Black Country options

[Firescorpion]

Hi CotH!

I recently purchased my first horse from my trainer and am looking at saddles for her… I looked at a bunch of brands and settled on Black Country and I’m having a rep come out soon.
I’ve been searching the internet and CotH for pictures of their various models/colors and materials and found a lovely topic from 2010… But most pictures are unavailable 7 years later.

So could you show me your Black Country saddle, tell me what model it is, what color and leather?! Things you wish you had or hadn’t ordered?

TIA!

[JFCeventer]

I bought both my Black Countrys used, I have a Maelstrom for my Training level event pony which I absolutely love, very comfy and secure. I also have a Wexford for my baby OTTB which has less of a forward flap and a bit of a deeper seat but still plenty easy to jump in. I have yet to sit in a Black Country that I haven’t loved!

[Rainier]

After two custom saddles that didn’t work, I got a used Black Country Vinici Jump for my wide somewhat downhill ottb mare. I love it!!

[kcmel]

I have a Wexford that I bought used. I think it is the most comfortable and secure saddle I have ever sat in. I love it for jumping novice and below, but I am finding it someone restrictive with bigger fences. I’m not sure if I need a flatter seat, or if going up a half size would help (I fit between the 17.5 and 18, but went with the 17.5).

I think the next less deep seat (Ricochet) is designed more for the TB than my draft x, so I also need to figure out what the options are. So thanks for starting this thread!

[MKV]

I bought my Tex Eventer used from my saddle fitter. I absolutely love this saddle. My saddle fitter liked it for me because the longer forward flap worked well for my longer thigh, and it fit my horse like it was made for her. I don’t know what type of leather it is, but I think it’s the oxblood (dark brown) color and it has London tan piping.

[Firescorpion]

Love hearing all these stories! Anyone got any pictures for me?

[McVillesMom]

I have four Black Country saddles! My two horses are very different shapes, so what fits one doesn’t come close to fitting the other. My first was a Ricochet that I ordered specifically for my TB. It’s dark brown vintage leather with black welting. Next was the Tex Eventer that I bought for my Trakehner. It was a demo that I bought from my fitter, also dark brown vintage.

Last year I decided to bite the bullet and order an Eden (dressage saddle) for my TB. His old Wintec wasn’t working anymore and he deserved it. It’s oxblood vintage with hunter green welting. And the last one is an Eloquence that I found used on eBay. Also dark brown vintage, it has a suede seat and knees, which I would never have picked out but I love it.

I have photos of all, although most of them are pretty boring in terms of options!
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[Firescorpion]

@McVillesMom

I have four Black Country saddles! My two horses are very different shapes, so what fits one doesn’t come close to fitting the other. My first was a Ricochet that I ordered specifically for my TB. It’s dark brown vintage leather with black welting. Next was the Tex Eventer that I bought for my Trakehner. It was a demo that I bought from my fitter, also dark brown vintage.

Last year I decided to bite the bullet and order an Eden (dressage saddle) for my TB. His old Wintec wasn’t working anymore and he deserved it. It’s oxblood vintage with hunter green welting. And the last one is an Eloquence that I found used on eBay. Also dark brown vintage, it has a suede seat and knees, which I would never have picked out but I love it.

I have photos of all, although most of them are pretty boring in terms of options!
​​​​​​

Oooh can you send me a pm with the pics or post them in here? Would love to see what they look like!

[Firescorpion]

@GutsNGlory

This is my Ricochet jump saddle…[cut]

That is gorgeous!! Thank you for sharing. The saddle fitter told me (based off of pictures) that the Ricochet tree is probably what will fit my horse best - we will see, I guess! Thank you!!

[Firescorpion]

@Twigster

I have a Dante Vinici jump in havana/brown with gold piping and buffalo along the wear panels for my fairly wide, high withered, big shouldered, monster TB. Here’s a pic from before it ever even saw a horse’s back.

Oh I like that color combo - Thanks for sharing!!

[tbchick84]

I have the Wexford and love it. It is so comfortable. It’s the only saddle, out of the 7 I’ve tried over the years, that I can actually sit my horse’s trot. I don’t jump above BN, so the less forward flap is not an issue for me. It fits my TB very well. A few of my barn friends have the Richochet for their TBs and say they fit very well too. You really can’t go wrong with a BC. Awesome saddles.

