What is your favorite dressage saddle and why?
County Perfection; it is perfect for my young horseās shoulders and big movement, and the thigh block is moveable if I need to adjust its position. Love this saddle!
Custom Icon Flight. I love the position it puts me in and I like how if fits my horse.
Sheilah
I really like my CWD SE24 (semi-deep monoflap). I struggle sometimes with really deep seats that are somewhat restrictive in rider movement. It also puts my thigh in a really nice position which is my biggest issue (long thigh, tends to get stuck too far in front of me).
Everyone has different taste. At Bonjour tack I try most of the saddles and can offer advice and trial based on your information so check my store selection www.bonjourtack.com
I ride in a PDS Grande. Itās divine. I love how itās supportive without being restrictive. Before that, I had a Luc Childric DSG. Unfortunately, it didnāt fit my mare, so I ended up with the PDS for her.
I had a sit in a County Epiphany not too long ago though. Iām waiting to get off my walk only embargo before I give it a go on my mare. It was the nicest saddle I have ever sat in so I really hope it transfers over when being ridden in it.
Iād love to hear more about your thoughts on the Childric saddles. I rode an instructorās horse in his once and was absolutely in love - itās a saddle ābucket listā for me, so to speak (contingent on fitting my horse). Would love to hear your insights!
Childrics are very much a love/hate saddle. You either love them or you donāt! In saying that, I hated all of the models except for the DSG. If you want one, make sure you try all of them out to find the one that suits you best. They generally arenāt great for āoddā shaped horses, fit wise. But if you have a pretty standard horse, then it shouldnāt be a problem. I loved my DSG. I really wished it had fit my girl.
My personal favorite was an old Hennig, but unfortunately the newer ones that are available now donāt work for me. My current favorite on my 7 year old is my Antares Cadence; it is comfortable without being overly deep or restrictive and it has a fairly low profile front block, more like a padded flap than a block. Iāve also really liked an older Icon Flight that my former trainer let me borrow, but again the newer ones just werenāt the same. I havenāt found one that I really love yet for the new horse!
I love my Black Country ViniciX, which I should because I had it custom-made with the flap and block to fit my leg. Itās monoflap, so itās very easy to get my leg on the horse. Super comfy, and easily puts me on my seat bones. Secure but not restrictive.
Runner up is the Albion SLK I had for several years. If they would make that with a forward flap/adjustable block, it would be great. Fits a lot of horses.
I am very happy with my Prestige D1Zero. Amazing saddle that really allows my horses to move more freely, and I find it quite comfy.
I have a Hulsebos WB4 and a Labelle Suisse. Hard
to say which I like more as they are fitted to two completely different horses. I know my youngster will eventually out grow his Labelle and when it comes time I will probably wind up with another Hulsebos though. The Labelles are discontinued anywayā¦
Honestly? An Ansur Classic that belongs to my former instructor. You can really feel what the horse is doing. And most importantly it never caused me any pain, which most saddles do.
That said, I came into possession of a Hans Biglajzer saddle a few months ago and itās one of the finest saddles Iāve ever ridden in. Downside is it really encourages a very, very specific seat, which is frustrating with greener horses that require a touch more flexibilityā¦so to speak.
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I have a Collegiate Mentor and love it. Fits most horses Iāve been riding and nice deep, comfortable seat.
The top saddle which is a Custom Advantage R. It has a shorter/more angled block than the two standard options for Customs, and that means the block is always out of my way except when my horses initiate launch sequence, in which case it serves as a bit of a safety belt at times. The R saddles have short points, which means they work well for a larger variety of horses, and this saddle can actually work on all three of mine. The Rs are also monoflaps, which I generally prefer. The Advantages have narrow twists and a large flat spot in the seat, both of which I need.
The bottom saddle in the pic is an Advantage monoflap which the fitter had on her truck when I bought it. It has the standard Advantage short blocks, which can sometimes be a bit in my way. It also has longer points like most modern saddles do, and therefore doesnāt fit on as many horses - my mare for whom the other saddle is fitted can NOT go it in by any means. This saddle is fitted for my horse who is a size mismatch for me, so it is adjusted to sit up a little more and therefore give it a more narrow feeling seat - not as comfortable even for me, when the fitter said I basically like riding on a 2x4. However, itās adjusted to make it so I can be functional - itās just not as comfy, but Iād be in a bad chair seat and not able to get my legs on otherwise.
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A year ago I would have said my County Perfection, but my horse outgrew his saddle over the winter and I bought a County Epiphany and holy smokes, this is the best saddle Iāve ever sat in. The thigh block is in the perfect position for me to use it without being held in the saddle, and the freedom of my knee and lower leg is amazing. The seat isnāt super deep, but it helps me keep my upper body up (encourages that position) which I something I struggle with.
I have ridden in Antares, Custom, and Childeric along with a variety of others and the Epiphany is my stand out favorite.
Currently riding in a Custom Saddlery Icon Alpha and an older Hennig Sofa with a new 2018 tree. Both saddles allow me to be in a proper position and feel my seat bones and my horse loves both. So hopefully this will last awhile as we have been through several saddles together.
I feel the love for my Ansur Classic too. I buy and sell a lot of saddles ā I have multiple sizes and shapes of horse, and my needs and desires change frequently as well. My Classic is an amazing fit on one of mine and can work really well on the others as long as Iām judicious about padding. Fits me like a dream ā secure but not restrictive and I can ride in it literally all day.
Iām not opposed to treed saddles at all but my Classic is the only one in the tack room thatās not ever going to come up for sale.
The owner of County was speaking at a clinic I audited here and I got to sit in both models. The Perfection did something weird to me and it was very uncomfortable, even just sitting on the stand. But then the Epiphanyā¦it just felt amazing! Unfortunately they are more than I wanted to spend and since itās a newer model, hard to find used.
I ended up ordering a Prestige Passion monoflap. Itās got a medium-deep seat which I really liked. When I rode in the demo I found suddenly everything just felt easier. Things my coach has been trying to help me fix just fixed themselves 
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Currently riding in a Frank Baines Pirouette, which I love, but before this my most favorite saddle was my Roosli Pilates, which sadly did not fit my current horse or I never would have sold it. The balance on that saddle was magicalā¦
