favorite saddle brands and why

[ptshco]

Taking the plunge and buying myself a new (used) saddle and looking for your thoughts about brand preferences. I’m basically familiar with the top brands and have ridden in most of them once or twice here or there. Looking closely at CWD, which I like though in my experience the billet straps tend to run short, which isn’t a deal-breaker but a factor to consider since I ride different horses. Also looking at Devoucoux and Antares. I like the Bruno saddles but even used they’re running above what I want to spend.

What brands do you all prefer for overall rideability and also ease of fitting multiple horses?

Thanks!

[Cabaret_SK]

I love my Equipe. You are going to have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. It’s beautiful, comfortable, wears well, and puts me in a great position. It has fit all the horses I’ve put it on (with a shim pad if needed). According to my fitter, she has a bunch of riders in the same model of Equipe (the Grand Prix) and it seems to fit a wide variety of horses.

[BAC]

I think this is just something you have to decide on your own, it really doesn’t matter what I like since you will be riding in it. For riding multiple horses, I would suggest that whatever you buy, it should have pro panels, which will help fit the greatest number of horses. I’m sure you are aware that no one saddle is going to fit all of them though.

But since you asked for opinions, after trying a number of high end saddles, I bought a CWD. I just knew when I sat in it that it was exactly what I wanted. I felt right at home, well balanced and comfortable and I just loved it and I was never sorry I splurged on buying a brand new saddle. Since I lease and don’t own, I ordered it with the integrated panels and I have to say it fit just about anything I put it on, with the exception of one horse.

My other favorite, although its a different feel from CWD, is a Butet. It is slightly less saddle than the CWD but equally comfortable and well balanced, at least to me. I tried Antares and Devoucoux and others, I didn’t hate any of them, but I didn’t like anything as well as the CWD.

If you are not concerned with being popular, I loved my Stubben, it was more than 40 years old when I sold it and still in great condition. Stubben makes a good quality product at a reasonable price, they have many different models with lots of options and are supposed to have great customer service.

[Kat]

I love my butet, I also loved my tad coffin, both of them are slightly less saddle than most brands of saddle right now, but I really like feeling my horse underneath me.
I’ve also used a CWD that fit a lot of horses and was super comfy for me
I’ve sat in voltaires that never worked for me
I’ve ridden in an antares, I felt very locked in, which isn’t for me but some people love

[cswoodlandfairy]

I was a sworn Stubben Fan for a long time. Their saddles are made to last and the ones that I had were comfortable. With the horse I had when I got my first Stubben Artus, it fit him wonderfully and what places it could have been better we just moved the wool around to accommodate. He is now retired and my current horse I had started to use this saddle, but it was poor fit. So I got a Stubben Roxanne. I really liked the saddle and I believe at the time it was perfect. But as my horse grew fit and his body changed the saddle was more of a hindrance to me and him. It fit poorly for both of us. My trainer was with CWD for a long time but switched to Voltaire about 2 years ago.

They had told me how great the Voltaires were but my affordability at the time was not in that range. Finally after realizing how sore my horse was with the Stubben I bit the bullet and tried one. It was seriously love at first try. I was amazed at the difference in my horse and for me. Granted I came from a poor fitting saddle, but the ride and feel was just awesome. The second skin was an amazing feeling, and now when I ride in someone elses saddle its almost too bulky for me. I was able to get a Votaire with the PRO panels along with a tree designed for my high withered TB and extra padding that falls behind his shoulder where his body “dips.” I totally lucked out in my find but I love the saddle and cant imagine riding in anything else. The other plus for me was down the road when the time comes for my next horse I can change the padding in the saddle to accommodate my new horse instead of being stuck back to saddle searching again.

But at the end of the day, you will find what works best for you and your horse. So I would totally try all that you can to find the perfect match, its out there somewhere…even used!!!

