Hi there! I’ve been in saddle fitting hell for a while and currently have a Custom Icon Flight on trial. It has been fitted by the Custom rep to my mare. I LOVE this saddle. I feel like I can finally get my leg on my horse and actually ride her! It seems to sit quite high over her wither though. Is this common with this model of saddle?
Thanks for the responses - edited the title as I have more questions lol
Yes. That saddle fits that way, great for horses with high withers. I do feel like it’s high off the horse’s back as well. But a very comfy saddle.
Edited to add:I’m not a professional saddle fitter, just tried 50+ saddles in the past 10 months and many custom saddles. I rode in an Icon Flight for 2 months that didn’t fit me very well but was comfy for my horse.
I tried a few different custom dressage models the other month and they all seemed to be high in the pommel and thus hit me in the crotch posting. I believe that the Flight was the least offensive this way, and otherwise Ioved how it felt. I might actually buy one. But you’re not wrong.
Before my horse’s withers popped up, it seemed to sit high. Now that his withers have finally decided to catch up with the rest of him, it seems to have a more “normal” clearance. If anything, I sometimes worry it’s a little too low, but that’s probably because I’m so used to seeing it sit higher up.
I didn’t find any of the suggested opinions to be true with Custom saddles.
I tried most of their models.
None of them sat up high off of my horse’s backs.
My horses also not not have huge withers.
The Flight has the curviest tree. It works for very wide slopy backs. The Steffen Advantage is the only other Custom saddle with that same tree.
I like wide but very short coupled horses. This is the only saddle that worked for both of my horses.
And the Icon blocks are the blocks that worked for me as well. The kidney shaped blocks turn into my quad.
I have several friends who ride in the Icon Star. They love it.
There is a curvier tree and there is another model with the same tree in it but they ride very different. One thing to love/hate about Custom is things are always changing.
Thanks for the feedback! The Icon Flight is going back. As much as I love the feel of it, it rubs my crotch (to the point of being quite painful) when sitting the trot. Sort of interesting that it didn’t do that the first couple of rides, mare also started to go worse in it when it started rubbing me. Anyway… onward! lol.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to which model might a good fit for us? Saddle shopping is pretty limited where I am, but we do have a very good Custom rep so will be exploring other models. Mare is quite wide, with a bit of a check mark shaped flat back and large shoulder. I tried the Matrix and it was ok, but it rolled on her a bit and I found it hard to get my leg on.
I had the same crotch/rub experience with a couple of the models that I tried. I think I sat in 9 saddles. I decided on a Custom Advantage R. I did find that playing around with stirrup length and different seat sizes made a difference in how the saddle felt. The other model that I quite liked was the Omni but I wanted something a little deeper to support my lower back (had back surgery in 2014). The Advantage R ticked all my boxes and fits my wide, flat backed, huge shouldered, Cleveland Bay cross perfectly.
The Icon Flight rubs me raw quickly. I have had great results in the Custom Wolfgang Omni. I have long legs and ride with the short block model.
Ditto the comments about variations in Customs.
FWIW, if you liked the Flight otherwise, it might be worth trying a different model year. I experienced that same discomfort in multiple 2016-2018 models, but not a 2015 Flight. Go figure.
UGH, I just took delivery of my Matrix a few months ago and was going to recommend that one as my mare is WIIDE, with a long back and sloping shoulder and we love her saddle. I can say to trust your rep since you say she’s good.
My trainer and I were thinking the Advantage would work for her as my previous saddle (N2) stopped working for my mare, so trainer rode my horse in the advantage and that worked well. However, fitter recommended the Matrix and that was it for us.
If you’re in Alabama/FL area PM me and I’ll give you my fitter’s name.
So- if your rep is so good, why is it not their job to know their saddles/models and be able to suggest the best fit for both you and your horse? It seems Custom has gone the route of being all over the map as far as having qualified saddle fitters. The company also has had bad service. The saddle (not Custom) that I ride in, the rep evaluates you and the horse, asks questions, etc. Watches you ride in your current saddle, then pulls out 2 or 3 models for you to try based on their evaluation. Most of the time, the first one they pull out after trying several is the one that seems best. They will spend hours with YOU if they need to and if you need to re-try some that is fine too. So what I am saying that service is very important. If you are scrambling to figure out a model to try the rep is not giving you the service you deserve especially for what these saddles cost.
Aside from the issues I had with the fitters in this area, they did say the manufacturing of Custom saddles is so variable that if you find a saddle that fits, buy that saddle. Don’t order one because it won’t fit you or your horse the same way. This is an issue Custom has.
I could not find one that worked both me and my horse. Popping up off the back was one of our issues constantly, and yes, that means it’s too wide up front. Sigh. Even a saddle that seemed to fit my guy would move around on his back.
I have not had this experience with Custom at all.
I ordered an Icon Alpha in November. It arrived in February. It had an issue with the seat that wasn’t Custom’s fault - it was a design choice I had asked for - but they cheerfully agreed to make a new one, let me ride in the one I had ordered until the new came in, and didn’t charge me for anything until the corrected saddle arrived. Both saddles were identical when they arrived except for the changed design choice, and both were perfect for the horse out of the box.
think this really depends on your rep, or possibly they’ve changed some things. I do know people who have had panel issues that the rep should have caught but didn’t.
I do think it depends on the rep. Maybe the rep is trying to pass blame onto Custom. I don’t know, I’m not a fitter. I was trusting their expertise. I did know the saddle didn’t fit my horse. And the first one I was trying, a used one, was being worked this way and that to fit on the horse when it was really wrong for both of us. Sigh.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
