Yes, I actually still have the trial jump saddle. My custom ordered one is hopefully shipping from England by the end of this month (and they let you keep the trial saddle until your ordered one arrives, which is awesome!). I absolutely love it - the balance is just perfect for me which makes jumping effortless and I don’t jump ahead any more. My horse is also super happy and comfortable in his 2 EQ saddles and no back pain whatsoever. I think the shoulder freedom has also helped improve his form, especially when he gets a bit deep to a fence.
Not a jump saddle, but I also ordered and have been riding in a trial saddle for a while (dressage). Hopefully just a few more weeks… My horse’s back is super comfy and all the issues I had with my saddle slipping to the left especially at canter have resolved. He’s also gotten way more even side to side.
I’m super excited about the adjustable stirrup bar on my ordered one. Since I had a baby last year my hips and legs always want to migrate towards a chair seat and the only saddle where this doesn’t happen is the EQ with the stirrup bars set on the further back position. I tried Prestige, Devoucoux, Custom and had an Ideal. It’s a really cool feature and now that I’ve felt the difference with the stirrup bar in different spots I’m like, why doesn’t anyone talk about this for rider saddle fitting?! All you ever hear about it twist width and seat depth.
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Agreed! It’s one of the reasons I got an EQ (I’ve had my new one for about 3 weeks now) and I love it.
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Okay so can anyone who has ordered one recently (especially with customization) please share the price? PM is fine if you prefer.
Leheath, did you get a super forward flap? Or is reg okay for you? Can I ask how tall you are and how high you are jumping in it? I am 6’ Tall and not currently jumping, but if I shorted my stirrups to even moderate jump height. I would be over the front of the current EQ I am trying.
So I ordered custom (dressage) and basically went all out in terms of upgrades and mine was 7k with tax and shipping. I think you’re looking at a 5-7k ballpark depending on your state (tax) and preferences.
For reference a Devoucoux I priced out was 9.5k and a Custom started around 5k for a demo saddle and went up from there.
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I am 5’7" with a disproportionately long femur. I’m currently jumping 2’9" to 3’0" and galloping cross country on significant terrain. I got the same flap on my custom saddle as is on my trial saddle and could go up at least 2-3 holes from where I have my stirrups now without being over the front of the flap. I don’t know if it is particular forward cut or not, so I’ve included a photo (I think!)…
My custom jumping saddle cost $5625 plus tax and shipping - I was fairly modest with customization with just some color on the facing and welting and some texture on the cantle.
IMG_6397.HEIC (1.3 MB)
Edited to add: @anon68314200 they are super helpful during the ordering process. They can send photos of different flap and block configurations and Carmi is super knowledgeable about what you might need if you ask for her advice. You can send a photo of you in the trial saddle you have and she should be able to advise about what size/shape flap would be good for you.
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Thanks yes that is what I am doing. I got pics this morning.
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One of the trainers I work with rides endurance and had a Reactor - she recommended I look at the EQ Saddle as I ride dressage and my young horse seems very saddle particular. It is definitely interesting concept - but boy, pretty pricy - and there aren’t many used ones out there.
I like the idea of adjustability since my guy is young. We’ve tried him in a variety of saddles - with a mattes, w/out, with a thin line… saddles that are hybrids …foam and flock which he immediately hated… and he hated the thin line too. Given his dislike of “harder” materials… not sure he’d be into the EQ.
I didn’t see a place on their website to find a local rep. Did I miss it?
They do have a very generous trial policy. $90 for shipping, $500 ‘hold’ on your card and 2 weeks to try the saddle. Comes with their needed 2 piece pad, girth, stirrup leathers, and mine had one extra set of thicker disks that I did not use. I have a custom on order and I can use the trial saddle while my custom is being made.
You need to measure and graph your horses back, and (ideally) have a live stream fit appointment. I did my Fitting by video swap since I don’t have enough satellite signal at my barn to sustain a live video feed.
You might possibly catch Carmi near you, but most likely you would be doing the fitting on your own/with a local fitter or your trainer working with Carmi. They don’t have pro reps, but they have enthusiastic owner/reps who facilitate your communication with the main office in CA, and Carmi on the road.
For just the back and forth shipping costs, the 2 week trial is an excellent deal.
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Just contact their main office and they will set you up with a facilitator as Isabeau mentioned. The remote/online fitting is a big attraction for me as I live in an area where it is hard to get fitters out.
The price is comparable other quality saddles and you might get lucky - a used one came up on FB right when I was setting up my first trial. I had already sent measurements and photos of my horse and Carmi looked up the used saddle and determined it would be a decent fit for my horse so I got my dressage saddle at a good price and it’s in great condition. Then I did a trial of a jumping saddle and have a custom one on order and still using the trial saddle until it arrives. Their trial program is amazing as is their customer service - no hard selling…they want it to really be right for you and your horse!
I purchased a jumper saddle in 2018 and LOVE it! I purchased the demo because I didn’t want to wait for a custom lol But I am currently in the process of ordering a new custom one (just making some minor changes and will be selling the other one). I was a die hard Antares person but as soon as I sat in the EQ Science (although back then Reactor Panel was making the jumping saddles) I felt “at home.” I can’t imagine I would ever purchase another brand of saddle. I hope that it starts to catch on in H/J land because I really do think these are really great for the horses and riders. Carmi and the rest of the company are amazing to work with - very kind, knowledgeable, and love the horses. These saddles have good research behind the technology with Dr. Clayton, I haven’t seen similar research with other brands.
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Haha…if my demo saddle wasn’t brown, I would totally have purchased it instead of waiting for a new custom one. Like you, I can’t imagine buying another brand in the future - the science behind these saddles makes so much sense for both horse and rider.
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… or you end up like me, who just ordered a custom in black and promptly started saving for another one in brown for the baby horse. Thinking some croc inlay in the cantle this time.
I actually think our saddles ended up on the same plane, @leheath! Can’t wait to see pictures of yours!
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Yes, I just got the notification today! Can’t wait to see yours too! 
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Yay! I think mine also is on that plane. Carmi had texted 9/14 that it was at the airport waiting to get on a plane…super excited. Here’s the preview of my custom designed cantle she sent me a few weeks ago!
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OH YES. We’re all SO excited about your saddle! Carmi showed us those amazing pictures in our monthly update meeting. The saddle makers hand-stitched that pattern from the example images. I think they knocked it out of the park!
Yeah I’m usually a pretty late adopter/risk averse person so I kept wondering if I had made a crazy decision, but it is like 100% exactly how I imagined.
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I can’t wait to see more pictures! You’ve got great taste.
Okay so I got a message today about the adjustable stirrup bar being farther back and did I still want that. So can anyone who got a jump saddle tell me if they got an adjustable bar? And has that super beautiful saddle arrived polkadotpony ?
