[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8864314]
That is a good question. How do I tell? I bought it during one of the saddle sales, it was a demo so I’d think it’s not totally new, though it looks almost new. It is brown and had a little wear on the flaps that pretty much disappeared once I oiled it.
It is for Falcon (and Ted, the plain bay TB I have who has a higher wither/big dip but is still fairly wide for a TB). It has the short points and I think that makes it fit a touch wider than the long-pointed Scandica 18/31 I also have but that didn’t fit me (though it fit them perfectly). I have a Thinline pad under them both, and the horses move well and seem very comfy in it. The Biomex seat is lovely for me and my bad back and I love the balance point, which is good for taller riders I think.
If you are happy with brown I think you can get very good deals on those. Mine was like 75% off retail, couldn’t pass it up! I did have to punch extra holes on the flap strap, it was too long for my smaller TB and definitely for my kid’s pony![/QUOTE]
If I had to guess maybe by the serial number, but I don’t know how to tell either… Maybe I’ll shoot off an email to Stubben and ask.
Thanks for the response! I also am using a Thinline under mine and I love the biomex option on my Zaria. I thought I’d hate it but it’s actually nice… And I really can’t stress how differently my horse is moving with the saddle. He’s never been a tiny mover, but his stride is just so much more open in it.
Of course, this is just bad news for my wallet. I definitely love brown!
If you haven’t, watch the Catherine Haddad videos about the Genesis Special. They were very helpful in trying to decide if it would work for me (and to get a sense of why all the “weird” configurations are there, like the flap strap, rivets, and short billets). I have basically the saddle she describes to a T and like everything about it. Too bad you aren’t closer, or you could come test mine.
Do you happen to know when they have their sales? I think they just had one.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8864314]
That is a good question. How do I tell? I bought it during one of the saddle sales, it was a demo so I’d think it’s not totally new, though it looks almost new. It is brown and had a little wear on the flaps that pretty much disappeared once I oiled it.
It is for Falcon (and Ted, the plain bay TB I have who has a higher wither/big dip but is still fairly wide for a TB). It has the short points and I think that makes it fit a touch wider than the long-pointed Scandica 18/31 I also have but that didn’t fit me (though it fit them perfectly). I have a Thinline pad under them both, and the horses move well and seem very comfy in it. The Biomex seat is lovely for me and my bad back and I love the balance point, which is good for taller riders I think.
If you are happy with brown I think you can get very good deals on those. Mine was like 75% off retail, couldn’t pass it up! I did have to punch extra holes on the flap strap, it was too long for my smaller TB and definitely for my kid’s pony![/QUOTE]
I think they will have another around Thanksgiving? The Summer Sale was at the beginning of August. However, you need to know what you want and that it fits your horse because all sales are final during the saddle sale, so it is wise to try one beforehand if you are aiming to buy one there.
[QUOTE=Badger;8859009]
Do not fall for this. Seat size has nothing to do with leg length. In jumping saddles, brands that don’t offer a broad range of flap sizes will not be able to fit you unless they go to a bigger seat size. But that solution doesn’t begin to fit nearly as well as the correct seat size in combination with a flap that is forward enough and/or long enough to properly fit your leg. I was in saddles with too large a seat for years until I went with a customized saddle that truly fit. Night and day difference. Since in dressage saddles the leg drapes down more, it shouldn’t be such an issue to find a flap that fits on a correctly sized seat.[/QUOTE]
It’s not the flap that is the issue…it is the placement of the stirrup bar.
I’m afraid to measure my femur…but I know I’m much longer than normal for my height. (I’m 5’9" but much taller riders ride in my saddles comfortably). Until I got custom saddles…I always had to get off the rack saddles much larger in the seat to get the balance right for my leg. It had nothing to do with the flaps but everything to do with getting the stirrup bar in a different location…otherwise it would throw off my leg position like you wouldn’t believe and I would be fighting to get my leg under me.
In the end…it is all personal. I also like a narrow twist.
My current saddle is a custom Stackhouse. I love it. I do have an external larger block…but because the saddle is custom, it is in the right place for me and I hardly ever touch it with my leg…other then when my horse spooked, spun and bolted…then it helped keep me in the saddle! My flaps are slightly forward too. Its balance is perfect for me and while it doesn’t “hold” me in a position…my position is great in it with no effort on my part because the saddle actually FITS:)
Eta. Here is a picture of my saddle when I first got it.
