So I’ve now met several people who love their Custom Icon Flight; one of them is a pro who says that it fits every horse she’s ever put it on. The other is an ammie with two horses and it also fits both.
I’ve conversed with others who just love the saddle.
So what specifically is it about how the saddle is designed that seems to fit so many different horses?
I don’t know about the Flight, but certain saddles just fit a LOT of horses. The old Neidersuiss saddles fit almost everything, some of the old Albions (SL or Style) fit almost everything well too.
ETA - notice, I didn’t say those saddles will fit ALL horses - nothing will fit ALL horses. But there are a lot of “medium wide”, fairly normal backed horses out there. I have had a few at my place over the years!
I wonder what’s different about the construction of these old saddles that would cause them to fit multiple horses?
Could also be that these people only have a rudimentary idea of saddle fit, or have a “type” and their horses are very similar to each other. I really take the “fits every horse I put it on” statement with a huge grain of salt.
I know a lot of people with Customs and I tried some on my horse, hated all of them. Ymmv. My butt and my horse like French.
[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8648689]
Could also be that these people only have a rudimentary idea of saddle fit, or have a “type” and their horses are very similar to each other. I really take the “fits every horse I put it on” statement with a huge grain of salt. [/QUOTE]
This is worth repeating - they are not experts, so their claims you need to take with a grain of salt.
Lots of people claim their XXX fits everyone. For instance, my trainer (who is VERY well known in the MA region) was sponsored by Devocoux for a while… and everyone in the barn delightfully trilled “this Devocoux fits EVERYONE!” at her behest… well, it really didn’t – I mean, it sat there on the horse all right and didn’t bridge too badly and didn’t seem too awfully unbalanced, but I certainly never let her ride my horse in it.
Now she’s sponsored by Stubben and it’s amazing the switch – time sure has a way of diluting memories… Now it’s the Devoucoux never fit anybody but thankfully the Stubben does :winkgrin:
The old Passier with the flexible tree and cut back head seemed to fit practically everyone. Nowadays we have standards of perfection that we never had before.
It is quite possible to have two horses and one saddle that fits both. Otherwise it would be impossible to buy a saddle off the rack to fit a horse. It is very good fortune to have that happen. 
I have a Schleese (not sure which model) that has fit an astonishing variety of horses very well, but not all horses, and no longer both of mine.
When someone claims their saddle fit everything I can usually see from ten feet away that it plainly doesn’t fit at least one of the horses it is used on. 
I bought an Icon Flight 2 years ago and I love, love, LOVE that saddle. I’m 5’6" with a longer femur, but had it made with petite flaps and short blocks. The saddle fit my QH/WBx like a glove…and when I bought my SWB as a 3 y.o. last year, it fit him, too…and still does. If you were to look at both of those horses, most people wouldn’t necessarily think that they’re built remotely alike and that the same saddle would fit them. But thank God it did! When I had my last horse for sale and was looking for my next one, I joked that whatever horse I bought had to fit my saddle. I still consider it a minor miracle that it worked out. Oh, and for the record, there are at least 4 horses in our barn who go well in the Flight - the horse I used to own, my horse, my horse’s full sister, and pony who is a New Forest/MorganX.
Now, the new owner of my last horse, she just bought him a brand new Custom Icon Star. I sat in the Star and HATED it (it pushed my lower back too far forward), but she loves it and it fits him. I still find it amusing that a horse I bought for only $800 off of Craigslist in New Mexico has had not one, but TWO brand new fully custom made saddles just for him within a 2 year time frame. :lol:
The Icon Flight I bought made my horse horribly sore, and was only a so-so fit for me. So YMMV, but it’s far from the “ultimate in saddle design.” In my experience, most of the people who claim that any one brand of saddle, and particularly any one model, fit “every horse they put it on” usually have no freakin’ clue what a well-fitted saddle looks like.
I love my Icon Flight as well. It has fit a lot of the horses I tried it on as long as they are a medium to medium wide. I decided to put mine up for sale recently only because it is too big for me. I need a 17 and mine is an 18. Even though it is too large for me I still found it exceptionally comfortable to ride in. I am just getting picky now and want a perfect fit for my horse AND me. I plan on buying the another Custom 17 in.
Reviving this old thread so I don’t have to start a new one, but have been shopping among used Custom Saddles and posting a few ISO’s. Ideally, I’d like to have a good used Icon Flight in my budget. It’s been a touch search. At the same time, I keep getting other models offered to me in my budget range. A few solos and an advantage. I’m fitting a Friesian, met with a fitter, and she recommended the Icon Flight, but didn’t have one in my budget at the time. I’m worried that if I go with another model, I’ll regret it. I found one $500 above my budget, but about $800 less than what other used Flights are going. Should I just bite the bullet and go with the Flight??
Will you have a trial option? I hope so!
I have an Icon Flight. My suggestion is to find out when the saddle was made: what month and what year. My trainer has an older model that I used on one of my horses. It is great, fits both of us, and is comfortable. One of the issues I learned about the Icon Flight is that the older models fit and feel pretty good. Then it seems there were changes made to the tree and other parts, so more recently made Icon Flight saddles feel nothing like the older ones. So you may have a fitter come out and have you sit in an older/demo/used one, then you decide you like it so you make an order, and then when YOUR saddle arrives (several to many months later), it feels completely different.
