I had my first ever professional saddle fitting - and I think it changed my life

[fivestrideline]

If you’ve got a bodyworker, let them know you’re switching around saddles and want to make sure nothing is bothering him. They may be able to note some changes in tightness/touchiness before the workmanlike TB tells you loud and clear. Otherwise, you can make it a habit to run your hands over and palpate your horse’s back before and after riding. Once you know his “normal” you might be able to note changes before they get to the point of disobediences.

I have a saddle princess, and he’s VERY particular, but in a vague, nondescript, and unhelpful way. It takes video and really scrutinizing his footfalls and body carriage to find a difference between saddles

[spurofthemoment]

@fivestrideline

I have a saddle princess, and he’s VERY particular, but in a vague, nondescript, and unhelpful way. It takes video and really scrutinizing his footfalls and body carriage to find a difference between saddles

I’m worried this is the case with my guy! He’s got a laid back demeanor (he can be a comedian sometimes) and is just so willing to please it seems, which is why the bucking has me leaning more toward pain response than green horse response - but I could be wrong! He is also figuring out how to carry his body, still. I have tons of horse experience, but even I still have a hard time noticing if something is “off” if it is very minor.

[vxf111]

OP, I am not trying to discourage you from Prestige. I have 0 opinions about that brand (no one I know has one and I have never dealt with the company). Just pointing out that if the adjustability you’re looking for is wool flocked, LOTS of saddle companies offer that. Lots. I don’t know that I buy that ANY flocking, synthetic or otherwise, can go 10 years without a check. Your horse is going to change, even if the flocking doesn’t compact?! And I am bit skeptical that if there really is some magic new flocking out there, other companies and fitters wouldn’t be using it too. I believe that different flocking can compress at different rates and that synthetic might retain its shape longer than wool… but I think you’re going to find good adjustability from any flocked panel. So don’t feel like you must go with Prestige simply for that reason alone. It might be one of many reasons to like the Prestige, but they’re not the only company offering that.

[spurofthemoment]

Thank you for that comment! It’s super easy to get caught up/get tunnel vision when you experience something you feel has made a great impact on you.

I am starting to consider trying to sit on some other saddles. I’m in a great location that has great brand reps for a variety of dealers, along with a few independent fitters I’ll need to do some vetting on.

I guess at the end of the day, no one brand is truly greater than another: each has its pros and cons/success or horror stories, and with the millions of horse people out there come their millions of differing opinions!

[dmveventer]

@vxf111

I don’t know that I buy that ANY flocking, synthetic or otherwise, can go 10 years without a check.

To clarify, no one is claiming it can go 10 years without being checked. Regular adjustments are part of the process. They claim that the synthetic flocking resists compression so it doesn’t need to be completely taken out and replaced as often as traditional wool does.

I also don’t know how much stock I put in the claim, just pointing it out as a potential factor

And I agree that it sounds like OP would be just as well-served with any wool saddle. I happened to like the Prestige so I bought it, but could have just as easily gone with a different wool brand.

[dmveventer]

@spurofthemoment

So I’m currently demoing the saddle with no modifications for my horse. Should I have asked the rep to make more modifications for him?

Not necessarily, but I’d be surprised if the demo saddle fit your horse perfectly with no adjustments. At the very least I’d expect the rep to have a conversation with you about it. When I took mine on trial the rep adjusted the tree and then made some flocking adjustments to fit my horse so we could really get a feel for whether he liked it or not on trial. We still ended up pinpointing a few more minor tweaks, but it fit well enough on trial that I was comfortable purchasing it and going from there. There were a few saddles I tried that my rep wouldn’t even let me sit in for more than a few minutes because she didn’t like how the demo models fit my horse, and with every saddle she pointed out the things she liked and didn’t like and what she would change to fit him specifically.

Are you still using your half pad with the new saddle, and does the rep know that? That would be a red flag for me unless there was an explicit acknowledgement that the half pad worked well enough for a demo and they’d adjust the saddle once you’d decided to keep it. If it’s just one or two tree sizes too wide that might make sense.

Unfortunately not all reps are created equal. It’s hard to tell from the info provided but it sounds like your rep may be focusing more on selling you a saddle vs fitting one to your horse. If you really like the Prestige it’s probably worth getting an independent fitter out to take a look at it while on trial just for peace of mind, or at least getting a second opinion from your trainer or another experienced horseman.

[ghst13]

@dmveventer

To clarify, no one is claiming it can go 10 years without being checked. Regular adjustments are part of the process. They claim that the synthetic flocking resists compression so it doesn’t need to be completely taken out and replaced as often as traditional wool does.

I also don’t know how much stock I put in the claim, just pointing it out as a potential factor

I feel like every wool-flocked brand has some claim that their flocking is special and different from everyone else’s flocking. Also, many of the big brands use a version of synthetic wool vs real wool.
Across two independent fitters and a brand rep everyone of them had a reason that the version they used was better than the version others used.

In the end the benefit from wool flocked comes more from the adjustments that can be made versus which version of flocking is used.

[Halternatively]

I can’t speak to these specifics. If it were me, I would try as many different brands as possible to see what you like and what suits your horse best. Try to learn a little about saddle fitting so you can observe and ask informed questions about particular saddles. Then, when you have made your own independent decision, you will have an informed basis for it. You can gather as many opinions as there are people on this bb, but ultimately it’s only yours that matters.

[thoroughbred22]

OP, glad you had a comfort lightbulb moment with the saddle!

Just a quick comment on the leather color: I think a chestnut horse with a chestnut-ish saddle, with a nice contrasting saddle pad (white, light aqua, burgundy (my personal favorite!), baby blue, etc.) is about the prettiest thing in the world.

ETA: For my bright copper chestnut OTTB, a velvet-ish burgundy saddle pad and a chestnut-leather Stubben AP just filled my heart with joy. We were terrible at dressage (my fault), but he looked sharp through all my errors.

[spurofthemoment]

Thank you for this insight!! I loooove my boy in navy and dark green (my show coat is an AA motionlite in the dark green color). He also looks STUNNING in Baker plaid. I think he’s too orange toned to look good in burgundy (I also have a retired dark bay I have a lot of burgundy things for) I looove burgundy myself. And I know exactly what you mean by looking sharp even when you’re failing - I love gorgeously turned out horses and riders in all disciplines as I think it shows good horsemanship (attention to the horse’s coat/condition, caring for tack, etc.).

The more I look at him in the reddish brown leather, though, the more I like it! The warmer tone looks nicer/more natural on him (I think) than dark Havana. I’m definitely warming up to the color.