dressage saddle on a budget

[Hunterkid]

As some of you know,I want to work towards my bronze medal. I was talking with my trainer about it and she is supportive, but says I need a better saddle. The saddle I have now fits my horse so-so, but doesn’t put me on a very good spot, it’s also super old. This means I have a crazy hard time sitting the trot.

So, to the point. What is a decent dressage saddle for $500 or less?
BTW, my mare is narrow or medium narrow…I’ve been trying to find used, but there mostly seems to be medium or wide out there…

I keep seeing kincade, are they super cheap crap, even worth looking at? Thanks!

[beowulf]

NO KINCADE!! NO CAMELOT!! NO MTL, HDR.

Get an older Stubben, Courbette, Passier, Kieffer, Ainsley. Dime a dozen and all under $1000.

[not_again]

The older saddles are much better for finding your correct balance point over the horse’s balance point. And were made to last forever!

[GoForAGallop]

I have found Kieffers, Passiers, Prestiges, Ainsleys, Loriners, Stubbens, Countys, Michael Stokes, and even Verhans for under $700.

All of those are fine, pending horse fit.

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7964533]
I have found Kieffers, Passiers, Prestiges, Ainsleys, Loriners, Stubbens, Countys, Michael Stokes, and even Verhans for under $700.

All of those are fine, pending horse fit.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely.

[candysgirl]

My old Stubben was $300. Fits a lot of horses too.

[Hunterkid]

Thanks guys! I’m not having any luck on eBay, so I’m going to look around on fb. Having a narrow horse is so difficult!

[ArabDiva]

for cheap and a narrow horse, I’d go with an old Stubben tristan. The stubbens are close contact and tend to run narrow.

Depends how narrow he is, but I would recommend looking for a 29cm (which counts as narrow) which you could definitely find on eBay for under $500. Even a 30 or 31 with a shimmable pad would probably get you where you need to be. In an ideal world the saddle fits like a glove, but sometimes life ain’t ideal, and you can pad up a wide saddle (but there’s very little you can do for a saddle that’s too narrow.)

Bonus with the stubben is that most of them have short billets, so you’ll be able to use your h/j girth with it!

Fair warning: they’re very minimalist, not dressage couches like most people prefer nowadays. I used to ride in a couch, but now I ride in a 20 year old stubben. It was an adjustment to be sure. I hated it at first. Now I love it because I can go where I want; the saddle doesn’t force me in.

Good luck finding something!

[UlysMom]

OP, I got both my Stubben Romanus CL and Passier GG on Craigslist (for a song) from two separate sellers getting out of horses. And they were in pristine condition (the GG was only used as her show saddle, so it looked brand new even though it was an older saddle). Don’t rule out C-list, bargains can be had if you know what you are shopping for.

Good luck!

[GoForAGallop]

Knowing literally nothing about you or the horse apart from the fact that he needs a narrowish tree, here are some options:

Crosby Prix St. George, $300

County Competitor, $300

Tekna S (exchangeable gullet, gets good reviews from COTHers), $500

Kieffer Wein, can find them all day long for $500, they’re adjustable by a pro

Courbette Cresta, they run narrow, $500

Adjustable Rembrandt Integra. This is a steal of a deal if you get it for under $600, $200 right now and will grow with the horse.

Isabell Wintec, has a rabid following, adjustable, currently $300

And that was all literally just from the first page of eBay results. Now, of course, all those saddles will fit different types of horses and riders, so you do need to find a way to narrow it down further than “narrow tree and under $600”. Are there any good consignment shops near you where you could actually go sit in some saddles? Does your instructor not have any suggestions of brands or styles or even features to look for?

Also, not suitable for OP, but SOMEONE please buy this gorgeous brown Stackhouse for $200! Drooollllll It’s the perfect brown dressage saddle on a budget, and it’s too big for me!

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;7964782]
Knowing literally nothing about you or the horse apart from the fact that he needs a narrowish tree, here are some options:

Crosby Prix St. George, $300

County Competitor, $300

Tekna S (exchangeable gullet, gets good reviews from COTHers), $500

Kieffer Wein, can find them all day long for $500, they’re adjustable by a pro

Courbette Cresta, they run narrow, $500

Adjustable Rembrandt Integra. This is a steal of a deal if you get it for under $600, $200 right now and will grow with the horse.

Isabell Wintec, has a rabid following, adjustable, currently $300

And that was all literally just from the first page of eBay results. Now, of course, all those saddles will fit different types of horses and riders, so you do need to find a way to narrow it down further than “narrow tree and under $600”. Are there any good consignment shops near you where you could actually go sit in some saddles? Does your instructor not have any suggestions of brands or styles or even features to look for?

Also, not suitable for OP, but SOMEONE please buy this gorgeous brown Stackhouse for $200! Drooollllll It’s the perfect brown dressage saddle on a budget, and it’s too big for me! :([/QUOTE]

hey – can you pull that trick to find a nice XC stackhouse on a budget? :lol:

[Hunterkid]

Thanks for the links, unfortunately anything medium tree is totally out, not sure we can even swing medium narrow. I need 16.5-17 in seat which doesn’t help! We have a custom jumping saddle, but I’m just tight money wise and could never afford another custom saddle anyways.

