Best jumping saddle for someone getting back in sport after many years

[MLK1]

Hi everyone,

So I am thinking about starting to jump again after many years mainly focussing on dressage. My new horse has a very flat back and is young (4) and can be a bit spooky. I am looking for something that will help support my position and mostly make me feel as secure as possible in the tack. I have not a clue as the brands and styles have changed so much from when I was competing. Any advice or tips would be great!

Thanks!

[notanotherone]

County Conquest! It’s got large blocks front and rear and is super secure!

[not_again]

Talk to Stubben!

[MLK1]

Not again

I used to ride in a Stubben Siegfried and to be honest I was not wild about it position or security wise although it was an older model, but I know a lot has changed since then. Thanks!

Also has anyone had any experience with the heritage saddles made in England on ebay.? They look like nice saddles.

I will also check into the conquest.

Thanks!

[IFG]

I love the older Ainsleys as an affordable secure alternative, especially for the TBs.

[ivy62]

Horses with flat backs do well with Black Country saddles and they are very comfy too…

[flyracing]

You don’t mention your budget, but if possible, go for a upper end used saddle rather than a lower end new saddle. Devoucoux, Antares, and CWD are the first popular high end french saddles that come to mind. For more English types: County, and maybe Custom and Albion.

Good luck on your saddle search!

[MLK1]

Flyracing,

I could do upper end used, I love the look of the devoucoux but don’t know a lot about them other than they seem to be popular. I wast sure how they might fit a flat backed horse and how secure they make the rider feel. Although they look like they would.

[alto]

My new horse has a very flat back and is young (4) and can be a bit spooky

If this is true (it’s always relative ) then most of the suggested saddles are duds - way too curvy in the tree (though sometimes a manufacturer known for a curvy tree will have a flat tree option that gets out into some saddles) … also consider whether the flat is width & length or just mostly one rather than the other …

If horse is a typical 4 yr old, it’s unlikely that the saddle that fits at 4 is going to fit at 5 (or even at now + 6 months) so take that into consideration … do NOT buy a dressage saddle & a jump saddle now, instead invest in single saddles that you feel comfortable flatting & jumping in.

(Based upon my experience with the straightest back horse (every fitter has ever seen) with wide shoulders & not a lot of back real estate: County Stabilizer - regardless of any personal failings (flap not forward enough, no blocks, minimal blocks, ugly color etc) this saddle may have, it has a flat open seat so allows greater range of rider position, has that flat tree with shorter tree points for the horse, wool panels so fit can be adjusted within reason, some will adjust the tree (though County does not support this))

For your security, you can modify/add blocks (go Velcro): if you find a Conquest, it has the deeper seat and big blocks (standard) but it won’t cross over near as well for dressage work (it’s perfectly fine for training level) - these are on the same tree as the Stabilizer.

Equipe also puts out a saddle that fit this (my) horse, had saddle adjusted to horse … after several rides, horse was done - even though everyone agreed that fit looked fine (horse was also no longer 4 though :lol: )

Black Country should also have some trees that suit, so I’d book demos with both & see where it leads.
There may be other saddles available depending on your area - if you speak with reps/fitters, they should be up front with tree types & how likely you are to find what you need in a used saddle.

I should also note that the crazy sensitive horse in my anecdote did NOT agree that a deep seated Conquest was similar to a flat seated Stabilizer (we ordered a Stabilizer seat with Conquest panels - got a medium forward flap this way, chose smaller blocks, panels were custom)

[Bogie]

Kieffer makes some very nice jumping saddles with med/deep seats. They are generally very favorably priced and well made.

[ivy62]

Alto I couldn’t agree more. I have a beautiful French saddle that fit three out of 4 horses… All Tbs…when I got the Trakehner it did not work… IE: flat back… Black Country was the best option. Strange as it is I bought a used Custom Saddlery dressage saddle, an older one, and it fit my guy too.

