devoucoux saddles...are they really that great?

I bought a used Antares/CWD “hybrid” at a very good price after sitting in my trainer’s Antares at a show and instantly falling in love. This is a used saddle, was originally an Antares (not the XC saddle, just the close contact) but had been refurbished by CWD. So the top part is an Antares, the flaps, billets, etc. are CWD.

I really, really, really like it very much. :yes: Loved my old Berney Bros to pieces, but this one is MUCH more comfortable, much more “sticky”, keeps my leg in as good of a position (not great, but good, LOL, some of it is still up to me!) :wink: and most importantly, fits my horse well. I think it allows my to keep two-point a little easier at the trot, so it must have better balance, although I’d have sworn the Berney was fine in that regard.

I hate 95% of saddles I sit in immediately, so finding one that made me instantly happy was worth following up on! I’m very pleased with the saddle and especially the deal I got! :wink:

You can have a saddler convert from foam to wool for about $300. Not a huge deal if you love the saddle or paid $3K for it to begin with! Not everyone is that reasonable, but I had Patty (SaddleDr) quote it for me a few years ago.

That said, I have a County and love it for all the reasons that people have raved about the Devoucoux and Antares. It’s very balanced, I find it helps me stay in a strong position over fences, and it fits my horse! Shame that the one I like is the Extreme, as they’ve discontinued that model.

I am having serious problems with my Devoucoux because it does not fit any of my horses, and fits the horse it was made for the worst. It has been sent back and repaneled already, and still doesn’t fit. My horses refuse to move forward in it, and I specifically asked about having it reflocked with wool…I was told by several saddlers that this was NOT possible with the Devoucoux, because of the way the panels are made. Just a word of warning before you shell out $4k for a saddle that you cannot use like I did.

[QUOTE=eventrider;3112854]
I am having serious problems with my Devoucoux because it does not fit any of my horses, and fits the horse it was made for the worst. It has been sent back and repaneled already, and still doesn’t fit. My horses refuse to move forward in it, and I specifically asked about having it reflocked with wool…I was told by several saddlers that this was NOT possible with the Devoucoux, because of the way the panels are made. Just a word of warning before you shell out $4k for a saddle that you cannot use like I did.[/QUOTE]

eventrider, you and I have had the same experience with Devoucoux.

I did have my Devoucoux repaneled and flocked with wool. It still didn’t fit.

My vet, who is certified in chiro/osteo/accupuncture, told me flat out he thought the saddle was a poor fit for horses as a species. He knows nothing about saddle snobbery but spends a good deal of time looking at saddle fit. He said the panels were poorly shaped (too much slope) and the gullet was way too narrow – and this last thing is hard to change (I tried).

I noticed that most of the Devoucoux devotees at my riding club used a princess-and-the-pea array of pads underneath. They had all kinds of bogus reasons why they ‘had to have’ this pad and that pad but the truth is, the saddle should fit the horse without a pad.

I love my Devoucoux. It fits great and I only use a sheepskin half pad under it.

JER,

The saddle fitter told me that the stirrup bars are recessed into the gullet of the tree, which makes the rider LOVE the feel, but means that only 1% of horses will the saddle fit…so basically the same thing that your guy told you. The gullet is too narrow and in this specific case, the stirrup bars hit the horses in the back when they lift their backs to use them properly. It is funny you mentioned the use of pads, because I asked several other ULR’s who have Devoucouxs if they had had any saddle fit problems and all of them said, I don’t know, I just use a thick half pad under it. My horses must be way more sensitive or something, because they refused to do anything in the Dev. So now I have a basically brand new saddle I need to sell I guess!
I have heard good things about the Stackhouse saddles however.

I’ve had two Antares, which I think are similar to Devacoux. I went with Antares over Devacoux because they offer a 30 day full money back guarantee if for any reason you don’t like the saddle. I think there is always a risk with customs that they will not fit perfectly and I’ve known people who ordered a Devacoux and didn’t have it fit, and they were stuck. My Antares fit my TB’s well and I loved the balance. Unfortunately my saddle did not fit my new mare, a Connemara cross, and none of the demo saddles the dealer had really seemed to fit her. For her odd shape wool-flocked seems to be the only way to go.

A friend who owned 3 Devoucoux saddles and loved hem told me that professionals love the Devoucoux because it fits them and they ride such a variety of horses that they don’t worry about it fitting the horse - they just pad it up. My understanding is that it is a rider’s saddle and doesn’t fit most horses.

Okay…I sat in my friends devoucoux today and can I tell you that I fell in love the minute my bottom touched the saddle. Very grippy and excellent leg position. I felt secure yet could get out of the tack when needed. I’m pretty sure it fit my guy as well. Lots of clearance by the withers, pretty level and equal. Much better than my Pessoa which I need at least two pads to ride in it. Just to be on the safe side, I ordered a test ride from VTO Saddlery 1. the amerigo vega monoflap and the new prestige monoflap event saddle. I rode in a Nona Garson Prestige saddle one time and really hated it so I’m not sure if the monoflap version will work. I really, really like the Devoucoux but just briefly searching the net for a used event model has been tough. Any thoughts on the vega and the prestige?

Thanks again for the insight!

I have a Vega jump saddle (not monoflap) and I LOVE it!

It was a nightmare trying to find a decent saddle to fit me (short legs) and my new horse (TB with a sensitive back). After an intense search spanning many weeks and countless saddles, I sat in a Vega at a local tack store. I fell in love. The Vega was very comfortable, and it clearly fit my horse better than any of the other saddles that I had tried. My saddle fitter quickly agreed.

