I’m this >< close to dropping some serious coin on a saddle and either need some positive reinforcement or for someone to talk me off the edge. Who has one? Do you love it or hate it?
I have a horse who has been challenging to fit. Given all of the money and time I have spent on fittings and saddles that weren’t quite right I’m ready to bite the bullet and spend more on something that works better and is adjustable. But biting the bullet kind of hurts.
Are you working with an independant saddle fitter?
Yep. At our very first appointment, lo three years ago or so now, she suggested the Steffen’s Advantage and I didn’t want to spend that much, so she’s been helping me with other options in the meantime. At our last appointment we tried a bunch of saddles and the Icon Flight was the best fit and he went best in it. If I’d bought the Steffen’s Advantage in the first place we’d probably still be going in it and I would have saved a lot of money, but oh well.
I would go ahead with the Icon then. I think the resale on those are really good so if you wanted to sale down the road it probably wouldn’t be a hard sale.
I just had to buy a new saddle for my 3yo and I lucked out since he liked the cheapest one the fitter had.
It’s an amazing saddle! Most of our barn rides in them. I have an Icon Coda…same as flight with the polyflex tree and I LOVE it!! Worth every penny
three woman at my barn have them and swear by them! Really put you in the proper position. The one rider has a horse who is incredibly hard to sit……this saddle makes her able to sit him fine.
Go for It!
I bought an Icon Flight after riding in my trainer’s for a year. I had an Advantage but it did not fit my new horse. LOVE the Flight, it is my favorite of all the dressage saddles I have had, including Schleese, Kottas, Steuben and DK.
I have found that Custom Saddles hold their value well and I have had the best customer service from them of all the saddle companies I’ve worked with
My fitter advised that the Steffen’s Advantage and the Icon Flight have the same shaped tree (slightly curved). I was all set to hate the Icon Flight because I’m currently riding in a newer Stubben Tristan and love that it’s open, doesn’t have blocks, etc., but then I sat in the Icon Flight and felt so close to my horse’s back. The one I’m looking at has short blocks and is two seat sizes big for me because I’m tiny and normal-sized people need to be able to ride in it too. I don’t know if I’d like it in a smaller size as I like having more space.
sent you a PM
About Icon Flight
I say go for it!!!
I just ordered mine last week and I to was riding in a stubben that wasn’t the greatest fit for my guy and thought I would hate the flight too. But instantly EVERYTHING felt 10x better…I just hate the wait now. 
Have one! Love, love, love it! My horse, Mr. Too-Sensitive-for-this-World, let me know immediately when we tried it that he loved it too. I’ve been told by a number of people that they’ve never seen me ride so well. Go for it.
I cannot say enough good things about the Custom Saddlery Saddles! I have an Icon Flight and an Icon Coda for my personal horses and love them both. The flight is for a hard to fit horse with high withers and a broad back. I was trying to ride him in the Wolfgang Solo I use on training horses but the tree just wasn’t right for him. I’ve noticed an appreciable difference in him after finally breaking down and getting him his own saddle. lol
I love my Flight! In fact, I have an extra one that I’m supposed to sell (decided to get custom stuff on a new one), but I can’t seem to part with it!
[QUOTE=MelanieC;7768481]
The one I’m looking at has short blocks and is two seat sizes big for me because I’m tiny and normal-sized people need to be able to ride in it too. I don’t know if I’d like it in a smaller size as I like having more space.[/QUOTE]
Try to find a demo that is closer to your size, before investing in a new made to order saddle - if you’re buying used, then it can definitely be impossible to find the combination that best suits both you & your horse.
Resale of an “average” seat size & tree width saddle is also different than for a less “common” custom, but if you place too much emphasis on this aspect, you’ll end up ordering a saddle that doesn’t really suit … & then why bother in the first place …
Most trainers (I know) have no issue riding in saddles that are too small/too large etc so this should not really be a concern when you’re choosing a saddle for you and your horse :yes:
You say you like having more “room” but definitely try saddles that are sized for your frame, the saddle should support you without confining you, seat balance will not be the same in a saddle that is significantly too large for you, flap dimensions & block placement will be “off”.
(removable blocks are a nice addition for larger riders using your saddle)
Thanks! Good points all. The problem with buying a saddle in my size is that my size is a 16 or 16.5" and I need to be able to have not only my trainer (who is petite) but lease riders and the occasional lesson rider be able to ride my horse in the saddle. The first saddle I bought for my horse was a 16.5" (because I insisted on getting something that fit me) and no one else could fit in it, so he was ridden in a series of other saddles that didn’t really fit him and caused back pain. I also find that I do prefer having more room - I’ve been riding in too-big saddles my whole life (on other people’s horses) and really did like the open seat on my Tristan.
A new custom is out of my price range. The one I am looking at is used. I currently have it on trial. I loved it but have only ridden in it once so far. After several more rides and input from my trainer and another rider I’ll make a final decision, but I did love the way he went in it and it did fit him much much better than anything else we’ve put on him. It didn’t move, the balance point was right, and I loved the close contact. But man, even used the price is… well, let’s just say it’s considerably more than I paid for my horse. 
Does horse go OK in the Stubben? would it be possible to have an older (ie v.e.r.y economic) Tristan (or similar, there are a few older models that should work) for other riders?
(depending on whether these are his occasional rides or frequent rides)
Then keep looking until you find at least a 17 Icon Flight?
I agree that finding anything under a 17 becomes very difficult - how wide is your horse?
ETA no idea how this compares but 16.5 Custom Royal Star
The Stubben (which was very economic ) doesn’t fit him anymore. It did when we fit it for him several months ago, but in the meantime he’s become much fitter and his shoulders have outgrown it. I love my Tristan (which is a 17.5" itself) and have the sads about putting it on the shelf. It’s pommel-high and moves 4-5" forward onto his withers while he works now. He goes OK in it, but he isn’t a complainer so it isn’t super obvious from his habitus when something doesn’t fit. I was surprised by how much better he went in the Icon Flight (of course, that was only one ride). I think he really needs a new saddle right away. I’m keeping the Stubben in case he goes out of shape again and it fits again, and because the resale isn’t good enough to try to sell it at once anyway.
I’m not in the market for a smaller saddle, based on my previous experience. If I had more money sure, but I just can’t afford to keep and fit multiple saddles in different sizes for my hard-to-fit horse, so it has to be something that most riders can fit into. My horse is W/XW. I really like that the Custom Saddlery trees can be adjusted.
Oh, and I also need the short block because Customs with long blocks interfere with my knee - even though I’m short. How on earth does anyone ride with the long huge blocks?
I LOVE my Icon Flight. I’m 5’6" and ordered one with the petite flaps and short blocks as the longer blocks interfered with my knees as well. Both my horse and I simply love it. It’s a beautiful and very well-made saddle.
Thanks for the feedback. Would you say the Customs ride big, small, or true to size? Another reason I’m avoiding going small is that the resale on small seat sizes sucks. It took forever to sell my old 16.5 saddle and I lost a lot of money on the sale even though it was in almost pristine condition. I want something I can sell easily in case he changes shape yet again.
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