I’m curious how riders choose the brand of saddle they purchase? Particularly the higher end ($4k and up) saddle brands. Are there remarkable differences among the French saddle makers? Does one brand tend to fit a particular type of horse or rider best?
I have an older Pessoa A/O (when they were made in England) and need to purchase a saddle that is a size or two larger. I’ve ridden in Antares and Hermes and like both, but am generally overwhelmed where to start. I live in DFW Texas so access to distributors and brand reps doesn’t seem to be a challenge.
I would try as many saddles as you can and see what you like best. For me, CWD didn’t work very well, at least not the saddle that I had. I live in Kansas and I don’t have access to a lot of saddles either. I was lucky enough to get a Voltaire saddle that I loved and when I decided I needed a different seat size, I contacted Voltaire and I was able to get another saddle that I loved.
Some places offer trials. I have heard that some saddlers will bring several out to you and help fit and let you you try. So maybe that could be something you could look into.
Same way people decide whether to drive a BMW or Mercedes. Preference! Ride in as many as possible and see what you like best.
I rode in all the saddles at my barn and eventually fell in love with my best friends Antares so I had my own made with the same specs.
I got my Amerigo because a friend had one and I rode in it and really liked it, I did try a few other brands but that particular saddle put me in the best position. When I was looking for a saddle for my new gelding I was going to get an Amerigo again but my coach had the CWD fitter in town the week before so I tried some saddles and really liked it and went with that. You can’t reallyyy go too wrong with most of these brands, it really just depends on what fits you and the horse, what’s comfortable, and I guess in some cases, what’s convenient.
I went with Antares as I loved the way it fit the horse and I. I had also heard great things about David, the rep for Antares in our area.
I have owned, or tried the following:
- Devoucoux
- Butet
- Bruno Delgrange
- CWD
- Amerigo
- Antares
1.) Devoucoux - I bought used, it was a comfortable saddle and had it for about 4 years. It didn’t fit my horse the best, and I also outgrew it.
- Leather was above average (calfsin)
- Fit was banana shape
- Twist was medium
- Balance was excellent
- Butet, had a 90’s model (loved) and a 2012 (not love)
- Leather was above average (grain leather, calf seat)
- Fit of older model was good in gullet, not so great on panels.
- Twist was narrow (old) which I loved, medium on newer one.
- Balance excellent old, fair on new.
- Bruno Delgrange - purchased custom
- Leather was best of all saddles
- Fit on horse was superb, fit for me was never right.
- Twist was quite wide compared to devoucoux and old butet
- Balance was fair.
4.) CWD - new, custom
- Leather (grain) is not as nice as the others, but calfskin is quite nice.
- Fit on horse was excellent
- Twist is medium/narrow
- Balance is good
5.) Amerigo (Vega and custom model tried)
- Leather I felt was sub par for price
- Fit on horse was not great, was too low in the wither clearance
- Twist is medium/narrow
- Balance is excellent.
6.) Antares (new, buffalo)
- Leather was ok, hard to compare because I tried buffalo
- Fit horse ok, howevr it was just a stock model
- Twist was medium
- Balance was poor
My ultimate dream saddle would be a 90’s Butet in the twist, with the CWD panels and seat and the Bruno delgrange leather.
I’ve been a County fan for many many years. Mostly because a friend became a saddle fitter a ways back (10 or 15 years ago?) and brought a bunch of saddles for me to try with one of my old horses who was a tough fit. I hadn’t ever had the chance to try saddle after saddle and I ended up finding one that fit him like a glove and made him clearly and obviously more comfortable under saddle.
All of the horses I’ve had since then have gone in a handful of County saddles I’ve owned. But when I started looking for a saddle for my extremely narrow young WB recently I decided to try some other saddles to make sure I wasn’t in a “one brand rut.” So at our next show I talked to the 3 or 4 saddle companies at the show and rode him in several models of each brand. There were several brands that one of us liked (it either fit him or fit me), but in the end only the County fit both of us. So I ended up ordering him his own County.
I really liked some of the others - like the CWD saddles, but my horse spent my whole ride in the saddle trying to buck me off, and I just plain don’t believe the whole “it will fit a bunch of horses AND never needs to be tweaked” story since reflocking periodically has made such a huge difference for several of mine. I had another brand (can’t remember what it was, Prestige maybe?) that felt great when I flatted in the demo saddle without stirrups. But when I stuck stirrups on to jump around a class in it I found that it put me in a horrible position and I ended up pulling it off and swapping it out for my current saddle at the back gate. There were a couple I’ve heard good things about but didn’t get to try like Voltaire and Black Country, who I’ve heard people just rave about and are cheaper than Counties.
So I guess the short story for me is that I have a County rep who I think is one of the best saddle fitters I’ve ever worked with, and my lesson from that saddle-trying-show is that I don’t plan on straying from her any time soon. She can make anything I have fit pretty much any horse I have, and that’s a skill well worth investing in more County saddles for.
These are tremendously helpful! I know there are active CWD, Antares, and County reps near me so I guess I just have to start trying them out. I have a 7yo TB, 2yo WB and 21yo QH so most likely will need more than one to fit the herd. Thankfully the TB and WB aren’t particularly wide or narrow. 
I have three CWD’s and love them and have just ordered another Classic with ‘trainer panels’ as I ride a lot of different horses. Have a 2G that was custom for my big shouldered GP horse and it literally improved his jump from a 7.5 to a 9.5 in two shows he was in an Antares before that. It helps that the rep in this area is excellent and I have found the customer service very good unlike the Antares.
Ride in a bunch and see what you like, it really comes down to personal preference and what fits your horse. I have an Antares and I’m very happy with it, how it fits my horse, and the customer service I got.
Personal preference and what fits your horse. I’m partial to Stubbens, old and new. I’ve got a couple older than I am and one that is about 8yo. They fit me like they were custom made for me and they fit my horses well. If I can help it, I’ll not switch brands in the future. I love them.
Ride in everything you can find that is in your budget. Buy off the rack if possible.
Have your trainer watch you ride to see if he/she notices anything different about the way you ride in the various saddles.
Definitely sit in/ride in a few. You’ll immediately know which ones you like. I had a custom Antares, and while it was a lovely looking saddle, I could never bring myself to like it. It put me in a funny position and the seat was too deep. I now have a flat seat Richard Castelow that will have to be pried out of my cold, dead hands. Love it. Make sure you really like whatever you wind up with. Saddle shopping can be a challenge.
Ride in whatever you can. You really do know when it’s the “right” saddle. Suddenly everything gets so much easier! For me it was the ability to keep my leg without fighting it all. the. time. I found this with a modern Butet and to a slightly lesser extent CWD. I wanted to find it with Delgrange, since the leather is incredible and the customer service second to none. If you can get a Delgrange that works for you and your horses it’s well worth it. Bear in mind that each brand has multiple models, seat depths, flap sizes and configurations so even if you hate one you may love another of the same brand.
Ride in them, like everyone else says. I think your body conformation will dictate waht feels good to you versus someone esle. i tried a CWD and hatet it–but I know people who love them. I have a Voltaire and love it–but know people who don’t like them. Maybe find a good used saddle retailer too iselltack.com and get some on trial, I know she has a lot of nice saddles and (although I havent bought from her), seems to have a very good reputation. I’d try a few different seat sizes too as that can change by maker. Also maybe try different leathers. I liked the buffalo because it was soft and grippy. Good luck!
