I know people who have had it done and been pleased. This works only if 1) you have someone very skilled do the conversion and 2) the tree and panel shape are right for the horse.
Keep in mind that the French style saddles are very close contact so the panels don’t have that much room in them.
I’m having a reputable fitter out to look at a saddle I have on trial. I love the saddle. The tree shape fits my horse well, except it’s too wide. If it were a Medium instead of a M/W it would be absolutely perfect. I’m hoping we can find a way to make it work somehow.
If not, the search continues.
If your on the search for a saddle, why not wait until the right one comes along that is already wool flocked. Instead of wasting an additional $800 on panel changes.
The cost you are spending on changing the panels, you can put towards a saddle that works for both you and your horse. That cost, will give you more options out there.
I suggest waiting it out and finding the right one. A saddle search is never fast or easy, its fun once its over and you have the perfect saddle.
Many clearly have had great success with changing from foam to wool. IMO i would wait for the right saddle instead of being impatient and spending tons of money on a panel change.
Shouldn’t cost anywhere near that much. If I wanted that kind of work done, I’d go to Patty Barnett. She charges $275 for a conversion and has done many of them.
http://www.eastcrowsaddlery.com/fees/
That said, I don’t disagree with your point, which is to buy a wool flocked saddle initially. I had considered it because I wanted a Jeffries Flyover and they are quite difficult to find without foam panels, especially if you are looking on the used market. However, if you can buy the saddle for a good enough price, it can be worth it.
I’ve bought saddles knowing that I need to have the tree widened/narrowed because even with the additional $200 fee, it gave me exactly what I wanted.
I’ve seen quotes around $800, but if you can get it done for $200, then I could see why someone would consider doing it,
I just think if you’re on the search for the saddle, just keep searching.
[QUOTE=LadyB;8703835]
I’ve seen quotes around $800, but if you can get it done for $200, then I could see why someone would consider doing it,
I just think if you’re on the search for the saddle, just keep searching.[/QUOTE]
I’m sure that there are people who will charge $800! The important thing is to find someone who knows what they are doing.
[QUOTE=LadyB;8703606]
If your on the search for a saddle, why not wait until the right one comes along that is already wool flocked. Instead of wasting an additional $800 on panel changes.
The cost you are spending on changing the panels, you can put towards a saddle that works for both you and your horse. That cost, will give you more options out there.
I suggest waiting it out and finding the right one. A saddle search is never fast or easy, its fun once its over and you have the perfect saddle.
Many clearly have had great success with changing from foam to wool. IMO i would wait for the right saddle instead of being impatient and spending tons of money on a panel change.[/QUOTE]
While I appreciate this, I am not against buying a foam saddle. I have been saddle searching for six months. The type of flap I need is very, very hard to come by used. I’ve also tried many saddles that haven’t worked. I have been patient, but I am also realistic and after speaking with many different reps and saddle fitters I am fully aware that the type of saddle I’m looking for will most likely be out of my budget for another year, and frankly I don’t have any jump saddles to borrow for a full year.
The estimate I was given to change the saddle from foam to wool was $600. If I wanted to send the saddle to VA they could modify it for around $200. A full panel replacement, with new foam, would be $800, which is what other high end french saddles charge to change the panels. Considering what I’ve spent on the saddle and that it actually fits me, even if I did spend $600-$800 on it, it would be cheaper than any other model I’ve been looking at.
Seconding the recommendation of Patty Barnett. She’s worked on 2 of my saddles (no conversions, but I swallowed hard and trusted her to stretch the tree on one) and is great on all scores.
If I were in your shoes, I’d work on the saddle you’ve got too, because you like it. I’d have trouble deciding whether to go the new foam route or the wool route though. How old is it? If very old, would just changing to new foam make any difference? And - might have missed this - is the horse likely to change - e.g. green / young / not muscled? Because if you can make it work with padding, and it’s working for the horse, I’d leave it alone - partly because I’m paranoid about changing saddles and partly because I’d have a terrible time deciding what route to go! Good luck whatever you decide.
[QUOTE=Saskatoonian;8705062]
Seconding the recommendation of Patty Barnett. She’s worked on 2 of my saddles (no conversions, but I swallowed hard and trusted her to stretch the tree on one) and is great on all scores.
If I were in your shoes, I’d work on the saddle you’ve got too, because you like it. I’d have trouble deciding whether to go the new foam route or the wool route though. How old is it? If very old, would just changing to new foam make any difference? And - might have missed this - is the horse likely to change - e.g. green / young / not muscled? Because if you can make it work with padding, and it’s working for the horse, I’d leave it alone - partly because I’m paranoid about changing saddles and partly because I’d have a terrible time deciding what route to go! Good luck whatever you decide.[/QUOTE]
It’s 6 years old but you would never know. It’s in fantastic shape. My horse needs more muscle but I don’t forsee him changing drastically. I think if we could turn it into a Medium tree instead of MW in would be almost perfect. He and I both love my Wilkers half pad so I plan on having it or whatever saddle I end up with fitted to be used with it.
[QUOTE=runNjump86;8705408]
It’s 6 years old but you would never know. It’s in fantastic shape. My horse needs more muscle but I don’t forsee him changing drastically. I think if we could turn it into a Medium tree instead of MW in would be almost perfect. He and I both love my Wilkers half pad so I plan on having it or whatever saddle I end up with fitted to be used with it.[/QUOTE]
You can also have the tree narrowed. Patty has a saddle press and comes recommended for that.
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