I’m not nearly as tall as you, but I’m all legs and have a very long femur. I had a lot of trouble finding a jumping saddle that fit my leg. My dressage saddle is a Frank Baines Pirouette and I loooooooove it. I never realized how poorly my last saddle (Albion SLK) fit my leg before I got this one. Shorter legged people don’t like riding in it much, but it allows me to keep my leg long and in the correct spot with pretty much no effort.
With jumping saddles in particular I found flap placement was very much part of the equation. A 17-1/2" seat would fit my seat and my leg could be in a proper place but my knee would shoot over the edge of a standard flap, whereas the same seat with a longer and more forward flap I’d have my leg in the same position but my knee properly centered on the flap. In an larger seat with a standard flap, I’d swim in the seat and my leg would stay on the flap but I’d have to fight for position more. With the dressage saddles the flap shape isn’t such an issue as the stirrups are longer and things like twist and seat bone support and stirrup bar placement are what matters more. In either jumping or dressage saddles, I think the seat should fit your butt and you shouldn’t upsize to something larger to get other pieces that fit at the expense of the seat or you are fighting ever stride to maintain body position and fighting the saddle instead of being helped by it.
I agree that stirrup bar placement is very important but if the flap (which in dressage saddles often means a HUGE knee block) is cut so that your knee is out over the front and the first part of your thigh is resting on that big knee roll…well, it is difficult to ride halfway decently. A custom Stackhouse would be a lovely option if OP has $6k or whatever they are these days!
However, since I had to find something workable on a much smaller budget and the “no block” option fits that very well, on the “first do no harm” theory. I also think my saddle’s balance is excellent which comes from the stirrup placement and seat.
If you have money for custom, OP, you can get something built for you so a lot of the issues people have with stock saddles will go away.
[QUOTE=Badger;8867641]
With jumping saddles in particular I found flap placement was very much part of the equation. A 17-1/2" seat would fit my seat and my leg could be in a proper place but my knee would shoot over the edge of a standard flap, whereas the same seat with a longer and more forward flap I’d have my leg in the same position but my knee properly centered on the flap. In an larger seat with a standard flap, I’d swim in the seat and my leg would stay on the flap but I’d have to fight for position more. With the dressage saddles the flap shape isn’t such an issue as the stirrups are longer and things like twist and seat bone support and stirrup bar placement are what matters more. In either jumping or dressage saddles, I think the seat should fit your butt and you shouldn’t upsize to something larger to get other pieces that fit at the expense of the seat or you are fighting ever stride to maintain body position and fighting the saddle instead of being helped by it.[/QUOTE]
see I disagree. Having more room in the seat was never an issue for me. If the stirrup bar was not in the right place it was a major issue more than even if my knee went over a flap. Especially when jumping bigger fences (over 3’6"). It is all about the balance. For dressage…the wrong balance would put my leg into a chair position. I thought it was my bad riding until I rode in a different saddle and boom…my leg was perfet. But before I was fat…I rode in many saddles whose seat size I was swimming in but felt just fine because the stirrup bar placement let my leg and balance be better.
I agree, BFNE, – definitely balance point is key for me which I think comes from stirrup bars and how they are in relation to the seat. but if there is a huge giant block where my knee ought to be that creates a similar problem…pushes the knee back out of place, and then I seem to want to chair seat to deal with that. that’s why I prefer no blocks on the flap if I can’t have something custom, then my knee doesn’t run into any interference – “first do no harm” theory of saddles. In a perfect world I’d have $6k to spare and a Stackhouse like yours!
I did have had one jump saddle where the seat and flap fit but the stirrup bar placement put me in a chair seat. I guess these features are all variables to contend with when saddle shopping, which is certainly its own level of hell!
[QUOTE=Badger;8867641]
With jumping saddles in particular I found flap placement was very much part of the equation. A 17-1/2" seat would fit my seat and my leg could be in a proper place but my knee would shoot over the edge of a standard flap, whereas the same seat with a longer and more forward flap I’d have my leg in the same position but my knee properly centered on the flap. In an larger seat with a standard flap, I’d swim in the seat and my leg would stay on the flap but I’d have to fight for position more. With the dressage saddles the flap shape isn’t such an issue as the stirrups are longer and things like twist and seat bone support and stirrup bar placement are what matters more. In either jumping or dressage saddles, I think the seat should fit your butt and you shouldn’t upsize to something larger to get other pieces that fit at the expense of the seat or you are fighting ever stride to maintain body position and fighting the saddle instead of being helped by it.[/QUOTE]
I think both of you are right, in your own ways - saddle fit is different for different people. Some people need more room in the seat, others need forward flaps, others need forward or set-back stirrup bars… and god, some horses are just as preferential :eek:
I do think though, you can get into a smaller seat than you’d expect if you pay special attention to where the stirrup bars are… Lots of ladies in my barn that are bigger are all convinced they need 18.5+ when I think it has a lot more to do with both their personal anatomy and the balance of the saddle.