[ElementFarm]

I currently own and ride in a CWD, a Tad Coffin and a Voltaire. The TC was my favorite for years until I bought the Voltaire (full calf, second skin). I love the feeling of being very close to my horse and the Voltaire is just a wonderful saddle for me. My CWD is okay but I don’t love it, but it is necessary for my hard-to-fit gelding who’s very particular about his saddle, and the custom CWD w/ Pro Panels is really the only cc saddle he goes well in.

I owned a butet for years and loved it. I had a Prestige, an Hermes, and a PJ and didn’t like any of them (hard, slippery, or both). I rode in an Antares a few times, but above very-particular gelding hated it and bucked every right lead canter in it. But I felt very secure while he was bucking I wouldn’t touch Devacoux with a 10-foot pole based on all the horror stories I’ve heard about them.

But saddles are such a personal preference for both you and the horse. I can only recommend trying several different make/models on your horse, riding around in them, and figure out what you like and don’t. Flap length/forwardness, leather type, etc, all make a huge difference in the overall feel, so you might love one demo of Saddle X and hate the next one. Good luck, it’s fun though sometimes frustrating, search to find the perfect saddle. and then you get a different horse and have to start all over

[sheltona01]

sent pm

[StormyDay]

While not as ‘high end’ as a CWD or the like, I have owned a Pessoa A/O for years and love it. It has fit most horses I have put it on, and is one of the most comfortable saddles I have ever sat in. It puts me in a good position, and even after riding 3+ hours my bum isn’t sore. An old trainer of mine had a CWD, and she always commented on that my saddle was half the cost and twice as comfortable. She sometimes borrowed my saddle.
I have ridden in a few CWD’s and wasn’t terribly impressed. It was nice, but was it worth 3-4k? Eh. I also felt that a few had way too much padding under the knee.
I rode in a Voltaire and loved it. I would have gotten one but it didn’t fit the horses shoulders. Great balance, awesome leather, and very comfy.
I have a Verhan right now. I love it. Great balance, shoulder room for the horse, very nice leather. However, the company is closing. You can get some really great deals right now though!

[ptshco]

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your thoughts and feedback. I definitely understand that this is a personal process and there is no magic answer but was curious just to see what people’s thoughts and impressions were. My current barn is kind of CWD-heavy with a healthy smattering of Antares and Bruno Delgrange and others. My last trainer was sponsored by Devoucoux and swore by them - that’s all she rode in. The barn I was in before that was all about Antares. I’ve never ridden in the Voltaire saddles but have heard more good than bad. I don’t particularly care about riding in the most popular or trendy brands but I don’t think I’m up to searching the ends of the earth for the diamond in the rough so I’m going on what’s widely available on the used market at a price I’m willing to pay. Also I don’t have a specific horse this needs to fit so I am looking for something that will be doable on a range of sizes and shapes. There’s no tack store within close driving distance of my town so I am also forced to go on what’s available online, unless I wait until the winter circuits again next year when all the tack stores in America will be reachable to me within a few hours driving (my bad on timing - I didn’t decide to do this until circuits were over). There’s nothing structurally wrong with my saddle. It’s just not that comfy and I’m looking to upgrade to something a little cushier and stickier.

[pattnic]

I’ve long been a fan of County saddles (which work well for me, but don’t work for everybody), but very recently (like in the last week) also became a fan of CWD… and I promise you, I did NOT want to like CWD. I’m in a similar situation right now and have narrowed it down to those two brands. I think these two brands can do a reasonable job of fitting a bit wider variety of shapes (though not the extremes at either end with the same saddle).

I also like Tad Coffin and Butet isn’t bad, but I don’t think these two brands really do the best job fitting a variety of horses somewhat reasonably well with the same saddle. I think each of them fits a very specific type better - which is fine if all the horses you ride are very similar types.

My budget pick is the Collegiate Convertible Diploma. This is another one that I think reasonably well works for a variety of horses.

Of, course, none of these will be perfect for every horse, but I think you could get in the range of acceptable.

