Can I get some reviews on County Saddles? Or any other wool flocked saddles that look and feel like the French brands that I am used to?
I know wool is better for my horse, I know I should be past the stage of caring if I “fit in”…but I am not quite there yet! Haha!
Eh, wool is wonderful in many ways, but whatever fits your horse is better for your horse. Many fitters and horse owners prefer wool because it fit can be altered–to an extent–through flocking adjustments while foam panels don’t afford this option. There is nothing–nothing–wrong with a great-fitting foam-paneled saddle. I’ve yet to ride a foam-paneled saddle so hard and so long that it became unusable sure to compression of the panels. I do think foam technology has probably improved over time.
All that said, I had a County Stabilizer years ago, and I loved it. I desperately wish I could find a low-forward 17.5M Stabilizer for the horse I have now, but alas, I can’t afford a new one, and used ones that I can afford matching those specs seldom show up. I do appreciate the adjustment and reflocking options wool affords, and County has tended to fit my typical TB-types quite well. Great balance, shallower seat (which I prefer), and very comfortable. I miss my Stabilizer a ton and wish I’d never sold it years ago. I was listening too much to a trainer who put me on a carousel of saddle buying that I’d never indulge today.
I like English saddles (Barnsby, Black Country, County, etc.) and have never owned a French saddle. The styling isn’t usually quite the same, but hey-- they’ve always worked well for me and mine, so that tends to be what I stick with. I currently ride in a Walsall-made Crosby Selle Francais (from their Centennial line, which they made to compete with the leading edge of the French saddle wave). Pedestrian saddle given what people are riding in these days, but I like it a lot.
Good luck!
I tried a County Innovation when I was shopping. It was super comfy! It gave me a great position for flat riding but not as perfect for my two point. I could get there but it involved a bit of maneuvering. I almost thought it was too comfy and deep and I’d never want to get up off of it. :lol:
I ended up with an awesome Amerigo that I adore. My position feels secure and I’m not having to “reach” for any part of the saddle with my body.
I loved my Innovation but it didn’t fit my new guy very well, so I sold it to a friend and now she loves it. That model is definitely deeper, which I liked because I ride in a more European, dressage-y style than the forward seat American style.
I have a Voltaire for my jumper and I adore it, but I’d happily have another wool-flocked saddle if I found one that fit us both. I’ve realized that the whole wool versus foam debate is less relevant than using whichever and whatever saddle actually works best for each horse and rider combination.
I have a County solution, which is one of the newer models (they also have a H/J solution which is like a CLOUD). They really look similar to the french saddles and I absolutely love mine. My hard to fit TB goes great in it as well. I love that as he gains muscle in his topline my fitter can make small changes in the flocking.
I have the county stabilizer which I LOVE. I got it in 2014 and I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the saddle. I love that the wool flocking can be adjusted to change the fit of my horse as his fitness and muscling has improved/changed over the last year.
The county rep here in VA is amazing too!
I have two Antares, one I have been trying to sell as it’s a med tree and too big for my high withered TB. I had a County rep out to do a saddle fit and I tried two County saddles, Innovation and Sensation. I like the Innovation better if I had to pick. Both were new and not really broken in. I also tried another Antares only a narrow tree. I have to say, of the two Antares Saddles I have ridden in and the two County’s, the Antares were by far more comfortable. This may have to do with the County’s being NEW and not broken in. The narrow Antares fit my horse and it was more affordable at $2,500 vs around $4,000 for a County.
I am in the works of buying an older style County Dressage Saddle that I like.
The one thing I do NOT like about Antares is, they are foam and not wool flocked. Wool you can alter and makes fitting the horse easier. Foam is not bad by all means.
Don’t get caught up in the foam-vs-wool hype; just find what best fits you, your horse, and your budget. Each does have its advantages and disadvantages, but, in terms of high-quality foam and high-quality wool, neither is inherently better than the other. So if your current foam-panel saddle fits your horse and you are happy with it, stop looking. (I say this as a County saddle lover).
Now, that said, I do think that County is more versatile in terms of the type of horse they can fit than the French brads are. But some people hate the look of County. If you want a County that looks more French, get something with the bull leather option. I happen to think this one is lovely: https://mdtackexchange.com/product/18-county-stabilizer-medium-tree-2013-model/ But that’s me.