[Canaqua]

Are you sure your horse really needs a narrow tree? What kind of saddle is your custom jumping saddle?

I ask because a horse that truly needs a narrow tree is not all that common. And, some saddles run wide. As an example, the last horse I leased had a custom County Innovation, EXTRA narrow tree. He is a typical TB type. In any other saddle, he was a pretty straightforward medium tree, as long as it had enough room for tall withers and a tree shape to accomodate his curvy back. My medium tree Roosli dressage saddle fit him quite well. The Innovation just runs unusually wide

If you are in doubt, it would be worthwhile to have someone measure him, or even borrow a few saddles with different sized trees to try, as a lot of options would open up for you if you don’t, technically, need a true narrow tree.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Hunterkid;7964897]
Thanks for the links, unfortunately anything medium tree is totally out, not sure we can even swing medium narrow. I need 16.5-17 in seat which doesn’t help! We have a custom jumping saddle, but I’m just tight money wise and could never afford another custom saddle anyways.[/QUOTE]

The county above is a medium-narrow, and the Kieffer can be adjusted. The Tekna S is available from that seller in both a 16.5 and 17" seat, adjustable tree.

It would honestly be more helpful to know the measurement, vs the generic “narrow” or “medium” labels, as you’re shopping. (Carry a tape measure with you!)

As Canaqua above, I have a horse in a Narrow County Innovation, and his dressage saddles have ranged from MW to W to even an extra wide depending on what brand. All have been stamped differently, but measured more or less the same. Only because I knew the actual inch measurement that he needed was I able to look at saddles stamped differently.

[workin_onit]

http://www.sporthorsesaddlery.com/usedsaddles.pdf
Here is list of many different brands and price points.

[Hunterkid]

[QUOTE=Canaqua;7964919]
Are you sure your horse really needs a narrow tree? What kind of saddle is your custom jumping saddle?

I ask because a horse that truly needs a narrow tree is not all that common. And, some saddles run wide. As an example, the last horse I leased had a custom County Innovation, EXTRA narrow tree. He is a typical TB type. In any other saddle, he was a pretty straightforward medium tree, as long as it had enough room for tall withers and a tree shape to accomodate his curvy back. My medium tree Roosli dressage saddle fit him quite well. The Innovation just runs unusually wide

If you are in doubt, it would be worthwhile to have someone measure him, or even borrow a few saddles with different sized trees to try, as a lot of options would open up for you if you don’t, technically, need a true narrow tree.[/QUOTE]

yes, I’m 100% positive my horse needs a narrow tree. I have a county jump saddle in narrow (county saddles run a little wide) that is stuffed up with flocking and gets readjusted about once a year. She will not tolerate a county in MN, we tried… she is notoriously hard to fit and prefers her saddle to be tight. She actually traces to be a MN, but if it is a “wide” MN like a county she doesn’t like it. She is a terrible horse to have if you are on a tight budget You cannot just go off of her tracings. Her jump saddle looks so narrow it doesn’t even look like it would fit on a horse, but that is what see likes and she goes great in it. =] We might be able to get by with a MN in a different brand, but honestly, I’m not sure.

I found a kieffer that I am going to try out and see how it goes! When I get another saddle I will have the county fitter come look at it when she comes to check the jump saddle. She lives multiple hours away, so unfortunately I can’t have her stop by for a quick look.

[Hunterkid]

[QUOTE=workin’onit;7965085]
http://www.sporthorsesaddlery.com/usedsaddles.pdf
Here is list of many different brands and price points.[/QUOTE]

thanks!

[Pembroke]

Kieffers are great (= They wear like iron, and can be adjusted width wise, and also reflocked if needed.

A little tip, look for Kieffers with rounder buttons (or colored ones), they are newer. If the saddle has blue thread on the seat, it’s an excellent seat, which means it’s extra soft.

[quietann]

[QUOTE=ArabDiva;7964746]

Fair warning: they’re very minimalist, not dressage couches like most people prefer nowadays. I used to ride in a couch, but now I ride in a 20 year old stubben. It was an adjustment to be sure. I hated it at first. Now I love it because I can go where I want; the saddle doesn’t force me in.

Good luck finding something![/QUOTE]

And… your trainer may object to a minimalist saddle. If you have a good seat, shouldn’t be a problem but there are trainers who want riders to have more support via a deeper seat, blocks, etc.

I do think it’s possible, especially if you are slender and fairly tall.

[Bogie]

[QUOTE=Pembroke;7965967]
Kieffers are great (= They wear like iron, and can be adjusted width wise, and also reflocked if needed.

A little tip, look for Kieffers with rounder buttons (or colored ones), they are newer. If the saddle has blue thread on the seat, it’s an excellent seat, which means it’s extra soft.[/QUOTE]

I love Kieffers. The ones built on a fiber glass tree can be adjusted using infrared technology and the can be adjusted multiple times.

Personally, I think Kieffers are undervalued in the used market so you can get a lot of value for the $$.