[2horseowner]

Have had Black Countrys for a long time. Patty Merli is who I use, and I’m very biased-she’s the best! Love my Wexford and Eloquence dressage saddle. Great saddles that won’t break the bank!

[Firescorpion]

@2horseowner

Have had Black Countrys for a long time. Patty Merli is who I use, and I’m very biased-she’s the best! Love my Wexford and Eloquence dressage saddle. Great saddles that won’t break the bank!

She’s coming out next week, I can’t wait

[Rockcliff]

I have the Quantum X on a hoop tree and I love it. One option that is great is the serge panels. It’s so much lighter and cooler for my mare.

[2horseowner]

You will love her! She is just the best! Let us know how it goes!!

[Firescorpion]

@2horseowner

You will love her! She is just the best! Let us know how it goes!!

I’m sure I will! I might need support waiting on the saddle, haha!

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

I work for a tack shop that’s a dealer for Black Country. By far the most popular model we sell is the Ricochet, usually done in brown Vintage with brown Schrumph seat and knee pads and brown hide panels. Super comfy, especially if you go with double padding in the seat. :yes:

[supaflyskye]

I have a Black Country Vinici Jump saddle in havana, reverse doeskin on the seat & knee rolls.
I swear I will have some photos in the AM tomorrow, I don’t have any available right this moment though & it really needs a cleaning before being photographed for the internet, hah.
I got mine in 2010, & it’s held up pretty darn well, I’d say. The reverse doeskin definitely does need a little bit of babying though – I never allow anyone to sit in it wearing pants w/ big seams (i.e. jeans) or rear pockets, etc. There’s a little bit of wrinkling & surface cracking on the seat at this point, but it’s nothing major. But it’s very nice & grippy.
The havana colouring is VERY dark, almost black. Honestly, I would not have chosen the havana & maaaybe not the reverse doeskin…but I stumbled upon this saddle, exactly the model I wanted in exactly the seat & tree size I was looking for, brand spanking new for -30% off “retail” price. Couldn’t very well say no to that!

ETA: The one thing I really do not like about my saddle is that the billets are VERY long. And over time they stretched to be even longer! Particularly the thin front billet stretched much more than the thicker rear billet…there’s now an entire hole’s difference in length between the two. It can really be kind of annoying – I actually cannot even put the saddle on many smaller horses, simply because a short enough girth literally does not exist. My 15.3hh ~1100lb gelding takes an 18" girth w/ this saddle. Sometimes when he’s a little chunkier we can make a 20" work, but not always.

[Juxtapoze]

If you search ebay, you can find a variety of BC saddles for pics. Black Country’s website should show you lots of colors/option pics as well.

I currently ride in a BC Solare jump saddle. Have owned a BC Wexford as well. Both were printed vintage leather (very dark brown) with reverse doeskin on seat & knee rolls. The Solare works better for my leg position and it fits most of the horses I ride, whereas the Wexford (same size and options) with wither gussets ONLY fit horses with withers. The Solare (with or without half pad as needed) fits the large variety of horses I ride with the exception of really flat short-backed Arabs.

I paid extra for velcro front & rear blocks on the Solare. Glad I did because I immediately took all blocks off. I also removed rear blocks from my Wexford. If you like a narrow twist, you may not love BC jump saddles. I find the twist more moderate on the models I own. Also, don’t be surprised if you need a more forward flap. Wish I ordered mine that way. I didn’t realize how long my femur was (even I’m not what anyone would call leggy) until after. I don’t have the luxury of having any BC saddle fitters in my state so I had to do fitting via email/pics. Wish I had ordered mine with piping too. I was trying to conservative since I ride hunters, but a little gold piping would have looked great. Hunters have come a long way with fashion since 2013.

I’ve ridden in the Solare 4-5 times a week for 4 years. The saddle still looks new after cleaned/conditioned. It has only started to look slightly worn in the last 6 months, mostly where my reins rub on front flaps.

[classicrocky]

I have a calf skin Black Country Eden dressage saddle - it’s super comfy, I do like it, but the color didn’t hold up super well. Right now, it’s black in most places, but anywhere the horse would normally sweat, and on the back cantle, it’s greenish. Under the flaps, the color is wearing away. It’s four years old, and I’m working on trying to get it redyed. I also need to have the billets repaired on the off side. I’ll probably avoid the saddle in the future, but I’ve enjoyed it while I had it.