Buying a Saddle: Antares or Bruno Delgrange

[anyanicholson]

Hey!
Just a quick post:
So I’ve been in the process of looking for a saddle for months now and I’ve been in contact with the rep for Antares (who happens to sponsor the barn I ride at), and haven’t gotten around to scheduling an appointment for her to come down since I’ve recently come across another Sellier: Bruno Delgrange.
Does anyone know about these saddles or have any kind of comparison between the two? (Antares and BD?)

I posted a thread earlier about Antares and a lot of members responded to the fact that they’ve had bad experiences with the Antares brand regarding the fact that their trees break more often than not.
^^that alone scared me enough out of getting an antares although I’m still very interested in getting one since they have the Pro Panel option which I’d be 100% without a doubt looking into since I don’t own a horse and never will since my parents only have the money for me to lease. So, saddle fit poses a problem for me since I wouldn’t be fitting a single horse: the saddle would have to for many which I’m aware is quite impossible without the Pro Panel which then poses as a problem with the Bruno: do their saddles fit a multitude of horses?

Also, keeping in mind it’d be a dry run (one time try & buy) if I were to get a BD while if I were to go the other route with an Antares the rep told me she could come down with multiple used saddles for me to try to see what fits.

Any advise and suggestions would be great! Thanks

[huntereq1292]

I would rather be able to try a bunch and see what I like best rather than a one time try and buy. I’m not sure if I posted on your other thread, but I’ve personally had great experience with Antares and the rep in my area. I’m very happy with my saddle.

[Ibex]

I have an antares as well - no problems at all

We tried a Degrange on my mare when I was looking for a saddle. It may have just been that particular saddle, but the fit was wildly different than an Antares, even tho it answered to the same basic specs in terms of tree etc. Couldn’t tell you how it rode - it was such a bad fit we didn’t even girth it up :lol: It was a lovely saddle tho!

[mvp]

Fit for horse and rider trump everything else ('cept maybe your wallet).

But on counts of good customer service and quality of the saddle, I’d choose DelGrange.

[Star_s_Ascent]

I’ve had a bunch of used Antares and haven’t had any problems. I finally forked out the money for a new one since I’m kind of hard to fit. I just got it last week and it is amazing!

[alto]

Another vote for dealing with whatever company has a local rep that is able to bring you demo/trial saddles - re the “pro-panels” pretty much every saddle company offers a version of this, they just don’t all use the same terminology
Pick up a good quality shimmable saddle fit pad & have the rep show you how to apply the shims for various fit problems.

[melody1]

I’ve been VERY impressed by Delgrange saddles. I’ve ridden in several and sat in probably 10-12 others on the rack. I enjoyed speaking with the reps at Bromont this year, and while I realize that they are professional salesmen/women, they were knowledgeable and the obvious quality of the product speaks for itself.

If (heaven forbid) I have to replace my Custom, Delgrange will be the first place I look.

[Personal_Champ]

I am shopping also, and was much more impressed with the quality and service of Delgrange than Antares at the Penn National.

My Delgrange rep sat me in a ton of models to see what I liked and is going to come out and work on my horse to see what will work.

[stytal]

I ride in a Delgrange and always have. I like the look of the Antares, but have heard quite a bit of negative comments about the saddles.

I think the best is to try them both and see what you and your horse feel best in.

I actually had a person come up to me and what saddle I was in because it looked so balanced.

[equisusan]

Love my Antares… best saddle I’ve ever ridden in.

[anyanicholson]

Also, either Antares or BD, I dont want to have to fight for my position in the saddle (which is happening to me right now with the schooling saddles I’m in, and I’m so sick of it so I’m looking for a saddle sooner rather than later!)

[equisusan]

[QUOTE=anyanicholson;7241131]
I dont want to have to fight for my position in the saddle [/QUOTE]

This is exactly why I bought my Antares. I sat in my friends saddle and fell in love. I’ve never sat in a saddle that helps me as much as my Antares does. Maybe its not for everyone because everyone is built differently and everyone rides in a little bit different position but if you want to be light and balanced in the tack without the desire to pinch with your knee I’d definitely sit in some Antares.

