Devoucoux Chiberta are they really bad for the horses back??

[jstov96327]

I’m saddle shopping and after trying CWD, Voltaire, Devoucoux, and even the new County monoflap, my absolute love is the Devoucoux Chibeta. However, I’ve heard horrible stories from multiple people about the Chibeta causing severe back issues, even when fitted to their horse?

My question is if the saddles are known for that, why are they so popular among top riders?

Also, the rep was very pushy. I have a horse that is very difficult to fit, County and CWD both agreed he needs completely custom not demo due to his odd shape, and devoucoux was insistent that every saddle I liked of his fit my horse and i’m concerned he’s telling me that to sell a saddle, regardless of my horse’s well being.

Interested to hear from people who have or have had these saddles. Thanks!

[tbchick84]

I’d say go with your gut on this one. While I have no direct experience with Devoucoux, I have two friends with their saddles. Both have said there customer service is very hard to deal with regarding fit issues. I’d steer clear.

[asterix]

Find an independent fitter who does not rep a specific brand, and have him/her evaluate the fit.
My fitter says the devocoux are rider saddles and not horse friendly.

[GotSpots]

I think the Devoucoux fits some horses great but is a no go for others. I love love love pry-it-out-of-my-cold-dead-hands-love mine on my older horse. Couldn’t stand it on one I was riding over the summer. Having an independent fitter will help you evaluate whether it works for your horse.

[sunhawk]

have the chiberta…have ridden in it on several different horses…not only no problems with the saddle, but riding in it is addictive

[west5]

I ride one horse in the owner’s Chiberta and I have an older Oldara that I also use. In terms of preference, I also tend to love old/vintage Stubbens.

When discussing fitters/reps it is obviously going to be hit or miss depending on the person. I wouldn’t use a rep I didn’t feel I could trust.

I just don’t see how anything that is about a “fit” could be all or nothing in either direction. (Devocoux saddles are not all bad or all good, nor are any other brand) It is important that as a rider you are not fighting the saddle for your balance and that it is comfortable for the horse.

One person at our barn uses a dressage saddle that she doesn’t care for specifically because it is abundantly clear that her horse moves 10 times better in it. She can’t find one that fits them both and she has really tried.

[sheltona01]

They are popular because they sponsor a lot of trainers. They are very rider friendly saddles. Feel free to call me if you want more details about why I do not like them.

[LookmaNohands]

Saddles either fit or they don’t. Those are well made saddles that are a dream to ride in. Get one that fits your horse!

[yellowbritches]

One of my biggest turn offs from Devoucoux is the horrible customer service. While I’ve never experienced it first hand, I’ve been a close observer many times, and have heard even more stories. Will never forget a boarder having the rep all over her and ordering one that was “made” for her horse. When it came, it was so clearly not a fit it was ridiculous. You didn’t need to know anything about saddle fit to see it. When she contacted the rep, it took ages for them to return her call. SIX weeks went by before he ever came back out to see what was up. So she went six weeks with a 5k “custom fit” saddle that she couldn’t used before the company even addressed the issue. Charming.

I’m not impressed with the saddles themselves. But agree that if they work, they work. There doesn’t seem to be any happy medium with them to me. It seems they are perfect or awful.

[gardenie]

The true test of a saddle company is how often the reps leave. I know of two very good Devoucoux reps that are now working for other saddle companies. I agree also that Devoucoux does well because the saddles are wicked comfortable for the riders, and they do sponsor riders pretty strongly. However, the saddle does not fit bulk of horses well, and if you care about your horse, a wool flocked saddle that might not be as much butt candy to you is a better choice for long term.

[quietann]

[QUOTE=asterix;8416124]
Find an independent fitter who does not rep a specific brand, and have him/her evaluate the fit.
My fitter says the devocoux are rider saddles and not horse friendly.[/QUOTE]

Where do these unicorns exist? So far I haven’t found one.

[Martina]

FWIW, if a saddle rep from one brand is bad-mouthing another brand, I would steer clear from them. Especially if they are saying the chiberta causes back problems.

I have a chiberta and my horse loves it. He goes a lot better in it, so much so I wish I could afford a dressage saddle. I’ve never heard about the saddle contributing to soreness until this post.

I bought mine at the same time as a couple others from our barn bought from another brand. When their saddles came in they were a horrible fit and that brand did not stand behind them. The rep never showed, she was really pushy when here and they never fixed the problem. When mine came in it fit perfectly. The rep came out a few weeks later to check on the fit and I had a good experience.

I think it just depends a little on luck, a little on the rep and a lot about how badly the saddle fits (i.e. how costly it would be for mfr to fix it.)

