Both these saddles have been recommended by the local rep for my Andalusian cross. I have ridden in the advantage and liked it- but unable to borrow/try the icon flight and am curious before taking the plunge. How do the seats compare? Also- looking at a hybrid panel versus just a regular wool flock- thoughts on the differences? Thanks in advance!
I love the Advantage and couldn’t even ride in the Flight.
The Advantage has a narrower twist and I think a higher rise in front. It also has a longer flat spot whereas the flight seat is more of a scoop shape and shoves me onto my crotch and locks up my back. Friends with smaller backsides and less need for a flat spot in the saddle have loved the Flight.
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They’re pretty different. I wouldn’t buy a Flight without riding in it. I’ve had a bunch of Customs over the years. My Everest and Advantage rode fairly similarly. My Everest R is a different feel than both, although a little bit similar to the new Wolfgang Omni. I had an Icon Coda at one point, which I sorta liked enough but never loved. I tried a Flight today, and had the same feeling about it. The shape of the seat on the Icons just isn’t right for my body.
If they recommended the Advantage and the Flight, I assume your horse is curvy. If you check out their fitting video at 1:21, you can see the other models they recommend for curvy backs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJJYlXse64&t=112s
Also, keep in mind that the models change over the years. A ten year old Advantage won’t ride like a new one.
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If you really like the Adv, I very much double you will like the flight. The seat is designed for completely different riders. The flight is designed to sit you up on your sit bones and support a lot behind. The Adv lets you sit back into the saddle. Which one you prefer depends on your body type.
The hybrid can go either way. If you Andalusian cross has moderate to low withers, it would be fine.
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Thanks so much for the insights! I’ll check out the saddle fitting video!
I have an older Icon Flight and currently use a Wolfgang Constanz on my lusitano. So have maybe 8 yrs total use. I am not a fan of the quality. On both saddles the block leather is quite thin and I wore holes in both saddles. The Flight also got ripples in the seat that can’t be addressed w/out recovering seat. The Constanz seat first got a crack in the leather just under my right tailbone and that turned into a hole eventually. Had that seat recovered by an independent person. Have heard quality comments from others as well…
