the way I could stick to it. That said, because of the blocks and leather, it was a ‘one position only’ saddle. I felt very secure in the saddle, but my trainer hated it. She thought it put my leg too far back and made me perch. Also, I hated the way it was breaking in. I just did not feel like the leather was durable.

I borrow a friend’s prestige red fox and my trainer and I agreed that it was a much better saddle. It has removable blocks (I didn’t want blocks so I just took them off), a flatter seat and nice grippy (but not sticky) panels. I can ride my hot OTTB in a more ‘defensive’ position and my easy peasy warmblood in a very light, forward position.

I grew up always being envious of the white cantle of the Nona Garson saddles. I thought that was ‘the saddle’ to have. I love that mine has a touch of white piping on the cantle. It’s like a little piece of my childhood dreams came true.

[Kalele]

I love my Versailles and just sat in the “X seat” here at WEF. OMG…already planning on selling my Versailles for the upgrade to the X-Meredith.

http://www.prestigeitaly.com/public/xparis_ENG.pdf

[DR1]

Thanks so much for all your responses! This is very helpful. I haven’t set up a trial yet for a Prestige saddle-still trying to figure out which model I should look at, but since I posted this I did get a chance to ride in a CWD SE01 and I do agree with Adrenaline_Junkie about the CWD. I felt like I was completely in the center and over my leg; riding exactly with the motion. Posting also felt effortless-like I could ride all day. It made me feel blissful. LOL
I hadn’t really thought about a CWD until now. The tree on the saddle was too wide for my horse however. Which again, brings me back to the Prestige because of the tree options. Anyway-thanks everyone for your help!

[Brutus614]

I just bought a Prestige Meredith and received it this weekend. I have to say that myself, my horse and my trainer absolutely adore this saddle.

During my search I also looked at a 2010 County Innovation and I would say that the quality of the Prestige was a bit better IMO and cheaper.

Overall, I would highly recommend you try a few different models, as I felt like home immediately in the Meredith, although I also tried the Versailles and Passion.

[DR1]

Thanks! Of the three you tried, which one had the widest seat and widest panels under the seat?

[Brutus614]

[QUOTE=DR;7451503]
Thanks! Of the three you tried, which one had the widest seat and widest panels under the seat?[/QUOTE]

Hmm… I would say probably the Meredith. It’s a bit tough for me to tell between the Meredith and Versailles because the Meredith has a deeper seat and I tried a size smaller seat in that model (vs. the Versailles).

I will say that I prefer a deeper seat with more forward flaps… which is why I chose the Meredith over the Versailles. Additionally, I went with Presitge (vs. other brands) because of the panels under the seat… they are not straight, they kind of have a trapezious/k panel look to them to help fill in gaps below the withers. My Appendix has higher TB-type withers, which is where I found difficulty in the fit, struggling to find a model with adequate wither clearance.

What finally sold me as well was the wool-flocked option, so that I can change shape a bit if needed as my horse grows and changes. It is my understanding that it is not true wool, but a product similar (or mixed with real wool?) that holds up better over time.

Additionally, the tree size can be changed by 1-2cm either larger or smaller if necessary. While it must be sent to NJ for this process and it is a bit pricey, it is much cheaper than buying another saddle!

If you have questions, I would highly recommend you speak with a rep. I am located in Ohio and used Kate Coleman (kcoleman.equestrian@gmail.com). She was absolutely WONDERFUL to work with, very knowledgeable and responsive throughout the entire process.

[Lil_Nibs]

I love my ancient Nona Garson Prestige that I bought used - it doesn’t fit my current horse, is the only problem. My post is probably not helpful, I apologize.

[Kalele]

The Meredith definitely has a deeper seat. And ask for the X-Meredith if you do try it.

[DR1]

The Nona Garson and the Meredith both look really nice. They make so many models- Passion, Versailles, Bellagio, Hunter Classic, Boston, Michel Robert…LOL
If I lived near a shop that had a lot of demo models it would help. I think a lot more of their dealers are on the east coast.