I really like these saddles. Would you buy the Bates Caprilli Event Saddle or the Bates Caprilli Close Contact?
I have sat in the Bates event and really didnāt care for it at all.
I have the Close contact, and hunt in it (whip in) regularly, itās very comfortable.
I have a Bates Caprilli All Purpose that Iāve had for about 4 years. I bought it off a friend because it fit the horse I had at the time, I donāt know if I would have gone for a Bates otherwise. Itās comfortable and itās fit a lot of different horses without changing the gullet. I always use a pro-lite (http://www.prolitepads.com/products/reliefpads/reliefpads.htm) with my saddle because I like something else besides the saddle pad. Iāve also used the Mattes pad depending on the horse and the saddle has always fit. The only downside is it being all purpose and going cross country or hunting. Sometimes when Iām jumping I really hate the deeper seat and I wish I had another saddle for jumping, but I canāt afford to buy another at the moment, especially since this one has fit everything!
As for which one you should choose, both look like nice saddles and itās your preference. See if you can take a demo saddle on trial to find out which one you like jumping in.
Thanks. I really like the Bates line of saddles. Iāve had Albions, Stubbens, Ansurs and none of them have ever worked as well for me personally as the Bates line. (Funny how that works for some people) I have the Caprilli dressage saddle which I am very happy with. I love the look of the new Innovas but canāt afford those right now.
Evidently Bates bought the Collegiate and Millers logos so it will be interesting to see where those lines of products go.
The economy being what it is, I do like having less money tied up in tack for 2 horses. I wouldnāt want to swap out gullets each ride, but it is handy to be able to do so. These saddles allow me more flexibility in fitting the horses (One is a Appendix QH and one is a TB).
I think I will try to find a used Bates Caprilli Close contact and then save up for and demo ride the Bates Momentum or the Caprilli Event, if it is not discontinued by then. I am wondering if I would be happy with the suede on the momentum. A little more āstickā maybe XC?
I didnāt know Bates bought the Collegiate and Miller logoā¦that will be interesting to see what happens.
I canāt remember what gullet is in my saddle at the moment, but honestly I have never changed it in the 4 years Iāve owned my Bates and like I said in the post above, itās fit a variety of different horses. You might have that luck as well so you donāt have to play around with the gullets 
I like the close contact the best, then the event, then the all purpose. I cannot sit in the Bates A/P for more than 15 mins, but thats just because I really donāt fit in A/P saddles at all. I really like all the Bates C/Cās Iāve ridden in and its #2 on my possible saddles to buy list!
I have the close contact and like it alot!
I have the event and love it! I like that the seat isnāt super deep and I donāt feel trapped (I dislike the AP for that reason). The close contact is pretty darn nice too, although it has a slightly deeper seat than the event.
The Caprilli Event has a close contact seat, extra forward flap, etc. I bought mine 6 years ago when they were being made in Australia. It didnāt come with the blocks at the time, so I purchased some Prestige thigh blocks (that are very large) and velcroed them under the skirt.
It is a super saddle and affordable - if youāre riding Prelim fences or higher, I think it does the job.
I agree, dont bother with the AP, go right to the close contact. I had a Bates AP and I liked it, but I had alot of trouble progressing in my jumping. when I switched to a (different) close contact, things improved pretty quickly. based on pictures in both saddles and feedback from a new trainer, the AP did not allow (for me) a good leg position for jumping.
I have been eventing in my Bates CC for 7 or 8 years now. I LOVE it! And I love the care system instead of flocking. I donāt even own a saddle with flocking in it any more. Iām really tall too so it is hard to find saddles that fit me. I think I have one with a longer flap on it?? I donāt remember. Its been too long since I bought it.
Iāve even had non horse people sit in it on pony rides and they say it is the most comfortable saddle theyāve ever sat in. Iāve sat in the AP before. Didnāt care for it too much. There was justā¦i donāt knowā¦too much saddle if that makes any sense.
I also think the CC looks nicer than the AP. BTW, did it take anyone else forEVER to get their CC to oil up?? It was very light when I first got it but after about 2 months of oiling every other day it is the most beautiful cherry wood brown! I love it!
Iām another big fan of the Bates CC. I love it for both jumping phases and I even do flat work in it pretty regularly. Itās a super comfortable saddle and I think it has really helped my position jumping.
Havenāt tried the AP, but am not an AP saddle fan in general.
Bates
yuck!
ditto (except for the hunting regularly part :()
You do have to be careful with the CAIR system. My sister got an Eventer on trial and rode her TB gelding in it once, and it rendered him useless for almost a week. He absolutely did not like the panels. There is a ādividerā in the middle of the panel on each side, so it is really 4 panels.
She did end up buying the saddle, but had it reflocked before it got NEAR his back.
I have heard numerous stories of the panels going bad, horses acting up and eventually the owners figure out that is the problem. They have the saddle reflocked, and all is right with the world again.
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Odd one out. I have the elevation instead of caprilli. They arenāt going to be making them anymore, but there are still some out there. My student also has this saddle. I love mine as the flap is quite a bit more forward than the caprilli. My student who is a junior is starting to feel that the twist may be a bit wide for her, but as a mom I have no issues at all. I have foud that I can feel my girth buckles under the flap a bit, but may also have something to do with having the bates single layer leathers (canāt remember what they call their fancy ones). I love this saddle for hacking, and schooling. I have a courbette cresta stadium saddle that I use for hunting and stadium and a dressage saddle for that, so this is really just my huntseat saddle. Not sure that the rolls would be enough to make me feel secure cross country. I do wish it came in more traditional colors.
I have a Bates Bryan Newman which is like the Close Contact but with a flat seatā¦ more like the Elevation maybe? Love it love it and my hard-to-fit Prelim horse goes great in it.
Jennifer
I just got an Elevation J for an absolute steal because they updated the model. Iāve only done flatwork in it (and 1 jump just to see how that goes) and I really like it. Itās not even that slippery for a new saddle. It has a very flat seat and a super forward knee roll, so I think itād be good for cross country. If you look you can get a good deal right now.
Love the close contact. There are reports somewhere out there where they took a bunch of name brand saddles and did some thermal imaging on horse back with different saddles. If I remember correctly, bates won by a landslide. Love the saddle, not a fan of the leather quality. I have had mine for almost 5 years and it still looks great and rides well!
Sit in both on your horse. Youāll know which one is best for you. Iāve had two Bates over the years. Both pitched me forward.