[sheltona01]

If you are in Maryland as your profile indicates, try Wendy Harrison or Hastilow Competition saddles. All of us are independent saddle fitters that carry more than one brand and care about the comfort of the horse and rider. I know them personally and recommend them to give you an honest evaluation of the fit.

I say that about the Devoucoux because I have seen it with their saddles. If it works for you and your horse great! Horse’s can not read and will let you know their preference. Too many times I have seen muscle atrophy where the saddle is too tight along the withers in the twist area. To create the feeling that the riders love, they basically create an hourglass shape in the saddle from front the back. If you horse has any width in his withers, it typically is too tight and causes a dip in the withers. Go to a show with all of the French and Italian saddles and take a look at their horse’s withers.

I do apologize if I came off a little harsh. I get a little worked up because saddle fitting is my passion and I care very much about it.

There are plenty of saddles brands that I do not sell that I do recommend depending on the needs of the horse and rider. That is what it means to be independent. She was asking a question and I was answering based on my experiences.

[Renn_aissance]

I’m on my second Devoucoux Biarritz and unlike many here I have had a good experience with them- my first one was truly custom made to the horse, including having it refitted on the spot (the saddler from France took it apart and reshaped it in the tack room.) However, the rep who was serving my area of Maryland when I bought my second saddle two years ago is not a fitter. He is a salesman. I’m a decent to good fitter myself, and Devoucoux’s tree works uniquely well on my horse, so I was okay with this, but at one point I was this close to turning around and saying “Backs don’t move like that and you’re trying to sell me a saddle I didn’t ask for.” (I did say approximately that to an Antares rep some time ago: “What you are telling me that you’re going to do to this saddle demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both anatomy and basic geometry.”)

They don’t fit every horse, for sure, but there’s not a saddle on the planet that will fit every horse. If the tree works for your horse anatomically, it works for your horse. If it doesn’t, you are going to make your horse unhappy no matter how you work the panels or what you put under it.

I’ve watched reps from Antares, CWD, Voltaire, and Devoucoux fit saddles. I’ve seen more or less independent fitters representing tack shops fit saddles. Ultimately I think that if you’re going to buy one of these, you owe it to your horse to learn enough about fitting yourself that you can tell if the rep has a clue. Or look for a used one and have somebody qualified come out to look at it on your horse. I don’t know where in MD you are, but Maryland Saddlery used to do this- we trailered a horse over to their store once- and if they don’t anymore, in addition to the pros Sheltona mentioned, may have some other recommendations.

[asterix]

[QUOTE=quietann;8416538]
Where do these unicorns exist? So far I haven’t found one.[/QUOTE]

We have several in the mid-Atlantic. I can think of three off hand who come to the farm I board at.

[bambam]

[QUOTE=asterix;8417242]
We have several in the mid-Atlantic. I can think of three off hand who come to the farm I board at.[/QUOTE] I am in the same area as asterix (down the street actually) and we have a few, including the one I use.
I have heard stories about their bad fit and bad customer service but that has, so far, not been my experience. I have a chiberta and my horse moves well with it and uses his back quite well when I ride in it so it seems to not be causing any issues for him. I am sure they do not suit all horses and their backs and, since they are not wool flocked, your options for manipulating or fixing the fit are minimal. Have not dealt with customer service since I ordered it so cannot say much about it except they were fine then. I have had worse service and saddle fitting experiences with other saddle companies.

[SevenDogs]

My chiberta fits my horse great. My trainer is a stickler for fit and not loyal to any brand. We have two chibertas, an ioldy, and a devocoux dressage saddle out of probably 40 saddles barn-wide. We have every brand imagineable. No one saddle fits every horse but the chiberta fits more than average.

I’ve always felt there was a lot of bad mouthing because they were expensive and trendy at one time.

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=quietann;8416538]
Where do these unicorns exist? So far I haven’t found one.[/QUOTE]

Gary Severson is one. He comes to Massachusetts. He doesn’t sell any saddles, only does fitting and body work. I’ve worked with him for 17 years and my horses are very happy. There are others in the area, too.

I’m sure the Chiberta fits some horses just fine. It is unlikely to fit ALL horses and the fit of a custom saddle will depend on how well the horses were measured.

Personally, I prefer saddles with wool panels so they can be adjusted over time.

Keep in mind that the “sponsored” BNRs don’t have any trouble getting a saddle that fits because the saddle companies are all over them and will remake the panels as the horse changes shape.

[Pocket_Pony]

My former horse chiropractor, who was also a vet for FEI competitions, said she saw more back problems from Devocoux than any other saddle.

[mugsgame]

Devoucoux is designed for French horses hence people trying to get them to work on horses they are not going to work for. They have narrow panels which is great on fit TB types who are not terribly wide but not so great on other horses. They don’t perform well on pliance testing which has always put me off especially as butet did.