Hi Guys:
I have noticed Less and Less Riders using the Butet Saddle ? What has happened , did they change the way they are made ? Did they reduce the quality and style?
It just seems none of the " Hunter" Riders have them anymore.
What are your Thoughts and Opinions on these ?
I looked into Butet a few years ago and decided against them. Too expensive for minimal customization options.
Love mine! I have a 2004 and 2012. I also have an oldie but goodie, 1989.
All of mine fit TBs (broad and narrow, 16hh and 17.3) as well as my 16.2 QH.
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I recently had the chance to visit the Butet workshop in France when I was there for a wedding, the craftsmanship is beautiful so I don’t think it is a quality issue. I suspect it is a combination of their price point and their more limited distribution channel – my guess is for many people it is quite simply easier to access other brands, and at a lower price point.
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They also had a rep for fitting narrower horses better (TB) and originally may have been too narrow for wide fleshy WB’s. That may not be true anymore but the perception still persists.
We have a lot of Butet saddles in Canada, they seem really popular here. NO quality issues that I’ve heard of either, just expensive lol.
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That was true a long time ago - they just came in one size tree. But it’s been quite a while since that was true - multiple tree width options are available.
(I’m pretty sure the French would have said that they fit a Selle Francais perfectly 
)
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But then they came out with the FB2 tree which was a wider tree option although I have heard they are no longer making the FB2. I have no idea if that is true or not.
I always enjoyed riding in a Butet, if it fits properly its a beautiful saddle of excellent quality. I doubt price has anything to do with a recent lack of popularity, people are still buying CWD and Voltaire which are just as expensive. They were never meant for the budget conscious. Hunter people are so concerned with fashion, they are probably just moving on to the more trendy CWD and Voltaire.
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I love mine. it’s a 2013. i have some smaller warmbloods on which they fit better than some of the other french saddles which seem to be too wide.
i had to get a voltaire for my big guy though, because the butet didn’t have enough shoulder clearance.
That’s definitely not been the case in SoCal, I’m seeing more and more of them. Though these days, I feel like more people are buying the Butet premiums than the classic model, so maybe you’re seeing more of those? I think they are wonderful saddles, with terrific balance and excellent craftsmanship.
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Over here there are lots of them. I just moved to one from a süben and my horse is so much happier and so is my position 
They are wonderful saddles
Definitely seeing MORE Butet now than before, but they are not as massive of a brand as a few of the other ones with a higher price point. Incredible saddles, put the rider in the perfect position and horses always move beautifully. Zero issue with quality, I really think you would be hard pressed to find better.
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I agree with @BAC, CWD seems to be all the rage. It must be a trend thing. Everything Butet that I have ever touched/seen is absolutely flawless, it can’t be a quality issue.
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More and More riders are riding in Butet. Ton of riders in my area switching over, amazing saddles
I demoed a AButet and although I loved it for me, it did not fit my horse AT ALL. I also didn’t feel like the rep could clearly tell how they would modify it to fit either. She also seemed very hesitant to tell that they would fix it if it didn’t fit when it came in. If I remember correctly they have a very short period which you could ride in it before requesting fit correction issues versus what I bought (Voltaire) which has a 3 month period.
Overall, I felt like the fit was just way too far off from what I needed to try to make it work for my guy. I do think they are Beautiful saddles though!
Butet saddle are still the incredibly sensitive and custom quality saddles as they always have been. The reason you’re not seeing them out there is because of the lack of sales reps they have. Those that are representing the saddles are incredibly busy. And because they want to make sure each Butet fits your horse perfectly, the sales reps they do have are busy visiting each customer personally. There are only so many visits they can do in a day. So their personal attention is what is creating their lack of visibility.
Butet is still the most tailored and attentive saddle makers ever.
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I know tons of professionals, both hunted and jumper, who ride in Butets.
I have a 2017 premium and I absolutely love it!
i have mentioned in other threads the fact that I used to work at a barn and our boss has two premiums and a variety of horses ranging from OTTBs to GP warm bloods. We adjusted with half pads, but all horse’s backs were happy.
I have one personal horse and I bought the saddle before the horse. I have pro panels and an ogilvy pad and life is good.
i have ridden in CWD, Voltaire, etc and the Butet is my favorite!
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Just bought a brand new Butet (after riding in CWD’s for years). Absolutely LOVE it.
I have a 2017 butet that I bought for my old mare, fit her beautifully, it was super customized to her. I just bought a young warmblood and it seems that it might actually if her too.
i feel like I have seen a bunch of butets in my area.
As far a quality goes, this saddle is beautiful! You can see the craftsmanship in them. I will buy another or change the pannels if it doesn’t end up fitting my new mare.
The fit for me is like one that I’ve never known, it’s like my bum is at home!
I’ve ridden in delgrange, Antares and cwd but my favorite has to be the Butet.
I ride at a fairly large H/J barn in Houston. We all ride in Butets. I absolutely LOVE mine. I went from a Devoucoux to a Butet about 4 years ago and never looked back. My 2012 Butet (which I bought used and already broken in) is so much more comfortable than my Devoucoux was.
