Dressage Saddle with the most resale value

[walktrot]

Resale value in saddles is almost totally subjective because fit for both rider and horse is so variable. On the whole, the established higher end leather saddles tend to do better on resale when they are well maintained and there is a “market” for the particular seat size, tree and style you have. Well-made leather saddles can last for a very long time. I have an 18 y.o. Albion Original Comfort special order with 19" seat, wide tree, short flaps and extra deep gussets. It’s worth a fortune to me, and probably to someone built like me, if I ever decide to give it up. It would come down to how long I’m willing to wait for the right buyer to come along.

It’s almost impossible to say what has the most appeal. Custom is one of many brands that do well, but there are so many others. If you search this site you are likely to find someone who isn’t happy about a particular brand even if the rest of us love it. I have a young friend with two older saddles, a County and a Stubben, both in terrific condition. She got great deals on both of them because the owners really wanted to sell. Willing seller, willing buyer.

Looking at the websites of some of the major consignment saddlers would give you a reasonable idea of what is out there and what the price range looks like. I’ve done business with Pelham Saddlery in New Hampshire for a long time, and others will give you the names of similar shops. I do agree that second-hand is a good option. But I doubt you’d be able to recover most of your purchase price on any saddle - new or used - if you decide to turn it around quickly because you’ve decided to go back to trail riding.

[Pico_Banana]

I think that if you’re interested in a saddle that you’ll have the best chance of selling quickly, a key factor will be getting one in a popular size. Anything other than a 17.5 seat will quickly limit your potential purchasers. Same thing with anything other than a MW tree. It seems like more and more people are looking for external blocks, so something else to consider.

Beyond that, I would try to stay in the “mid-range” of saddles to have the greatest number of potential purchasers, i.e., don’t get something super pricey (Hennig, Schleese, etc.) that will have a high resale value and don’t get something super cheap (Wintec or Thorowgood) because new is low enough that it’s probably hard to find someone who wants to buy used.

(Not knocking Wintecs or Thorowgoods in the slightest by my description of them as super cheap! The Thorowgood is actually quite a well-built saddle!)

[Magicboy]

To answer your original question, it seems to me that customs have excellent resale value. If you track a site like www,fine-used-saddlery.com you can see which brands move the fastest. If you’ve ever tried to buy a used custom, you’ll find that brand sells very well.

[Dressurfrau]

Passiers tend to hold their value well. They are also very adjustable (by a certified saddle fitter). They are my go-to saddle and I love them. I’ve always bought them used.

[js]

I don’t think resell value should be a criteria for buying a saddle. First and for most fit should be your primary concernyour are using it on and cost-stay in your budget. Resell value can be influenced by many things, size of the saddle, brand, and popularity, which can change frequently.

While not a fit solution, you might consider a brand with a changeable gullet, it will at least give you flexibility in addressing width.

[cadance]

It depends on how much you want to spend in the first place. Brands like Hermes, County, Hennig, etc. Hold their value better than others, but not everyone can drop $6k on a brand new saddle. Even if you bought one used, you could still recoup a lot of your cost.

[CativatheDiva]

@Pico Banana

I think that if you’re interested in a saddle that you’ll have the best chance of selling quickly, a key factor will be getting one in a popular size. Anything other than a 17.5 seat will quickly limit your potential purchasers. Same thing with anything other than a MW tree. It seems like more and more people are looking for external blocks, so something else to consider.

Beyond that, I would try to stay in the “mid-range” of saddles to have the greatest number of potential purchasers, i.e., don’t get something super pricey (Hennig, Schleese, etc.) that will have a high resale value and don’t get something super cheap (Wintec or Thorowgood) because new is low enough that it’s probably hard to find someone who wants to buy used.

I think this is the best advice here. Buy the best quality leather saddle you can (go the good-used route to get better quality for less $) in as generic a size/shape as works for yourself and your horse. Of course you should primarily pick something that works for you, but if you are concerned about reselling, something 17.5-18" seat in a medium or medium wide tree will probably offer you the widest market for resale purposes.