[hj0519]

[QUOTE=anyanicholson;7241131]
Also, either Antares or BD, I dont want to have to fight for my position in the saddle (which is happening to me right now with the schooling saddles I’m in, and I’m so sick of it so I’m looking for a saddle sooner rather than later!)[/QUOTE]

It sounds like you really need to sit in a bunch of different saddles of different brands and see what you like rather than go off what a bunch of people on COTH prefer. Saddles are a pretty individual thing and what brand works for one person or for the majority of people may not work for you. Since you don’t know what you want or what you like, I would stop focusing on finding a specific brand and start sitting in different brands of saddle, figure out for yourself what is going to work best for you, and go from there.

[Indy]

[QUOTE=anyanicholson;7241131]
Also, either Antares or BD, I dont want to have to fight for my position in the saddle (which is happening to me right now with the schooling saddles I’m in, and I’m so sick of it so I’m looking for a saddle sooner rather than later!)[/QUOTE]

How you’ll feel in a saddle is really dependent on you, so I would try as many saddle types as you can. I happen to love my Antares, but not everyone is going to feel the same. When I was saddle shopping, for instance, I rode in a CWD and I hated it - I felt like I had to fight to stay in place every second. But a lot of people really love their CWDs, it’s not that they’re bad saddles it’s just that particular saddle was not the right saddle for me.

If you can, have many saddle reps come out before you settle on one. Ride in everything you can get your hands on so you know what you love and hate before investing in an expensive saddle.

[jlphilli]

If you are only wanting to pick between the two and I was basing it on quality and reputation, I would go with BD. Ultimately it depends on which one fits your horse better. However, I have heard tons of horror stories about Antares saddles, and little to none about BD. Obviously there are people who have had luck with Antares, but I have found that if you’ve heard multiple bad things, it’s really not worth it if you can find a comparable saddle that you like just as much. I made that mistake with Devoucoux; ignoring the bad things I heard and of course, it pretty much all happened to me.

[anyanicholson]

Just did some research on the BD and I saw that they have a PJ by Bruno Delgrange with what’s called “light” padding? Anyone ever heard of this? It then said that with the light that it fits a lot of horses.
If I’m looking for a saddle to fit many horses should I go with a BD light?

Also, do you think it would be wise, knowing that the quality of the saddle is high and that they put you into a good position that it would be a bad idea if I found a nice BD at the right price to take a risk and buy it?
(Still keeping Antares in mind since the rep Amy Hern comes down to the barn I ride at all the time and that she could bring down a truck load of used Antares for me to try and possibly buy…should I take the risk of getting a BD knowing that they don’t have a bad rep with the tree’s breaking? …I don’t at all have the money to buy a saddle and have the tree break)

[alto]

Don’t be in a rush - Antares rep should be able to leave a used saddle with you for a week or 2 to try
Start contacting other reps/saddle fitters in your area & sort out some other saddles to also have on trial.

Lots of high quality Used Saddles available through sites such as
Fine Used Saddles
High End Used Saddles
Maryland Tack Exchange
which all offer some fit consultation & trials.

[goodlife]

I have an Antares (2010, 17.5", deep seat) and a Bruno Delgrange (2001, 18" PJ Original) and while I love them both, they are very different saddles. The Antares is less cushy, but keeps me in the proper position at all times. The Delgrange is like a couch on horseback and while it doesn’t put me in a bad position, I find that I have to work a little harder to get up out of the tack in it.

In terms of quality, both are lovely and I really enjoy each saddle for different reasons. I’d say whichever you choose, you likely won’t be disappointed.

[Fancy_Free]

When saddle shopping I sat in a Bruno and it was by far the most comfortable and put my leg exactly where it belonged, I would have had to try very hard to put my leg in the wrong position! Unfortunately it was way out of my price range

I have ridden in Antares and found them nice but not the same stability of the leg. Having said this I think different saddles will fit everyone differently and would highly recommend trying out several before committing to one. When spending this amount of money I wouldn’t want to be taking any risks and you could end up with a saddle you don’t even want to ride in.

[Artemis]

[QUOTE=anyanicholson;7241367]
Just did some research on the BD and I saw that they have a PJ by Bruno Delgrange with what’s called “light” padding? Anyone ever heard of this? It then said that with the light that it fits a lot of horses.
If I’m looking for a saddle to fit many horses should I go with a BD light?[/QUOTE]

I have a PJ by Delgrange Light, but they are really hard to find. I think the Athena model is considered the light.
My light fits all kinds of horses, and I LOVE it.