Custom icon Star

[arabiansrock]

Long story short, my boy is a bit creaky, diagnosed with kissing spines, but after injections was going really well and my saddle was def not doing him any favors, he needed a new saddle. So i had custom rep out. Horse did best in the icon star, and i really liked the secure seat with a defined pocket. But the blocks on it were horrible for me. So we custom ordered my dream saddle, brown with sapphire blue crystals. In the meantime i did not want to put my saddle back on him because it was making his kissing spine area hurt. So i found a used star to buy for short term, with a plan to either have it refit to my mare or sell it when my special saddle was delivered.

Cue fate. 2 weeks after i ordered saddle, my horse went lame. Badly lame. Did massage. Chiro, bute, nothing helped. Got vet out. He was very guarded about my boys chances of coming back to riding soundness. We xrayed front feet, he prescribed wedge shoes. Injected spine, stifles, hocks, and put him on meloxicam for rest of his life. Vet checked him 2 weeks later and was amazed. He said try light riding no more than 4 days per week, and gave him another osphos injection. So he has been ridden 3 to 4 days a week for the last 6 weeks. 2 weeks ago during my lesson he pulled up dead lame on lt hind again. I thought that was it. Hes done, but my daughter massaged him, weinimented, wore back on track sheet for 24 hours, and 2 days later he was 9p percent better.

Then my custom ordered saddle showed up. Its beautiful, but the seat is not at all as expected for an icon star. It is visibly more open, no sweat spot pocket. So i have a valid reason to refuse it. I will lose my 1000 dep if i dont order new saddle within 6 months. But should i be dropping 6k on a saddle for a jorse who is clearly nearing the end of his riding career? Especially since the seat is not how it should be? Saddle fitter says it will “develop” the pocket as the seat breaks in. I said the brand new saddle she put me in to try when we fitted had the pocket without breaking in, and she tried to convince me that the blocks on that saddle made it feel like thete was a pocket but there really wasnt.

Does anyone have any experience with how the feel/positioning of these seats changes as they break in? My trainer says send saddle back and maybe we atart casually looking for new mount. Of course i cant imagine paying board on 3 horses. One of them is my sons but he only rides once a week max now that hes married, but shes coming 21 and has dsld so no way can i rehome her. Feiw i have NEVER been comfortable riding her, but my new trainer has helped me to feel safe on her altho i still dont enjoy riding her. I let the trainer use her fir lessons and she LOVES her little girls. So she has a job and is happy at least.

Anyway just seeking unbiased thoughts on what to do here. If my boy had gone lame BEFORE i ordered the saddle, i def would not have done it

[Ambitious_Kate]

Hmm. Conumdrum.

I would not keep the saddle like it is. I might be tempted to send it back and insist it comes back to me correct. Its a saddle which could either be resold or reflocked for another horse, presumably. You may find your self wanting just such a saddle in the next few years, I predict, for some horse. I would seriously consider making this saddle right and keeping it. Now is now, and now is this saddle. You can’t predict the future.
Also, the DLFT horse, may not be around more than a few years, if I am not wrong about dflt? It progresses to a point that the horse is not comfortable?

Oh, the years go by so fast, I know you are going to be with a new horse in a blink of an eye. If you don’t feel this new saddle, fixed will be right for a different horse, send it back. If you feel you will want this saddle again, down the line, keep it - and make them fix it!

[sheltona01]

They change the saddle designs without telling anyone including fitters. I was told during training if the demo saddle was 2 years old it probably was not the same design and not to order new off of it. That includes changing the tree design. That is why most people want to buy off the truck because you never really know what you are getting when ordering with them.

In my experience breaking in the saddle will not change the seat shape that dramatically.

Also check about the 6 month thing. Last time I knew late this summer, it was a year.

[rothmpp]

This was exactly why I bought the demo saddle that I loved right off my fitter’s truck. Mine was a Solo, not an Icon, but I was not willing to take the chance that a “made for us” would fit the same.

[enjoytheride]

If the saddle was not made as requested send it back and have them make you a new one. My suggestion would be that you make the new one a more one size fits all that way it would be more likely to fit another horse.

[colorfan]

In my mind the math says send the saddle back, absolutely no sense keeping a saddle that doesn’t fit, not much sense having it made for a horse with limited riding time left. The timing on ordering the saddle is unfortunate.,

I would explain the circumstances and see how long they will keep your deposit and honor it. 6 months to keep a $1000 deposit seems very short to me.

I had a custom saddle made for my mare, I did get to enjoy it for a couple years before she developed DSLD, I am not hopeful of ever finding a horse close to fitting it.

[candyappy]

@arabiansrock

no sweat spot pocket.

What is that??

I would rather lose $1000 over paying an additional $5000 for a saddle I can’t use, * unless* you think you could find a buyer for it.

[Jo]

@candyappy

I would rather lose $1000 over paying an additional $5000 for a saddle I can’t use, * unless* you think you could find a buyer for it.

JMHO but that would probably result in a loss too - I wouldn’t pay retail for a saddle that was custom made for someone else, even if new, unless it was a miraculous perfect fit. And even then…

[enjoytheride]

She likely has to purchase A saddle since it’s not the saddle maker’s fault her horse is lame. However, it needs to be made as promised.

[candyappy]

@Jo

JMHO but that would probably result in a loss too - I wouldn’t pay retail for a saddle that was custom made for someone else, even if new, unless it was a miraculous perfect fit. And even then…

I think it is a loser anyway you look at it. Unless the horse has a miraculous recovery and the saddle can be used after all.

I guess my thought was what way will result in the smallest loss.

[arabiansrock]

Thank you everyone! Fitter checked with Custom and I have 1 year from the date I ordered the saddle to use my $1000 dep. So I basically have until Sep 1 2023.

After much discussion with my trainer, I refused the saddle and we have decided to start the search for my next horse. It may take awhile to find a “perfect” match for me so hopefully I will have a new horse before Sep and can order him/her a custom Custom.

For my current boy I wanted pony panels to minimize any pressure on his kissing spine area, and I am short so ordered 15 in flaps. And I need blocks that do not angle into my thigh, the standard Star block dug into my leg. These three things make it tough to buy “off the truck”. I really do not like the huge honking panels Custom puts on most of their saddles.

Wish me luck in my horse search, as I am getting older (coming 62), am dealing with loss of confidence/bravery (I have ridden for 55 years but hit a point where I was scared to even get on, my current horse has brought me back to being much more confident and loving riding again), and I am losing my vision (thanks glaucoma), I need an extremely SAFE horse, as in bombproof, spook proof, no buck bolt or rear, but enough talent so I can get back to riding proper dressage, and young enough so that I will not have another pasture pet anytime soon. Talent doesn’t seem to go along with SAFE and young and bombproof seems to mean $$$$$, and my budget is $$$$. So I am praying for a unicorn!