So I just started riding again after a sad hiatus of a good 10 years. My friend is letting me borrow her 17.5" County Stabilizer and it’s both amazing and super comfy but definitely out of my price range. I am on the taller side at 5’7", with a pretty long leg, average athletic build and this saddle fits me perfectly. I’m looking for something similar but closer to $2k good for thoroughbreds. The leather on the County is definitely super smooth and doesn’t offer a lot of grip so I would like something that offers that grip. My friend suggested Smith and Worthington. I think their saddles are really nice and I like that the flocking can be changed to fit any horse. Any suggestions on Smith and Worthington or other great eq saddles around $2k?? I’ve been researching like crazy! help please 
I would contact your local rep for cwd/antares etc and talk to them about coming out to fit you/your horse. not only will it help you determine what you and your horse need in a saddle but they usually always have used saddles they sell that are within your price range. And if not, there are other online resources you can use to find a saddle that works. Redwood tack is one!
You can find a used Stabilizer in your budget. Their XTR leather would offer you more grip, but so will that SportyHafft spray in the orange can. (-:
I had and loved a Stabilizer. If I could justify the purchase of another saddle right now, I’d be looking for a used one.
A quick search on Ebay revealed 9 County Stabilizers for sale under $2K. Doesn’t seem like it would be too hard to get one if you know the specs of the one you like. Happy hunting!
I rode in a County for a while and switched to a Butet a little while back. It was a great decision for me and my personal conformation! The narrow twist really helped me to get a better feel of my legs around my horse, and it helped me to keep my knees flat against the flap. I got one used for less than $2000.
[QUOTE=Pumalume;8751401]
So I just started riding again after a sad hiatus of a good 10 years. My friend is letting me borrow her 17.5" County Stabilizer and it’s both amazing and super comfy but definitely out of my price range. I am on the taller side at 5’7", with a pretty long leg, average athletic build and this saddle fits me perfectly. I’m looking for something similar but closer to $2k good for thoroughbreds. The leather on the County is definitely super smooth and doesn’t offer a lot of grip so I would like something that offers that grip. My friend suggested Smith and Worthington. I think their saddles are really nice and I like that the flocking can be changed to fit any horse. Any suggestions on Smith and Worthington or other great eq saddles around $2k?? I’ve been researching like crazy! help please :)[/QUOTE]
Smith Worthington saddles are well made and nice. The company is located here in the US, and the staff will work with you to get a good fit for you and your horse. They also more saddles than are listed on their site, so I am sure they could find you something in your budget that would work well for you.
The problem is that though the company has been around for a long time and is very reputable, their saddles aren’t in fashion. A lot of people haven’t ever heard of Smith Worthington, so the resale value is lower than it should be, and it might be hard for you to sell your saddle along should you need to.
Thanks @ sonnylady! I’m so out of the loop but I did notice a lot of the people at my new barn have CWD saddles. I looked them up and they are super expensive. Haven’t looked at antares too much but I know they are up there with CWD saddles. Never heard of redwood tack I’ll definitely check them out! Thanks again :yes:
The Sabilizer is so comfy I’ll check out the XTR and this SportyHafft Spray…it’s totally safe on leather? This isn’t my saddle so I DO NOT want to damage it anyway.
Thank you! I just worry what kind of condition saddles on ebay are in. I don’t want to buy one and then it has a broken tree or something :no:
I’ve heard good things about Butet so I’m definitely going to research them some more. What specific Butet do you have now that you like?
[QUOTE=Pumalume;8751970]
The Sabilizer is so comfy I’ll check out the XTR and this SportyHafft Spray…it’s totally safe on leather? This isn’t my saddle so I DO NOT want to damage it anyway.[/QUOTE]
I’ve used SportyHafft for years on my saddles and boots with no problems at all. I do have marks on my breeches from it, but that’s probably because I attempted to Haffta spray my ass to the saddle (excited hunt horse).
Another way to get a bit of grip is with a good cleaner/conditioner. One of the best is the Higher Standards Leather care-- clean the saddle with it, and then rub a little bit extra of the cleaner into the leather, and leave it. Gives a nice bit of grip without stickiness.
A used Stabilizer can definitely be found in your price range. I found mine for $1400. I got it while waiting for my new County to ship, and was going to sell it when that happened, but kept it as I liked hunting in it.
If you do find a used saddle – any qualified fitter could check it out for you. What state are you in?
