Any thoughts or opinions on the Adelinda? How does it compare to the Eden or other BC offerings?
Black Country makes a quality saddle, no matter which model. The Eden is made on a curved tree, for the dippy-backed horse. All the others are fairly straight, though not board flat. Because they’re made to order, based on photos and templates, there are a variety of block sizes, flap lengths and forwardness, panel and gusset depths, etc. Even the amount of padding in the seat varies. They are stamped with a tree width and serial number, but the BC folks typically prefer not to speak to customers. Patti Merli is an experienced East Coast rep who may be able to help you figure out remotely (via pics) if a particular Adelinda will work for your horse, and she can certainly do a hands-on fitting.
Thanks! Patti’s great. I bought my GP from her. I was wondering if anyone had any personal thoughts on the Adelinda. It doesn’t seem to be as popular as the others, and I’m curious if there’s a reason why.
I sat in one, and found it very comfortable, soft but not restrictive - but it was not going to fit my pony so I didn’t actually ride in it. It was definitely more comfortable than the older Edens I’ve sat in, but those were from the era when saddles weren’t cushy - the newer ones may be different.
A fitter I talked to said the Adelinda can be made on the curvy or flatter trees, although the flatter is apparently more common - just depends on what configuration was ordered.
It’s less popular probably because it is among their more expensive choices.
1 Like
Normally I’m too chicken to buy a saddle off eBay, but I found an Adelinda for $700, so I decided to go for it. Have to say… I absolutely love this saddle. I feel secure but not restricted, balanced, and comfortable. I’m not a dedicated dressage rider, so the intention is for this to be my trail saddle and use my GP for jumps. It’s what I was hoping the Celeste would feel like when I took one on demo. And, as a bonus, the Adelinda feels much lighter than my Black Country GP.
2 Likes
