I am wanting to get into eventing and wanted to know some of the better saddle brands out there. Any suggestions?
What style of riding are you currently doing? What level eventing are you doing? Are you looking for jump phase or dressage phase? What are you currently riding in? Do you have a saddle fitter on hand? Are you actually wanting to buy a saddle now or is this just curiousity?
The best saddle is the one that fits you and the horse .
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I am currently riding western, but would like to get into jumping as a hobby and am looking into getting the right kind of tack that isn’t going to hurt my horses.
The best saddle is one that fits you and your horse.
Your best bet is to find an independent saddle fitter locally that can help guide you through the process.
Fit is more precise in an English saddle. The panels need to be periodically restuffed and they can be altered to improve fit somewhat. But the tree needs to be a basic good match for your horses back
In general you are better off getting a good quality used saddle than a new saddle.
The brand will depend on the general shape of your horses back. What kind of horse do you ride?
Are you starting lessons? If so you can talk to your new trainer.
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I agree with everything said so far. I would talk to your trainer and get some input because they’ll know your needs more than we will. Asking for the best brand of saddle is a little like asking what the best car is. There’s just so many variables and it just completely depends on your needs not necessarily how nice the car is. A Lamborghini is a nice car, but it would be a terrible choice for a 16 year old that just got their license, has no money, and lives in Alaska where it snows 2 feet every day.
I agree that used saddles are the way to go. For one, they retain their value, so when you do want to move up you can sell it for around what you bought it for. And two, your money just goes further quality wise.
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Are there any particular brands I should stay away from or know about?
Some saddles fit some horses. No saddle brand can fit every horse.
In general I see 4 categories of English saddles out there. I’m in Canada so with the exchange rate everything is more expensive. I will try to estimate the price range in American dollars.
The most expensive jumping saddles are the currently popular top of the line French foam panels saddles. That includes CWD, Voltaire, etc. New they are about $7000. These saddles are extremely popular for jumping but tend to be made of softer and more fragile leather so they can get significant surface wear. The panels obviously can’t be reflocked.
The next most expensive tier are the German and British wool flocked saddles. That includes County, Stubben, Black Country, Passier, etc. New they cost about $4000 or more. These saddles are the sturdiest and last the longest and can be reflocked. Until the French saddles surged in popularity in the last decade, County was the desired jumping saddle and I really like them.
Both these tiers of saddles are bought new through a dealer representative who orders them semi custom to your specifications. Sometimes this doesn’t go so well and the saddle is unsatisfactory. Sometimes people have problems with particular brand reps. Some people have a preference for foam or wool. However in general these are all very popular high end saddles.
I know less about the two lower teirs because I avoid them.
The third tier is the better quality budget saddles like Pessoa or HDR. Some of them have interchangeable wither gullets. These tend to sell for about $2000 new and are often sold in tack stores. They have fewer options for seat size and features and are not semi custom. Many people are happy with them as starter saddles. There are also synthetic saddles by Wintec and Thoroughgood.
The fourth tier is very low priced saddles. In Canada we have some house brands at our big national tack store chain that you can get for $CAN 1800 bundled with bridle pad girth etc. I am unimpressed.
Now the standard price for a used saddle in good shape is about half off retail. And if the saddle is a bit older it can get much cheaper.
So I see no point in spending $2000 on a new lower quality saddle when for that money you can get a top quality second hand saddle that will last longer.
The big thing is measuring your horses back and finding out what brands are a good match.
On my last shopping experience it turned out that none of the French foam saddles would ever fit my big beefy Paint mare. She is a really good fit for a Passier. It has the right wither clearance and tree curve. I got an older but very functional Passier jump saddle for $500 and had it reflocked. New would be over $4000.
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It really depends on your budget and your situation. Really. One man’s cheap trash is another man’s decent, serviceable starter saddle.
Pretty much any brand sold by one of the major saddlery sellers (e.g. Dover) will be a decent brand. And yes, like others have said, shop for used.
I’ve had great experiences with both Thorowgoods and Kent & Masters saddles. Thorowgoods are either completely synthetic, or a combination of synthetic and leather. Kent & Masters saddles are all leather. These saddles are well-made for their price point, and they come in a variety of sizing options (different wither profiles, adjustable gullets, and wool flocking that can be adjusted by a fitter).
When I first started to dabble in eventing, I bought a Thorowgood T8 GP. I followed the fitting guidelines on Thorowgood’s website to choose the correct wither profile and gullet bar. I also worked with a saddle fitter that double-checked the fit and adjusted the wool flocking for a more fine-tuned fit. I later purchased a used Kent & Masters dressage saddle – I absolutely loved that saddle!
These brands certainly aren’t top-of-the-line saddles, but they are well-made and they typically fit well if you choose the right wither profile and gullet bar. I think they’re an excellent choice for a starter saddle for someone new to the discipline.
Thanks so much for all of your replies, they were very helpful! 
You are welcome!
My experience is that English saddles are way way more expensive than Western saddles at comparable quality levels (leaving out Western show saddles with a lot of handcarving and silver). I doubt anyone pays $7000 for a good daily schooling Western saddle, but lots of people are clearly paying that for their daily jump saddles!
The fit for horse and rider and the balance of the saddle also need to be more precise in English saddles as they sit closer to the horse with minimal saddle pads.
Also if you are just switching to English you might have trouble evaluating how well a saddle suits you because it will be hard to sort out problems with saddle fit from challenges learning a new position.
I rode mostly Western as a kid and when I returned to h/j lessons about 12 years ago, I rode in whatever saddle fit the horse. I had a lot of position stuff to learn and relearn and honestly the saddle was not a big part of the equation for the first several years. I cheerfully thought I could ride in any old saddle… Then I got my own horse and dressage and jump saddles that fit me, and now I am at the point where I ride well enough, that a saddle that is not a good fit or not well balanced on the horse has a small but marked negative effect on my overall position. I still feel competent in a wide range of saddles but the video shows me doing little things I don’t like.
Now my coach rides well enough that she never loses her beautiful equitation no matter what saddle she is in, too big or small or uneven. My coach is also the kind of person who will kick off her stirrups when she’s riding a green OTTB that feels humpy because she says it’s easier to sit a buck without stirrups :).
Anyhow the big things for horse fit in English saddles are not just the wither clearance and angle (like a Western saddle) but also the front to back curve of the labels, and the “drop” of the panels. These last can be tweaked by flocking but the tree needs to be a good general match for the back. If the panels are too flat the saddle bridges and if they are too curvy the saddle will rock.
For rider it’s seat size. There is a huge difference in feel between a 17" and an 18" seat even in the same brand. And then where the stirrup bars are placed under your leg and if the flap and knee rolls are forward enough that your knee doesn’t slide past them.
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