I have a 16.5 Ainsley, it’s an ancient jump model but it has standardish flaps. It’s what I rode in during Pony Club, all the way up to HS and past college - and like I said up-thread, I am all legs and taller than average (but not as tall as you ladies!). I have always fit in that saddle despite not being as gamine now as I was in my teenage years… My sister is 5’9" - she also inherited the big badonk my family seems to have. She’s like an ostrich, it’s all legs & tush for her.
Somehow, she fits perfectly in the 16.5" Ainsley - abomination, right?
It’s because the stirrup bars are pretty far back on the saddle. The balance on the saddle is really nice for its’ era - there are no blocks on the saddle whatsoever and she’s able to get her stirrups pretty short without going over the flap despite the saddle being TINY.
It’s a moot point for her though, because her TB as perfect as he is, has Objections to the saddle - the tree point on the Ainsley is like all ancient trees and is pretty straight “down and out”… he needs something more like the trees you see in the new Stubbens or Stackhouses.
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8867718]
I agree, BFNE, – definitely balance point is key for me which I think comes from stirrup bars and how they are in relation to the seat. but if there is a huge giant block where my knee ought to be that creates a similar problem…pushes the knee back out of place, and then I seem to want to chair seat to deal with that. that’s why I prefer no blocks on the flap if I can’t have something custom, then my knee doesn’t run into any interference – “first do no harm” theory of saddles. In a perfect world I’d have $6k to spare and a Stackhouse like yours![/QUOTE]
agreed. Before I could afford custom, I preferred saddles without blocks as the blocks were almost always in the wrong place for me anyway.
I ride in a Vega.
It has a halfblock. I also like a very narrow twist and open seat.
All of my horses are VERY short in the back. This saddle has upswept panels which is what they all need.
[QUOTE=purplnurpl;8870377]
Im a 6 footer. All leg. Lots of femur.
I ride in a Vega.
It has a halfblock. I also like a very narrow twist and open seat.
All of my horses are VERY short in the back. This saddle has upswept panels which is what they all need.[/QUOTE]
I also have long femurs, I hate saddles that have the big knee rolls that run down the front of the saddle (vague description I know) they push my upper leg back into an uncomfortable position, anything with a forward roll is ok, I have sat in an equipe which I loved (the lower model, I think it’s the one Charlotte rides in) - I also have an Albion which is good as well. I also have an ideal saddle which I love, it fits everything too. I also find I need the ones with a narrow twist seat, anything else feels like a bar stool and not comfy. Bates Isobel’s are also ok - just. I’m 5.8" so not giant but tall enough to have problems!
[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8867718]
I agree, BFNE, – definitely balance point is key for me which I think comes from stirrup bars and how they are in relation to the seat. but if there is a huge giant block where my knee ought to be that creates a similar problem…pushes the knee back out of place, and then I seem to want to chair seat to deal with that. that’s why I prefer no blocks on the flap if I can’t have something custom, then my knee doesn’t run into any interference – “first do no harm” theory of saddles. In a perfect world I’d have $6k to spare and a Stackhouse like yours![/QUOTE] Agree. It’s not just the flap. It’s not just the seat. It’s not just the stirrup bar placement. It’s how they all work together along with any block.
Many here are saying they have a long femur, and it’s unclear whether they also have a short calf, which is my situation (coupled with a few other conformation issues). My saddle has the exposed short block and a 5 position stirrup position adjustment. I still can’t get balanced right and I’m not quite sure why. For sure, that block is preventing my leg from being in the right place.
I’m not tall 5’6" but have a crazy long femur. Took me a long time to find a comfy dressage saddle, but I love my Custom Wolfgang Advantage with the short blocks. Allows my leg plenty of room and feels secure.
I’m 5’9" and all leg, femur in particular. I have had an 18" County Competitor now for about 10 years, found it used when I was on vacation in Virginia at the Middleburg tack exchange. It accommodates my leg well and is very comfortable. The flap is long enough for me to not get my tall boot stuck on the bottom of the flap which has been the case when I rode in others’ saddles. Those tend to be available fairly regularly used online, and since they’re wool flocked can always be adjusted to your horse. I love mine, and will only get a new one when this one finally starts to show it’s age!