I found this to be the case with my own saddle in comparison to my trainer’s. They were made the same year, but the trainer’s saddle had many more hours on it, so the seat felt great. I took my time, tried some more recent Custom saddles, but I didn’t find anything that felt like my trainer’s.
Finally, I found an earlier model of the Icon Flight, made the same year as my trainer’s saddle, and I bought it. There was still a noticeable difference in the shape and feel of the seat. My saddle did not have the many hours of riding in it like my trainer’s did. So I am still waiting for it to compress a bit in the seat, and hope that it will feel as comfy as my trainer’s. It fits my horse and me just fine, it just feels a bit different. We each have the short block version, BTW. This was essential for me, as I also have a long femur. The short blocks are there if you need them, but on me, it allows my knee to be free and not jammed in place like the long block versions did.
I figure it was worth it, because this saddle seems to hold its value, and is sought after quite a bit. So if I ever decide to sell it, I think there is a market for it.
My trainer’s is a 2015 model and I LOVED the feel of it. The one I am about to pull the trigger on is a June 2014 model in mint condition, but I came across a 2012 model in excellent condition as well. Unfortunately, they wanted about the same price for the 2012 as the 2014. Both have the long or standard block, which is what I need. I found one I could get about $500 cheaper, but a tree size too small. I figured to get a fitter out to make adjustments, I would be making out about the same?
If the fitter has a press to change the tree size, the less expensive one might be worth trying. Not all fitters have a press, or one that works with Custom saddles.
As as far as age of a saddle, I would not write off a 2012 vs a 2015. In fact, the earlier made saddles were what fit me and my horses better. Newer Icon Flight saddles felt entirely different. See if you can have the sellers send you lots of photos if each saddle. Age is not as crucial as number of hours in use, IMO.
The tack room at my barn has only custom saddles in it…and I do love mine. I have heard many CS fans say the older ones are better
We only have one Custom Rep in our area and she lives 7 hours away. I emailed her to ask about purchasing the cheaper saddle (med) and just having it adjusted to MW-W. She advised me not to and said widening the saddle too much could risk damaging the tree. But I messaged the Custom saddlery FB page, and they said I could absolutely adjust the tree. Which makes me think the fitter may not be good at this and I don’t want to take a chance of buying a saddle I can’t use.
I’ve tried to find info on the difference between a 2012 and 2014 Icon Flight, but can’t seem to find anything anywhere. The 2014 appears to be in much better condition. Looks almost new. I sat in some 2016 solos last year and did not like them at all. They didn’t feel anything like my trainers solo. She bought hers in 2015, but it could be a 2014 since it was a demo.
Re: your trainer’s saddle: there should be numbers stamped in the flap that indicate the date of manufacture. However, it took some hunting for me to find the date on my trainer’s saddle. Sometimes you can “open” or flip down the layer of leather closest to the horse, at the front of the pommel.
On my own Icon Flight, I found it tucked inside the slot on the near side of the flap where the rear billet comes through.
There are also different versions of the Icon Flight logo on the underside of the near side flap, again, where the rear billet comes through a slot in the flap. Mine was made in 2011, and the Icon Flight badge/label is a black oval with yellow outer trim, and “Icon Flight” in red. At some point I think they went to black and white logo badge.
Re: adjusting the tree, I would call Custom Saddlery directly and ask for details about adjusting the tree, and what they recommend as far as how many times you can change it over the life of the saddle. I watched our Custom fitter adjust mine on her truck, and then adjust it a smidge more. Custom Saddlery headquarters may also be able to give you a different contact for a fitter.
Bottom line, don’t buy anything if you can’t sit in it! Whether that means a fitter with several saddles in the model you are interested in, or if buying with a trial available.
****The Custom reps may all be in contact with each other. So if another fitter has the model and size you are interested in, it is possible to have it shipped to your “local” fitter for you to try. I was told this by my Custom fitter, who obtained a saddle from another fitter in a different state, so I could give it a try.
Reviving this thead. I’m in the process of trying saddles. I sat in an Advantage last week. The rep is going to let me try a Flight.
She said the Advantage and Flight are built on the same tree. This particular Custom tree is more upswept than the others… which may be why it fits a large range of horses. It will have less tendency to bridge.
I went with the Flight. Originally purchased it for my Friesian and then ended up having to retire her. I now have a WB and I think it fits him even better. Whenever I have someone sit on my horse, I get the, "“Oooh, I love your saddle!” 
Interesting, as I found the Flight incredibly uncomfortable and bought an Advantage for my guy. The tree may be the same, but the seat sure doesn’t feel it!
If you want to go even more likely to fit more horses - the R saddles have shorter points. My mare is in an Advantage R, which works better with her big shoulders and more curvy back. My gelding who fits reasonably in most generic M/M-W saddles is in the Advantage Monoflap. He’s WAY uphill so the balance will be off on some saddles before adjustment but otherwise he’s an easy fit. No way those two will ever go in the same saddle, though.
As far as the tree adjustment - I would listen to the fitter. Technically the trees can be adjusted, but it’s hard to get them to stay adjusted much different from how they’re manufactured. It’s why when a saddle is being built the fitter takes a tracing. When I bought my mare’s saddle, someone else ordered a saddle as well. Hers came in WAY too narrow and didn’t hold the first tree adjustment, and mine came WAY too wide and didn’t hold its tree adjustment either. Our fitter did a great job of ensuring our saddles were replaced (and the others were sold quickly) but it was clear that dramatic a change in tree width wasn’t going to hold on first try.
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