Can you point me to where you see this butet saddle for sale? I’ve scoured the internet and found a 15.5 kids butet dressage that looks close contact and 1 pic of a 2007 saddle bit the link is no longer working. All the others seemed to be in Europe or Australia. I’m from the USA Midwest.
This is brand new, but I have seen and bought them used for much much less.
It took me a long time to figure out how to ride in a dressage saddle. My favorite jump saddle was a Beval Devon 2000 with only a small pencil roll. I really like riding the the Voltaire Adelaide dressage saddle. It is a monoflap saddle. It does not have a huge knee block. I have ridden in 3 different ones. All have been a little different. I ride in a 17 inch jump saddle and an 18 inch Voltaire. Oddly enough I am on the shorter side 5’3 or 5’4 on a tall day. 2 of the 3 Voltaires I have ridden in have a long flap including the one I currently own. I am not sure why a long flap doesn’t interfere with my feel but it is comfortable.
I feel that yoga has really helped my core and that has helped my riding.
I was going to yoga once a week in person. In the beginning of January I started a 30 day challenge: MOVE Yoga with Adriene. I will admit that I don’t think I could do the challenge if I had not been doing yoga before. That particular series is not where I would start as a total beginner. However I do think it has really helped with my posture, core, strength and flexiblity in a way that helps my riding in both a jump saddle and dressage saddle. Learning to ride in a dressage saddle had really helped with my jump position.
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Tad Coffin makes a dressage saddle that is sort of like his jump saddles just with a dressage flap. I had one that I really liked. The seat is not deep and the thigh block is not overly big either. You can find used ones occasionally. I bought mine used, seemed to fit the horses I used it on.
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I just found this article. My friend had a Stubben Romanus like this one and I loved it. An oldie but goodie.
Being able to SIT properly is dependent on the BALANCE of the saddle you are sitting on. Most people have never experienced a properly balanced saddle, so it’s no real surprise that they cannot sit in balance.
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I also ride H/J but had a really awesome dressage lesson in a Macel samba saddle.
https://www.saddleshopping.com/shop/dressage/samba
Found the dream saddle. Macel samba s chazot, french saddle. It’s totally free of blocks or raised cantle. It’s a close contact with no bulk. Amazing saddle with grippy soft leather. Looks like a modern version of what they rode in during the 60s. It was hard to find and not super available in USA.
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I wasn’t able to get the butet, tried sagmae and they had 1 used tan butet they could mail from Canada, then I got a hold of a saddle fitter but she didn’t respond after my follow ups for an appointment. I ended up getting to try a Macel samba s chazot saddle last week and wow!!! Amazing! Flat close contact, even moreso than my hunt seat, no blocks whatsoever like it was 1960 yet lovely grippy leather and a modern look. It was love at first ride. Sitting the trot was easy without all the bulky stuff amplifying the bounce. Incredibly stable yet it’s so minamalist. I could feel my horse!
Finished my back tracings and the order is going in this week! It’s priced almost exactly like the butet.
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awesome update!!
Got my dressage saddle but 10 months later it just sits unused. I strongly prefer my hunt seat and even used it at USDF finals. I gave up on dressage saddles completely and not looking back.
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Sounds good to me. I am not built for modern-day dressage saddles and I don’t like all the blocks and deep seats anyway. Give me one like the old classic masters rode in and I might manage – the flatter and more open, the better!
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