"Budget" saddles that fit like a County with whippy panels

[LilyandBaron]

I have my new OTTB and will be focusing on dressage, but I still enjoy jumping to cross train. His dressage saddle is an older wide County Perfection CC which is the Perfection with the whippy panels. County noted that the Solution monoflap and Sensation also offer whippy panels as an option.

However, because jumping is a side activity, the County jumping saddles are out of the budget. I’d love to find a decent option under $2000. Ideally even under $1000! I know - stupid in this economy, but…

Any ideas? I know some of the older/harder saddles will likely fit, but wondering about something cushier that might work? I’m working with a fitter who knows my budget and taste, but just interested in additional ideas from COTH hive mind. Per fitter, he’s not actually a weird fit - pretty typical TB - big withers/shoulders.

[Mander]

I’m not familiar enough with the types of fits from different brands to give any real recommendations there, but if you do end up finding an old “hard” saddle that works, you could always kit it out with a cushy seat cover. I’ve heard good things about the Acavello ones.

[GreyDes]

What are whippy panels? I haven’t heard that term before.

If you like County, then you probably want to look at UK brands. I’ve seen some older Black Countries in that sub $2K range.

[LilyandBaron]

I actually have an Acavallo gel-in that I love, and told fitter that’s an option if only things in budget that fit are hard as a rock😜

[vxf111]

What do you mean by “whippy,” a trapezius panel? Black Country makes those and their saddles are cheaper than County. I think other British saddles makers do as well. It’s sometimes called a “k panel.”

[LilyandBaron]

Whippy panel is a term County uses and it’s meant for high withers, but how it differs beyond that, I’m not sure. I’ve seen ads for saddles with skid row and whippy, so that might be precisely my question - hoping others who’ve had Counties that had whippy panels or a saddle fitter might know which other saddles fit the same. County is helpful and let me know which County jump saddles would fit the same as my County dressage saddle, but a bridge too far to ask the company what other brand of saddle I can buy that fits the same;)

[BootsAndCoffee]

I grabbed photos from Md Tack Exchange (I don’t have my saddle handy), but the Whippy panel is more a difference in how the panel and flap connect.

The first image in the collage is a Stabilizer with a standard panel. The second image is a Sensation — which sort of cuts away between the flap and panel to promote shoulder freedom:

You might have luck exploring the various shoulder relief panels, all of which seem to have their own brand-specific names.

[IPEsq]

Hmm so you mean integrated panel vs non-integrated? Not sure how that affects withers or shoulder at all. Usually integrated panels may tend towards bridging but that won’t affect clearance or anything with the front panel. Lots of saddles out there without integrated panels.

I’m thinking that is not the part that’s significant. I also don’t think you will see an integrated panel with a wool flocked saddle often as that would make it more difficult to adjust. So is it a foam panel of a specific shape?

[no.stirrups]

A whippy panel is an independent panel, non-integrated panel, Swiss panel, or bag panel.

That’s a picture of two of the available Harry Dabbs “performance” panel shapes. Amerigo also has them as standard.
Not sure what happened to my picture, but if you do a search on either brand you can find an image.