CWD 2G Saddle Review - DON'T DO IT. RUN

[itsgood2bwilla]

The saddle is beautiful. Yes, the full buffalo leather of my 2021 CWD 2G Saddle is grippy; heck, it even sparkles. The problem? It doesn’t fit my my horse and I argue, never did from the moment it arrived. But how can this be, you ask? It was supposed to be custom and “made-to-measure.” The reason it does not fit is because no measurements were ever taken. Little did I know at the time, the reps do not measure your horse, or you. Nor do they take wither tracings. They decide what to order based on… wait for it… WATCHING. Yes folks, straight from the mouth of the Manager of all the reps the US and Canada, they don’t measure. They “just decided to do things differently.” They go by “Watching what happens… IN MOTION.” (Yes, these are actual quotes).

The total final invoice for this saddle was around $9k. The terms and Conditions of Sale (TCS) states the saddle will be custom and “made to measure.” However, I allege that no measurements were taken at the fitting. When the saddle arrived it did not fit my horse. The company avoided addressing my concerns for quite some time until finally getting back to me. Not only did the representative from the company admit in writing that they don’t actually measure the horse, he doubled down on some ridiculous reason why they don’t measure. I requested a refund but no further response was received. This ill-fitting saddle, I allege, was the cause for my horse’s temporary lameness and led to me being bucked off and injured.

If you’re considering one of the saddles be sure that you have the opportunity to FULLY read their Terms and Conditions of Sale! I can’t stress this enough. Their TCS is one of the worst I’ve ever seen from a company; in fact, it is downright customer abuse.

The TCS requires that any legal action be brought in the state in FL. However, after endeavoring to file a lawsuit against CWD-USA, I discovered that the corporation is no longer active in Florida.

I’m taking the time to post this in hopes of saving others from this horrible experience with this brand.

If you have purchased one of these saddles and it does not fit your horse, please share your story in the comments. Additionally, I strongly suggest reaching out to the State Consumer Protection Agency in the state in which you purchased the saddle.

If you had a great experience with a custom purchase of this saddle, please share that also!

[Bogie]

For $9K I’d expect something that rides my horse for me. Certainly not a saddle that doesn’t fit. I can accomplish that for far less.

Good luck with your crusade to get your money back. I know someone who had a similar problem. She did get a refund, but the company made her remove all public statements about her issues.

[tohorse]

I’d ridden in a CWD before and I mean they’re nice saddles at least for the rider, but from all I’ve heard they’re a nightmare to fit/reflock and not as friendly to horses’ backs so never even considered getting one for my ever-changing horse. Thanks for reaffirming my views and good luck with getting the money back… I guess there’s a reason why there are so many of them on the second hand market.

[Mander]

@Bogie

She did get a refund, but the company made her remove all public statements about her issues.

Ugh this shouldn’t even be allowed.

FWIW though, I’ve heard many stories of how ABYSMAL their customer service is. I have to give them credit that they had an excellent business strategy to get saddles into the market and really cater to the types of barns that encourage buying a new saddle every year (another reason there’s such a big resale market for them) but from an ethical standpoint I’m less than impressed.

[IPEsq]

After the merger bringing in Butet to LIM Group, looks like CWD-USA (a California corp that was doing business in Florida) merged out, and it’s now all under LIM USA Inc., having the same Wellington address. This is apparent from the withdrawal filed with the Florida SOS for CWD-USA.

[mroades]

Well you couldn’t give me one of those things anyway Coochie Wawa Destroyers

[2DogsFarm]

@Mander

really cater to the types of barns that encourage buying a new saddle every year

Really?
There are (quoting Bugs Bunny) maroons that do this?
Why, on God’s Green Earth?
A saddle only gets better with age.
My Stubben fitter advised me to ride for 6wks without any pad so saddle could adjust even better to my horse.

Maybe P.T. Barnum was talking about riders…

[Laurierace]

Pretty common knowledge that CWD is less than forthcoming when it comes to saddle selling/fitting. Look at any saddle sales group on FB and you will see they are flooded with practically brand new saddles that people are attempting to unload. So sorry this happened to you, thanks for spreading the word.

[itsgood2bwilla]

Oh, they are brazen in their disrespect for customers post-sale. You can’t even call it customer service. It’s customer abuse.

[itsgood2bwilla]

This is helpful information. Thank you!

[itsgood2bwilla]

It isn’t allowed! There are laws in almost every state designed to protect consumers from this brand of predation but most people are too complacent to pursue litigation over what is still, even at that price tag, considered a small claim. Unfortunately for them, I’m tired of being complacent.

[itsgood2bwilla]

Yes, they are virtually impossible to reflock or wool flock.

[itsgood2bwilla]

Thank you! Props to your friend. I’m not sure I’d take that deal at this point. It’s important that people be aware of this and if it means I’m out $9k for the greater good then so be it.

[itsgood2bwilla]

[Peggy]

I’ve heard them described as “overly friendly.”

[Bogie]

Here is that friend’s blog with the incriminating name left off. I’ve known so many people who were disappointed by their custom saddles that I will no longer buy a saddle I cannot ride in. Although, I don’t know anyone who had as much trouble as with CWD.

My Biggest Saddle Shopping Mistake: a Tale of Crazy Wild Drama | Saddle Seeks...

[Horselove5]

I know somebody who custom ordered one for $8k+ and waited ages to be delivered. Once it got here, it didn’t fit her horse… I personally will never spend that much money on a saddle.

[TheJenners]

@mroades

Coochie Wawa Destroyers

This was something I didn’t even know I needed

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Honestly, this is a big reason I have stayed with my older French saddle that has fit everything from big warmbloods to little ponies. It might be 20+ years old, but it’s comfortable for me and it seems to fit a ton of different bodied animals.
I’ve tried several CWD’s and never been that in love. I’ve also tried Voltaire and found them to not be that fantastic and kinda stiff and squeaky. Antares has been the best of the bunch that I’ve tried, but they vary so much that I would have to definitely know what I was ordering and ride in it prior to buying. I have found that many of the CWDs that are on the newer side that are being resold tend to have their medium tree size, which surprises me since I would think the majority of warmbloods would require wider, and given the flood of warmbloods in the show circuit world, you would think that would dominate the orders.

[StormyDay]

You aren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last to get a ‘custom’ saddle that doesn’t fit from a big name French brand.
I’m not sure why the brand is ok with this, but your experience will vary widely based upon your representative. Some people do get lovely saddles that fit their horses perfectly. But others get the same generic size no matter what because the rep is either too lazy or too inexperienced to do anything else.