Depending on the types of horses you ride and how similar they are, I would look for a MW or even a W (a regular wide, not stupid-wide) in a not-too-flat, not-too curvy shape. If you can swing it, maybe even get two saddles - one M, one W.

I would also definitely invest in a good half pad, preferably one that can be shimmed. My favorite is the ThinLine sheepskin pad, but Ogilvy is really popular right now; I’ve not used an Ogilvy, so I can’t say how well it would truly work in this situation.

[StormyDay]

OP, sent you a PM

[Hunter_JumperMom]

I had an old Stubben that I loved. DD’s favorite was her used Antares, but she moved onto a custom County and was not a fan of it. Few years ago went custom again (oddly long thigh), and the Devecoux she has (G something) she loves, went with the less expensive leather and it’s finally broken in and she loves it. I just bought a 10 year old Richard Castelow and can’t imagine riding in anything else!! Wish I could have it re-flocked by him for my horse, but fit seems to work ok as is.

[GotGait]

My Stackhouse. I will be buried with it.

[Roo]

I bought an Equipe dressage saddle and love it so much I’m thinking about replacing my Antares with an Equipe jumping saddle. My Antares didn’t hold up very well. It’s falling apart after 7 years and I never loved it. The Equipe saddles are incredibly light and you feel supported but very close to the horse. Here’s a picture the rep took the day I tried the Equipe. They make beautiful saddles!

[event_ryder]

Love my Equipe Synergy, but love my Equipe Special One even more!

[Hiddenspot]

Love love love my CWD. Sticky and comfy. I ride hunters but often go on long trail rides as well and it doesn’t hurt at all to sit in for a couple hours. I had County and Beval before this and neither are as comfortable IMO

[ptshco]

Roo and event_ryder, I just yesterday brought home an Equipe Performance on trial and rode in it today and loved it! I had seen the name around a little here and there but knew nothing about them. And here’s an ignorant question, do you say it with a hard ‘qu’ like ‘eh-keep’ or is it more like the American work ‘equip’? The people at the consignment tack store I got it from didn’t even know and I’d love to not sound like a moron when people ask me what kind of saddle I got! I sat in a few - the Performance, which I ended up bringing home, a Grand Prix, and an Expression. I am one ride in and love it. So lightweight and the leather is beautiful. Rides super comfy and basically brand new (it was a demo model with probably all of about one or two rides on it). I sat in a bunch of different saddles, some brands I’d ridden in before and some not. But honestly this one really stood out for me in comfort.

[snowedunder]

I have a Voltaire Palm Beach (full buffalo, pro panel) which I love. I found it to be comfortable with great balance. Sadly, over the winter my main horse (and most sensitive baby) started to experience loin rubbing.

I ended up ordering a County Sensation for him after swearing I would never ever ever ride in a County after trying a friend’s Stabilizer and hating in. The Sensation which seems to be a love or hate saddle just worked the best for the combo of my confirmation and his.

[AndNirina]

I have a Richard Castelow that I just love. It’s the most comfortable and balanced saddle and it fits so many horses. Unfortunately, it’s getting up there in age and I’ll have to start looking soon. My next will be a flat seat Butet premium. I’m a huge fan of flat seats, though. I had a custom Antares and wasn’t a fan. For me it was way too much saddle and padding underneath and it put my leg in front of me. Pretty to look at, though.

I’d also consider a Hermes Steinkraus. I’m old school.

[agahles]

My barn is very CWD heavy and I’ve ridden in several of their “top of the line saddles” and been very pleased, HOWEVER I recently purchased a fully equipped Voltaire and am completely converted. My trainer has been so impressed with Voltaire and our local rep that several other riders have also been ordered (check out their pony saddles!!)
For me personally, Voltaire was a better choice because I am only 5’3 and while I’m all leg it isn’t a lot compared to other riders. Voltaire had the perfect flap size and seat size combo right off the bat for me and my horse while I felt that CWD is preferred by my taller friends.
Overall, Voltaire is my top choice. They’re new but really fantastic