Hi there!
I have been given the amazing opportunity to ride and compete my trainers horse for her for a years, but we have a few issues.
He has a custom saddle, but the twist is to wide for me, and the seat tips me forward due to its high back. I tried riding him in my Passier GG, but it was not enough support for me as he is a very big mover and he did not move terribly well in it. I test rode him in a Schleese Link ii which I loved! It had a narrow twist and a flatter seat while maintaining a close contact feel. I am looking for something with this same criteria that won’t break the bank, because like i said Im a student. Any suggestions are much appreciated!
Honestly, it depends on your budget. I will say that in the last year, I’ve bought a Schlese for just over $500 on ebay. I also bought a great older name brand saddle at a local tack swap for under $100.
The deals are out there, you just have to find them and pounce.
I have a budget of about 1500, and I loveeee ebay for deals! The only problem Im having with this is that I will not spend that much money on a saddle I’m 100% sure about, which means test riding. I am finding that most people via ebay are not interested in offering trials. But yes I agree I love deals- bought my passier off ebay new for 700 dollars =)
One option is to look (online) for a shop that has
- an excellent fitter on staff
- a good selection of saddles that are in your size/tree & budget
eg, Equestrian Imports - note that even the online fitting/consult runs ~ $100 so I’d want some of 2) available.
If you have local saddle fitters that carry used (consignment) saddles, then you might begin there - do ask a lot of questions about the process though before you commit to paying for a consult (again if the fitter only has 1 or 2 saddles that fit you, you might want to look for an alternate).
If you have access to various saddle reps (most will come out for no or minimal fee), you might arrange a consult so that you can identify likely to fit models/brands; do let the rep know that you’re looking for used.
Not all shops charge a consult fee.
Do enquire about shipping out vs return fees, insurance fees - shipping fees can easily decimate a saddle purchase budget: note you can often ship up to 3 saddles (in a single box) for very little more than a single saddle.
I found my almost new Custom Advantage on eBay for around $1k, and it was a great fit for myself and my horse after trying many, many saddles that didn’t work for either of us. I’m not sure if you mean that his saddle is Custom brand, or if it is another custom-made saddle. Mine has a fairly narrow twist, though not as narrow as my trainer’s Albion SLK, which is almost painful for me to ride in. The seat is very secure but not restrictive. After 4 years of daily use, it is still in nearly flawless condition. I am now a huge advocate for Custom brand saddles after several excellent experiences with their fitters, and based on your description, mine sounds quite similar to what you may be looking for!
I’m not sure if Stubbens would fit the horse, but they’re typically pretty inexpensive used. My old Aramis was about $300 on eBay. It has a fairly flat seat with a narrow twist.
[QUOTE=DressageQueen777;7013478]
I have a budget of about 1500, and I loveeee ebay for deals! The only problem Im having with this is that I will not spend that much money on a saddle I’m 100% sure about, which means test riding. I am finding that most people via ebay are not interested in offering trials. But yes I agree I love deals- bought my passier off ebay new for 700 dollars =)[/QUOTE]
If you find one on ebay, it certainly couldn’t hurt to ask the seller about a trial/allowing a return if it doesn’t work.
When I have sold saddles on there, I have had the “no returns” thing on there. But, if someone contacted me and asked, I might consider allowing a trial on a case-by-case basis.
What is the custom saddle so people can understand the basic shape of the horse in order to suggest other similarly shaped brands?
[QUOTE=DressageQueen777;7013436]
Hi there!
I have been given the amazing opportunity to ride and compete my trainers horse for her for a years, but we have a few issues.
He has a custom saddle, but the twist is to wide for me, and the seat tips me forward due to its high back. I tried riding him in my Passier GG, but it was not enough support for me as he is a very big mover and he did not move terribly well in it. I test rode him in a Schleese Link ii which I loved! It had a narrow twist and a flatter seat while maintaining a close contact feel. I am looking for something with this same criteria that won’t break the bank, because like i said Im a student. Any suggestions are much appreciated![/QUOTE]
If you know the Schleese works for both of you, you might try and find a used one - they are out there from time to time. Right now there are several used Schleese models on Ebay for under $1500… including a few from a seller that offers 2 week trials.
[QUOTE=Lucassb;7014040]
If you know the Schleese works for both of you, you might try and find a used one - they are out there from time to time. Right now there are several used Schleese models on Ebay for under $1500… including a few from a seller that offers 2 week trials.[/QUOTE]
I have found some screaming deals on Schleeses, allowing room in my budget to have them fitted the next time the Schleese fitter came around. One I found on Rick’s and the other on a Facebook tack group. If you do some digging you can surely come up with some bargains - check horseclicks.com and I was religiously using Google to search Craigs List – enter the search as “site:Craigslist.org Schleese” with no quotes and it will search all the CL listings. Good luck!
If you prefer an extra-narrow twist, then definitely talk to Schleese before you ship in any saddle off ebay etc - only the Link II & the HK advertise the narrow twist.
Given the customized nature of these saddles, you might collect serial numbers & discuss the saddle parametres with Schleese before buying/shipping.
when i lost all my tack and horses in a fire, i needed an inexpensive saddle that could fit almost any horse , and i went with the leather collegiate convertible, i was a sceptic but i have really loved the saddle and highly recommend it is an inexpensive and versaitile saddle.
Thank you all for the suggestions! This horse’s saddle is actually a county I believe the perfection model that was custom ordered for my trainer, he fits about a medium tree if there is enough wither clearance and a wide enough channel- this was the issue I had with my Passier. I have found a lot of great deals on schleeses just not this particular model, Im not married to any particular brand Im really just looking for something with a narrow twist that does not have a terrible high back. I will keep looking. The saga of the saddle search is one I think we all know quite well =/
Thank you! Yes I have tried several schleeses and the Link ii was the only one I really liked- though I have not tried the HK. I will add that to my list of saddle to try.
Haha I thought the same as well- and when I sold my saddle off Ebay I allowed a trial period. Three saddles I have asked for a trial and three fairly nasty messages I have received back. I will charge on though!
Prestige and Black Country have similar shapes to many County models.
[QUOTE=JB;7015211]
Prestige and Black Country have similar shapes to many County models.[/QUOTE]
Prestige is one brand I have not tried yet- Ill take a look =) Thanks!
I personally love Prestige saddles, but I have found them all to be more restrictive in the seat than some other saddles, which doesn’t particularly bother me but may not be what you’re looking for. By all means, however, give one a try if you have the opportunity!
Without seeing the horse in question (or at least templates and photos), it’s really tough to make much in the way of meaningful recommendations. If you have a good fitter in your area, a consult with him/her would be a good idea; it will cost, but you’ll save a lot in time, money and frustration if you have a “target” selection of saddles to choose from. If you don’t have a good fitter in your area, contact someone who has a lot of experience and success working long-distance (I’ll second Equestrian Imports, and add Panther Run Saddlery). Also, if you can post a photo here (or a link), we can at least give you a rough idea of models to look for, though it’s not really possible to make recommendations on tree width just based on photos.