Beyond the “look” of a British-made saddle, the ride can be pretty different, too. It works well for some people, but not at all for others. (And then, of course, there are those who ride equally well in either).
The Loxley saddles look lovely in pictures; the Bliss (by Loxley) less so. Black Country is often bandied about as an alternative to County… I am of the opinion that the “fit and finish” is not quite on the same level, but Black Country typically has more available options and is more customizable. Frank Baines saddles are nice; they made the Natural for Beval back in the day. Hastilow, Kent & Masters, and Fairfax are other options. There’s also Heritage Bespoke saddles (Matty Marlow).
If you want something that looks more French than that and has wool, probably try looking at something Italian (Amerigo, Prestige, etc). It’s still not going to look French, but it doesn’t look British. And the ride will be more similar to a Frenchie than most British saddles would be.
Lastly, there are some French saddles that can be had with wool flocking. I think Antares will do it, and maybe Butet (not 100% sure on either of those), but I don’t recall who else will do it.
Foam is not inherently better than wool. As others have said, wool can be altered more easily than foam. However, memory foam immediately molds to a wider variation of shapes than wool does. So, if you are riding multiple similar horses in one particular saddle, memory foam can compensate better from horse to horse. Also, while wool flocking can be adjusted, there are limitations. A horse absolutely can still “outgrow” through growth or physical development a wool flocked saddle.
Whichever type of flocking you use, the most important thing is that the saddle fits both you and the horse. I have both wool flocked and foam flocked saddles and can’t discern a preference between the horses between the two types. There are many top horses and riders in every sport using foam flocked saddles and also plenty using wool flocked saddles.
There are some differences between wool and foam where saddle wear and maintenance is concerned. As was discussed in another recent saddle thread, wool flocked saddles such as Countys are often sold with the recommendation for frequent repeated fittings with adjustments to the flocking. While that’s a nice thought, that could end up costing $300 per year (assuming two fittings). I don’t think that most wool flocked saddle owners actually do this/spend this money. I could be wrong but I’d guess that most wool flocked saddle owners tend to compensate with a half pad for a period of time before spending $100-200 on having a fitter out. I have had expensive wool flocked saddles experience uneven packing of the wool flocking which had to be corrected whereas I have not seen uneven wear of foam flocking occur (though I suppose it could).
For comparison, foam flocked saddles might need replacement of the foam flocking after 6-10 years (depending on use/care), and that replacement can be delayed with the use of a memory foam half pad. However, if adjustments are needed they would need to be made through the use of a half pad, by exchanging for a new saddle, or (rarely) by having the saddle completely re-flocked with thicker/differently shaped foam.
It is, for the most part, impossible to hold up one reputable saddle brand over another as being “more comfortable” or “better fitting.” This is because we and our horses are all individuals, and also most high end brands come with a lot of tree, panel, seat and flap options. Don’t ever buy a particular brand because you feel like you should. Instead, try different brands. If a French saddle fits you and horse horse well, go with that. If you try the Countys and find one that you and your horse prefer, then go with that. Countys are great saddles, so I doubt you would go wrong there
County innovation
I have a County Innovation for my 17.2 h Shire TB cross. I love it. She loves it. We tried almost 10 different types and sizes of County saddles in one day. I couldn’t ride in two of the types at all. She was pinning her ears and refusing to canter in the wrong size tree. After we figured out the winning combination, it was a go. You’ve got to get a rep out and try everything. It’s very time consuming, but worth it in the end. Good luck!
I love my County Innovation! I’ve had so many trainers and hunter/jumper puppets scoff at my choice but it’s so comfortable and puts me in the perfect position and my horse loves it so I don’t care. And guess what? When people sit in it they love it too! I’ve already gotten one trainer on board and she actually recommended County to a student!
I have a County Symmetry, circa 2000 or 2001. I really like that saddle. It is simple, classic, and comfortable. Over that period of time it has been fitted to three horses with pretty different backs (two WBs, one TB), and has worked for them all once reflocked.
Once the new saddle or reflocked saddle has stabilized, there usually is no need to have the flocking tweaked every six months, unless your horse has really changed shape. If I start to think my wool flocked saddles aren’t sitting quite right, I have the saddle fitter out.