Redwood Tack seems to get a lot of stuff in and allows you to take saddles on trial. You could look at the vendors at a horse show if you have any bigger A shows nearby–that’s where I bought my Devoucoux for a little north of $2k. If you are patient you should be able to find a nicer used saddle for around your budget. I was able to ride in about 7 saddles when I bought mine at one of the Atlanta summer shows last year. I saw some online that I thought would work but I didn’t want to eat up my saddle budget having to ship things back and forth from trials in case they didn’t work out.
[QUOTE=mepkkg;8752073]
Redwood Tack seems to get a lot of stuff in and allows you to take saddles on trial. You could look at the vendors at a horse show if you have any bigger A shows nearby–that’s where I bought my Devoucoux for a little north of $2k. If you are patient you should be able to find a nicer used saddle for around your budget. I was able to ride in about 7 saddles when I bought mine at one of the Atlanta summer shows last year. I saw some online that I thought would work but I didn’t want to eat up my saddle budget having to ship things back and forth from trials in case they didn’t work out.[/QUOTE]
Thank you @mepkkg! Yeah their site is pretty awesome! really nicely used saddles. Does anyone known anything about PJ Premier saddles? redwook tack has a really nice one within my budget but not sure if it’s worth a try.
[QUOTE=Pumalume;8751970]
The Sabilizer is so comfy I’ll check out the XTR and this SportyHafft Spray…it’s totally safe on leather? This isn’t my saddle so I DO NOT want to damage it anyway.[/QUOTE]
I would never use this spray on my saddle, let alone one that wasn’t mine. It can absolutely leave grime. I had to clean saddles of a rider that regularly used this and it was disgusting. The gunk/build-up had to be chipped away…and while these saddles weren’t cleaned daily, they were cleaned weekly…
thanks @rugbug I was looking it up and reading reviews…doesn’t sound like something I plan on using now
[QUOTE=Pumalume;8751972]
Thank you! I just worry what kind of condition saddles on ebay are in. I don’t want to buy one and then it has a broken tree or something :no:[/QUOTE]
It’s not really that much of a worry, IMO. First of all, Ebay and Paypal are now very very buyer centric. If you buy from a seller with good feedback and use paypal for payment, you are not going to get stuck with a problem saddle. Basically if you buy it and it is not as advertised, you send it back and paypal refunds you.
@lucassb have you or do you know anyone who has purchased a saddle from ebay? I’m just nervous i’m not going to get what i think i’m getting. Just want to be sure its totally reasonable to purchase a saddle from ebay or if i should use a more reliable site/vendor.
I’ve purchased saddles (2 or 3) from ebay with no issues. The buyer really is protected so just make sure you are a good buyer. Since the buyer has the power, some can be real jerks, making things up that a saddle isn’t as described when the reality is that the saddle just didn’t fit their horse. That, IMO, is wrong. IT’s not the seller’s responsibility to make sure the saddle fits a specific horse or rider. They just need to make sure the saddle is accurately described.
Ask the seller questions, know what you want and what you are getting. Sure, there are sellers out there trying to pull one over, but there are plenty that are just trying to move along a saddle.
FWIW - when I decided to sell my high end used saddle, I took a pretty decent loss so I could avoid the buyer-centric ebay hassle. I’ve seen too many buyers make things up so they can return an item that t was worth it to me to take the loss.
[QUOTE=Pumalume;8752456]
@lucassb have you or do you know anyone who has purchased a saddle from ebay? I’m just nervous i’m not going to get what i think i’m getting. Just want to be sure its totally reasonable to purchase a saddle from ebay or if i should use a more reliable site/vendor.[/QUOTE]
I’ve bought many saddles on eBay. Only one was not as described and I sent it back.
Great deals on eBay. I’ve bought saddles that retailed for over 4K for less than 1K and they’ve been just fine. BUT, you need to know exactly what you want – what will fit YOU and what will fit YOUR HORSE. I just bought a Hastilow Concept Event saddle that is on it’s way to me now. If you’re riding in a saddle you like now (County’s are great) find out the tree size, seat size, flap and any other modifications and look for that.
Keep in mind that most CWDs and I think all Antares have foam panels; County saddles are flocked with wool. I won’t go into the whole debate over choosing one or another, but you should research it and make a decision over what works for you.
One tack store that I think gets a good selection of saddles and sells at a reasonable price is Middleburgh Tack Exchange. You can ride in their saddles and send them back if they don’t work for you.
