Foam versus wool flocked-

[freyeann]

I had a saddle fitter out and I ended up ordered a dressage saddle (Albion) and I’m quite excited about it. I’m currently riding my 4 year old in an old crosby. The flaps are long and I don’t like it but I own it and it works for now. I’m wanting a jump saddle at some point (no rush) and in the past had an Antares that was really comfortable however the saddle fitter I spoke with said to stay away from foam.

My mare is 4 and a heavier breed an will probably grow/fill out quite a bit so I don’t want something that can’t be adjusted or at least won’t break the bank. I have seen several nice saddles for around 1500 but they all seem to be foam flocked.

Do you agree with the saddle fitter?

I would really like to try out a Black Country but brand new they are out of my budget for a growing horse.

Thanks!

[tbchick84]

I do agree with your saddle fitter. Unlike wool which can be reflocked when a horse changes shape, a foam saddle breaks in and settles down once and that’s it. If the horse changes shape, there is no way to reshape the saddle.

I love love love BC saddles. Don’t be afraid to buy a used one. You can get a very nice one for around $1,800. Yes it’s not cheap, but much cheaper than buying a lower end foam saddle, and then having to resell it for a loss, once you realize it no longer fits. I did that 3x before I wised up and bought a BC.

[jaybird660]

When you mention that your horse is a heavier breed, I wonder if that implies more of a hoop tree type. Not many of the foam saddles offer hoop tree options. The used Black Country hoop tree saddles are harder to come by as they are so popular but they do come up time to time. Duett makes some jump saddles that are suitable for the “bigger boned” as does Thornhill, off the top of my head, in that price range or less.

[freyeann]

I would definitely spend $1800 on a used BC but but I haven’t found one that I can take on trial. I would prefer long flaps, I’m 5’9", but I will definitely keep looking!

What is a hoop tree? I’ll have to look that up. She is an Irish Draught, but she is 4 and in a medium tree in most saddles. She’s not terribly wide but has a big shoulder and I expect to fill out. I mentioned her breed because they tend to grow well into age 7 or 8. Not tons, but I don’t want to spend 4k on a custom saddle that won’t fit in a few years. The Albion is adjustable by a saddle fitter and it was pretty affordable so I went for it.

Thanks for the help!

[Training_Cupid]

Foam is not necessarily bad. You can adjust wool, but only to a certain extent. If your 4 year old still has a lot of development you may need a different saddle in a few years regardless.

I got a new Stubben with foam panels for my then 4 year old 2 years ago. It was just a tad large at the time, and per my saddle fitters advice I used it with a wool half pad. Now I’ve switched the wool half pad with a thin line pad. Stubben can increase the tree size if needed, up a half size change I believe.

[Madison]

Plenty of people have no issues with foam panels, and foam is common in a lot of high-end brands. A word of caution about wool panels – while it sounds great, and can be great, to be able to adjust them, it means you HAVE TO adjust them periodically, it is not just an option. Years ago I had a wool flocked County saddle, and when the wool settled and compressed, it always affected the fit, and I had to get the fitter back out and pay to have the flocking adjusted. Not only was this an additional expense, roughly every 18 months, but the fitter moved away and at that time there was no one else in the area who could do it. So, I had a saddle that needed more wool, and no one close by who could do it. So, the logistics of it can be an issue depending on where you live.

[HunterMarc]

I don’t think foam is bad at all! If I had to pick between wool and foam, I would say go with wool only because you can flock it and adjust it easier where foam you can’t.

But I have to say, I bought a second Antares because it felt more comfortable than the County I tried. Both fit my horse well. But hands down the two Antares I have owned are the most comfortable. I have a County Dressage that is wool and now only 1 Antares jumping saddle that is foam. (I wish Antares did wool!)

That being said, I would not rule out foam at all!

I have only bought 1 NEW saddle, that was WAY back in the day and it was a Circuit by Dover…not the best quality but I was not as experienced as I am now and my budget was different. I am not opposed to nice quality, taken care of used saddles. The last three I have bought are used ranging between $1,200 - $2,400.

[mfglickman]

My daughter is 13 and probably still growing a bit; she has her first horse, an OTTB whose muscling will likely change as well. Our saddle fitter recommended a few close contact/jump brands and models to look for used, knowing my budget was low. I found an Albion Legend CC jump saddle, MW, wool flocked, for under $1,000. We did have to replace and adjust the flocking, and are using a Mattes pad until he fills out a bit more, but it seems a very nice saddle and worked well for horse and rider. I wanted to mention it since you ordered an Albion dressage, maybe check out used Albion jump saddles.

[Senszuri]

I have one of each. We compete in CT - my dressage saddle is a custom wool flocked saddle; fit to her topline tracings. I ride in this 90% of the time. My jump saddle is foam and fits well for a non-custom model. I use a professional fitter on a consistent basis, and as a young horse did have to adjust the flocking as her topline changed and she grew up. Now that she is 7 (8 in May) her topline is more consistent and I opted for a foam jump saddle at this point because it fit her very nicely.