I have an older County jump saddle and a Passier dressage saddle, both bought second hand; those were the brands that fit my horse best. Both seem to me to be extremely well-made saddles that ought to last forever. They are however both “low profile” saddles without much in the way of blocks by today’s standards, which I prefer.
Looking on-line at jump saddles on the company websites, it does seem to me that Butet (as an example of a French saddle) has more extremely forward flaps than the County models. CWD has rather distinctive styling, with very large knee and thigh blocks visible on the top of the saddle, I assume because they are monoflap and you can’t put the blocks underneath. In contrast, the County saddles are more traditional looking. So if you wanted these features, you might need to go to these French saddles to get them. Caveat: I didn’t search all saddle brands, so perhaps someone out there is combining these features with a wool flocked saddle. But from what I’ve seen casually browsing used saddles, the CWD styling is quite distinct from other brands at the moment.
Ok, after the whole shenanigan of trying to find a saddle that fits my horse, I’m almost a saddle fitter myself. Basically, you need to find the correct tree shape for your horse regardless of foam or wool. I was a firm believer in wool flocked saddle, but it turned out that if the tree shape doesn’t fit, there’s not way you can adjust the flocking to make it work.
I’ve tried the County Stabilizer and Innovation. They’re ok comfortable but definitely not going to give you the nice grippy feeling French saddles have unless you have upgraded leather. The gullet channel tends to be very narrow so even though it might look like it fits otherwise, be careful with the spinal clearance because that’s what caused my horse to be really back sore.
After riding in about 10 brands of saddles(County, Prestige, Amerigo, Verhan, Frank Baines, CWD, Butet, Voltaire, Black Country, Devoucoux), my horse picked the Voltaire Palm Beach himself. If you really insist on wool flocked but nice leather, look into Prestige, they’re very well-made and the new ones run around 3600-4500 range depends on the specs. Also Amerigo is very nice too and they’re also wool flocked, but they’re synthetic wool and according to the rep you don’t have to reflock it twice a year. However, their gullet channel width is also not great.
I’ve heard that CWD has wool flocked saddles, but not sure how that works. They’re quality saddles though, but if your horse have a big shoulder you’ll need an AO tree for it.
I just stumbled upon this, following links in another COTH post. Outlines the actual design features that make current “French” style jumping saddles different from traditional jumping saddles. So (as I suspected when I looked at the company websites a minute ago), the question isn’t just wool versus foam, but also about larger questions of design and balance.
http://www.thesaddlegeek.com/broke-girls-guide-to-french-and-italian-saddles-post1/
I’m also in the saddle hunt and tried a county innovation today. Oh my GOD. I LOVED IT. It is so comfortable and makes me feel so secure. It helps me sit up and sit back (I have a horrendous tendency to lean forward and fold over). It does have larger knee blocks, but I really liked them. Honestly I felt like no matter what shenanigans my horse pulled (green 4 yo ottb) I could stay balanced and help her through them instead of landing in the dirt. Honestly I can’t describe how much I love the innovation – highly recommended! And if you have a teen bean the good thing about wool is that it can easily be adjusted to fit your horse as s/he grows 
It’s such an individual fit and preference you need to try them for yourself. I bought a County Sensation when I first got my current horse (on the recommendation of the saddle fitter to look at a few different wool flocked British saddles). It was very comfortable to sit in and was ok for flatwork but I couldn’t keep my position to save my life jumping in that saddle. I ended up selling it and ordering a CWD which fixed the problems with my position immediately.
I bought my second County last year. Both my WB’s (A/O Hubert’s) have been hard to fit, with low withers and a bit wide. Nothing else fit them as well as the County saddles have. Got the Stabilizer for my old horse and the Innovation (love it!) for my current horse. Both saddles broke in quickly and my horses have never had any back issues or soreness, which is something the massage therapists have always remarked on. Also, the County rep helped me sell my Stabilizer, which was 10 yrs old but in great condition, and I feel I got a great return on my investment
I have a Sensation which I am now trying to sell. Loved the trial model but when mine came in it I had nothing but issues. Similar to an above poster’s issue, I had a really hard time with position over the jumps in it. My horse also didn’t seem to love it. Didn’t get great service either. I ended up having my Voltaire repaneled to fit the horse.
All that being said, it is a personal preference thing. I know people who swear by the County saddles. I just never loved mine and was much more comfortable in the Voltaire.