For me, the advantages of the Vega are the wool flocking and the options in tree size (6 options from narrow-x wide) and flap length (5 options from pony-extra long).

If I ever need another saddle, I plan on starting my search with Amerigo.

My son has been riding in a Devoucoux Chiberta for about three years - loves it - we fight over it when we are hacking out horses. I usually lose. We check saddle fit frequently - both with a saddle fitter and my equine chiropractor and have not had any issues with soreness.

Eventrider - if you are using the saddle fitter I think you are - he was not impressed with Stackhouse saddles. . .

My Gully is an ultra-wide Connemara, the dead opposite of most high-withered Thoroughbreds. I had a devil of a time finding a saddle to fit him–my wide Steubben was hopeless–but for whatever reason, my Devocoux fits him well. He’s not squeamish about letting me know when his back’s uncomfortable.

In fact, my first Devoucoux was stolen from my tack room–lost 7 saddles, 12 girths, 8 bridles and all my worm paste–and I searched far and wide to find the exact same model, because I was afraid any small deviation would upset the way it fit Gully.

Dana…thanks for the input!!

Greg is actually the person who told me if I use the Dev on ANY of my horses he will kill me! Great to hear after spending all that money huh? And the saddle fitter you are thinking of is the one who told me about the stirrup bars, and told me that my Dev would not ever fit any of my horses decently enough to ride in. Maybe I got a dud! I haven’t asked him about the Stackhouses though…but good to know his opinion!

Christan

[QUOTE=kiwifruit;3113144]
Okay…I sat in my friends devoucoux today and can I tell you that I fell in love the minute my bottom touched the saddle. Very grippy and excellent leg position. I felt secure yet could get out of the tack when needed. I’m pretty sure it fit my guy as well. Lots of clearance by the withers, pretty level and equal. Much better than my Pessoa which I need at least two pads to ride in it. Just to be on the safe side, I ordered a test ride from VTO Saddlery 1. the amerigo vega monoflap and the new prestige monoflap event saddle. I rode in a Nona Garson Prestige saddle one time and really hated it so I’m not sure if the monoflap version will work. I really, really like the Devoucoux but just briefly searching the net for a used event model has been tough. Any thoughts on the vega and the prestige?

Thanks again for the insight![/QUOTE]

We took the Nona Prestige on trial before the Dev. My student loved the tight feel of the Nona, but it didn’t fit her horse AT ALL! I liked the saddle for my student, personally I would like it for jumping 3’6" and up, but felt a tiny bit too tight for me personally for flatwork and lower jumping. It was comfy however. The problem was not that the people didn’t like it but that it was terrible for the horse. The panels are extremely banana shaped and rocked back and forth on his back! We are all much happier with the Dev.

I recently had a saddle fitter who also hated my Antares for the reasons stated above – the stirrup bars are recessed so much it narrows the gullet. Sigh. It’s only a year old. I love it. The tree is too wide and the panels under the cantle are not thick enough. And yes, I have a boatload of shims trying to get it all right while I figure out what to do . . . I had hoped to die and be buried with this saddle. I was going to ask Antares about making modifications, but I’m afraid the whole “recessed stirrup bar” thing is a deal-breaker. I’m trying a Talisman saddle in two weeks. Wish me luck . . .

Isn’t it strange how there can be so many incredibly varying viewpoints on one simple thing like a saddle? :lol:

Deltawave…
It is interesting isn’t it! I will say that it is the most comfortable, correct, nicest saddle I have ever sat in…and I personally LOVE it, BUT…none of my horses do so I am in a bind. I wonder if some horses are more sensitive than others, or some people are more sensitive than others. From what I have been told by the saddle fitters (not my opinion, just passing it along) the Dev’s don’t fit many horses, but it seems that isn’t an issue with many people. Obviously they fit some horses (like Pegasusmom’s son’s horse), but mine doesn’t seem to want to work with my horses. I WISH my horses would be fine in it because I love the saddle!!!

nice if it fits

I went through TWO YEARS of trying to get one to fit my horse. The saga began when I ordered a brand new model (which has since been discontinued), and when it arrived more than 3 months later, it was not what I had ordered AT ALL. I waited a couple more months before they told me that they couldn’t make the model I wanted in anything but a 17 (the saddlefitter told me I needed a 17.5). So they talked me into getting the model I wanted in a 17, so I gave in and waited another 3 months for the 17 to arrive. Well of course it didn’t fit me, and if I’m paying over $4k for a saddle, I want it to fit the horse AND me. So then they told me they would send me different demo models and they would make me a new model and fit my horse via pictures. Well I think I went through 2 more saddles (waiting at least 3 months for each one), and when I got the last one and the gullet was not even wide enough to sit on the sides of my horse’s spine, I gave up, got a nearly full refund, and got a Stackhouse instead. The SH saddles might be a little more (but I think the Devoucouxs are close to $4500 now and the SH are from $4500-$5000), but it was worth it to have the saddlemaker come fit the saddle.

So, all this being said, the Devoucoux saddles are very very nice as long as they fit.

i am in the process of buying an ioldy devoucoux. i already have a chiberta and love it. it fits great and is uber comfortable + it is super lightweight

This has been a great thread

I’m planning on seriously looking at the Chiberta at Rolex. This is good input for me to keep in mind when looking. I’ll have my horse there so can check the fit on him too. What sort of issues should I look for in horse fit? My horse is a paint horse but not as wide as some. He’s normally in a medium or medium/wide tree. More medium now that he’s been foxhunting in the winter. It’s definitely slimmed him down.