With a growing young horse, I would opt for a wool saddle. Bonus points if the tree can be adjusted as well if you expect the horse to fill out quite a bit yet. (Clarification - my Custom has an adjustable tree which was adjusted wider by a Custom rep. I am not referring to the “change a plate DIY” adjustable trees. Often when you adjust the tree, the flocking also needs to be addressed).

Also be aware that some saddles are “wool” flocked - but are synthetic wool. This material acts and compresses differently than real wool.

[freyeann]

Thanks for all the input. I did look into albion jump saddles since I know the tree fits but I have a really long inseam and haven’t been able to find one with a forward flap (that can also be able to go on trial). I guess I’m going to shop within my budget and hopefully if it is a good brand I will be able to resell it should it stop fitting her. Thanks again!

[Lusoluv]

I used to do saddle fitting, and I used to only own wool flocked saddles. While wool flocking offers more panel adjustments with adding/deleting/moving wool around, it also means you have to do more to maintain as it settles/shifts. Antares and other high end French, Italian jump saddle mfrs have been in business a loooong time. So if wool=good, foam=bad was true, these folks wouldn’t be in business, let alone selling $3k-$6k+ saddles. Also, foam can be replaced if it gets damaged or breaks down over time (15-20+ yrs). That said, I now have 2 foam paneled saddles. An Antares Spooner jump and a Devoucoux Makila dressage saddle. I’ve been very happy with them.

[jaybird660]

@freyeann

I would definitely spend $1800 on a used BC but but I haven’t found one that I can take on trial. I would prefer long flaps, I’m 5’9", but I will definitely keep looking!

What is a hoop tree? I’ll have to look that up. She is an Irish Draught, but she is 4 and in a medium tree in most saddles. She’s not terribly wide but has a big shoulder and I expect to fill out. I mentioned her breed because they tend to grow well into age 7 or 8. Not tons, but I don’t want to spend 4k on a custom saddle that won’t fit in a few years. The Albion is adjustable by a saddle fitter and it was pretty affordable so I went for it.

Thanks for the help!

A hoop tree is a tree that has an upside down U shaped pommel arch versus an upside down V shaped tree. Even a very wide V shaped pommel arch might pinch somewhere on a horse that is a hoop tree candidate. I like the analogy of a bobby pin on an orange. Some horses are on the cusp and have a preference. Some need the hoop tree shape but also need more support for a dip or downhill aspect or have a wither that needs support. Those types might need hoop tree with a full front gusset and/or deeper front panel.

[hunt_jumpfl]

I bought in to the wool flocked when I got back into jumping. I was in a mostly dressage barn and was using their saddle fitter. I ended up with a wool flocked jump saddle that seemed very comfortable…until I started jumping in it then the balance point was all wrong for me. I ended up selling it and going back to a French foam panel custom fitted saddle that fits me so much better. While I understand that custom fitting a new high end saddle may not be an option my word of caution ruling out foam vs wool is be sure the saddle works for you as well as your horse.

[SaddleFitterVA]

I used to be a saddle fitter, which is probably a shock, given my screen name. I fitted and sold Albion saddles. I liked it, but realized it would never replace my salary in a technical career, and it kept me using all my spare time away from my family and horses. So, I quit selling saddles, and gradually transitioned away from doing flocking for customers.

So, I can, and do, re-flock my own saddles. Most of my saddles are old Albions, but I have a custom Stackhouse, and he’s gone to making saddles with only foam panels. So I, a (former) saddle fitter, own a foam panel saddle. And you know what? It fits the horse it was made for, it happens to fit my 2 other horses pretty well, and honestly, I don’t like to mess around with the wool too often. Over time, I’ve strip flocked all my own saddles and replaced the wool with a super high quality, lofty wool, and since I ride multiple horses, I don’t ever flock a saddle unevenly to correct horse unevenness, I will pad correctively.

That being said, I’ve toyed with having my Stackhouse retrofitted with wool panels, but I haven’t. I’ve had it 4 years now.

Modern foam is really nice. I still like English made saddles, but I love the leather on French made saddles.

On the hoop tree, I had a BC with the hoop tree, and despite my wide-body horses, it wasn’t the right fit. Initially I thought it would work, but once it broke in and settled, it became clear that it wasn’t. So, that one ended up sold on. The tree is a good option for the horses who need it.

Truly, the tree needs to fit the horse, the panel material is secondary to that, IMO.

[BeeHoney]

SaddleFitterVA’s post is great. There really isn’t some big divide between wool and foam. What you want is something that will fit your horse.

While I don’t have a preference of wool vs. foam (I have several of each and love them equally), I do think that the French saddles don’t tend to fit wide horses quite as well. There are those who would disagree with that statement, but that is my experience. County in particular seems to do a really nice job of fitting wide horses, and I also have heard good things about the other brands mentioned above. There are a lot of used County saddles out there, so you might want to expand your search to include that brand.

Thinking realistically here, I think that there is a reasonable likelihood that your four year old Irish Draught is going to need to end up in a wide tree. If I were you, I would look for a saddle that is a little wider than what you need and then pad with a half pad for now to make sure that you have enough spine clearance. Adding the half pad can help compensate for a saddle that is slightly too wide.

Your height/leg length is definitely a complicating factor, as it is difficult to find long/forward flaps in used saddles, especially if you are looking for a W or MW tree.