Black Country saddles are a lot cheaper when used then the others. Also, they are wool flocked and can be reflocked to help the fit. The French saddles are foam flocked and what you get is it…

Amerigo may also work if you are looking for a jump saddle

[Highflyer]

Preferences differ so much-- I would try sitting in as many different saddles as you can before deciding.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;7790181]
Preferences differ so much-- I would try sitting in as many different saddles as you can before deciding.[/QUOTE]

This. You just have to go and sit in a bunch and find what works for you and your horse. I’ve had the high end French saddles. Very comfortable but none really fit my horse or me all that well. Fine padded up and jumping smaller jumps but didn’t work when I started jumping bigger. Got a custom Stackhouse and my horse is sooooo much happier in it and so am I.

[alto]

Custom Saddlery & Stackhouse both can do flatter trees, Kieffer is another that traditionally does curvy.

I suspect you can rule out anything French (or frenchwannabe).

Amerigo also has a flatter tree option but most of the Amerigo saddles that were shipped into NA were “standard” models, though specific trees vary with the model (& there were some very specialized fit trees that came over) - Amerigo does offer a “standard” WB tree but it is no way flat enough for a “straightest back ever” kind of back :lol:
If you do find an Amerigo to fit, trees can usually be widened/narrowed, panels are composite wool/foam & offer some adjustability.

For Amerigo, chat with Equestrian Imports - they offer used, have saddle rentals, offer financing (on participating new saddles).

Kitt’s saddle fitting blog is an excellent time investment :yes:

Read everything jn4jenny has ever posted on saddles
:yes: :yes: :yes:

(after my experience with the “straightest back ever”, go straight to fitters & reps, don’t bother schlepping around the countryside sitting in saddles or shipping saddles on “a hope” - begin by determining what is “likely to fit”, then try to find that in your budget)

[McVillesMom]

Another Black Country fan here. I also have a flat-backed youngster (so of course the TB’s saddles didn’t fit) and I have a Tex Eventer for him, which also is very secure for me - it has a very forward flap and stirrup bar, so I can have my leg in front of me for any shenanigans

[MLK1]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the info it is very helpful and informative. I think it will help me save a lot of time knowing which saddles may or may not work for him!

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=MLK1;7789678]

Also has anyone had any experience with the heritage saddles made in England on ebay.? They look like nice saddles

Thanks![/QUOTE]

They ARE nice saddles, but I would never in a thousand years suggest that route to someone who doesn’t know what they want in a saddle besides “secure.” Matt is great, but you need to know what to tell him in terms of flat angle, length, twist, seat depth (deeper does not always mean more secure for some people), etc. He is not able to see you in person, so you need to be able to tell him anything he could ever want to know about how to build your saddle. You are still going to have to work with a good fitter when it comes in, additionally, since it will likely be close but still need tweaking to be the perfect fit.

Also agreeing with the others that 4 is not the age to be buying a custom saddle for a horse. I’d be shopping around in the $1000 range knowing I’ll need to resell the saddle in 6 months to a year.

[zena1313]

Hi MLK,

I am a Stubben saddle fitter based in Chicago. Older Stubben saddles do have a bad reputation for being rigid. But give a new/er Stubben saddle a chance! We have completely redone the parts of the saddle that the rider feels. The leather is grippy and luxurious and the blocks and flap position will have you in a great position feeling secure. And nothing beats our spring tree for enhanced communication with your horse. I event and my favorite jump saddle is the Zaria Optimum which is also currently Stubben’s best seller. I feel like I’m attached to my horse when I ride in it, that’s how secure my lower leg is. The Get Connected jump saddle is more for hunters and stadium and it really does connect you and provide a very secure feeling. Its interchangable block system is awesome and super convenient. Anyhow, if you are anywhere near Chicago, let me give you some test rides so you can see the difference. Thanks.

[MLK1]

Thanks Zena!

That is very kind of you to offer, unfortunately I live in New England but if there is a rep out this way you can recommend I will definitely look into it.

Thanks again everyone for your input, I am learning a lot!

[goodmorning]

I think it all “depends.” I had a Black Country Quantum that wasn’t flat enough for my horse. We’ve made a turn back towards curvier & I’m thrilled as the French Saddles I love to ride in are fitting off the rack For a 4yo, I’d go with what works for you, is OK for the horse, but pads to alter as needed, and revisit for a semi-permanent option when it’s 6yo. The back changes often. Nightmare to keep up with.