For the last 7-8 years I have been living the happy life in my Sovereign, on school horses. Now that I bought mine, being a QH x Trakehner, he’s a bit wider so it really doesn’t fit him. We had him checked quickly by our local saddler when she was in for another client, and she feels he is a med/wide. His back is sensitive so she recommended something a bit more padded/soft.
Since I really liked how close I was to him in my Sovereign, I am super lost looking at the giant poofy saddles that look like very comfortable couches, far away from the horse. I don’t have a huge budget either, so looking into used options. Any leads on what to look for?
You might try a used Pessoa with a changeable gullet. They tend to fit appendix quarter horse types and Warmbloods with lower withers, wider backs. You should be able to find a very nice used one under $1000.
It is a very deep dark hole you are staring into, 
There are so many choices! You could just buy another Crosby in wider tree. They are easy to locate used.
My advice is go look at your tack store and test out a few. If you have a saddlery that also sells used, you can often sit in a lot if brands. Take a tracing of your horse’s top line to get an idea of what would fit.
If you are in a boarding / barn situation you can always just start asking around. Most people are really cool about letting you try a saddle to see if it fits you and your horse. Mine gets tested out fairly often (I am a Butet girl in a CWD world) Funny but the the older riders love the Butet’s and Childerics the younger riders like the CWD or the Prestige.
I used a combination of these to replace my old close contact. I talked to people in my barn, looked at their saddles and then went to the 2 local tack shops and sat in anything that interested me. From the tack shop visit I found that a Butet sat very much like my beloved close contact. Super narrow twist, good feel of the horse but a smidge more padding. So then I tracked down similar used Butet’s with the correct flap/seat size/tree width. Well as Meatloaf claimed “2 out of 3 ain’t bad” but the first one I bought fit my seat and my horse but the flap orientation was not “just right”. I still rode in the saddle, loved it and became a fan.
I bought another Butet that was an upgraded model but the fit was exactly right for both me and the horse. The first one is on trial and I forsee no problems reselling it.
Saddle shopping felt very overwhelming, but my advice is to just sit in a couple dozen and you will know the right one when you sit in it. Most tack shops offer test rides and used saddlery houses offer trial periods. Take advantage and take your time, you will find the right one.
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I’d go used:
Childeric Ms have a close narrow feel
CWD SE03 pre 2018 have a very close contact old school crosby feel
Exselle debut are wool flocked and have a great balance point
You can make this work. 
I agree with the older, wider Crosby option.
I would also definitely look into Tad Coffins - there are a lot of older, less expensive ones and since they are meant to be used with various half pads to get a perfect fit they work well for horses with sensitive backs. They also have a very flat, close contact feel.
Butets tend to run narrow but you can also find them in a bit of a wider tree sometimes and they have a really nice CC feel.
Beval also has lots of nice saddles you can find with wider trees sometimes that have a similar feel to the old Crosbys.
Or…you could come to the Dark Side and give those poofy couches a chance. There is a reason so many top riders (maybe all?) ride in them now - they do a much better job of helping you be in the right place at the right time so you can focus more on the riding. Do they FIX your riding? No. But a really good saddle can be a game changer in a lot of ways.
If you’ve tried them and know you hate them, go with the options above or some that others have posted. But you miiiight be surprised with what you feel, and you can find a lot of nice older French saddles in a $1000 - $1300 price range if you don’t mind some cosmetic issues. Just be sure to check the padding to make sure it’s not too flat.
Good luck!
I’d second looking for a used Tad Coffin. I grew up in a Sovereign, gravitated to a poofy Antares and back to a Tad Coffin recommended by a saddle fitter. Took a bit of time to relearn the closer feel but I love it. Balance is great. Fits the horse great. Mine is a Smart Ride a both very gently used.
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Another vote for a Tad Coffin. Wonderful saddles! I was so sad mine didn’t fit my new horse at all. So, I rode him in my beloved Crosby Prix des Nations which kind of fit him while I was saddle shopping.
A couple months later I find a Black Country Quantum that fits both my horse and me! Ride in it a few times, feels weird but fine; horse is very happy and trainer says it actually fits my leg quite well (short flap). I buy it!
A week later I’m seriously regretting my decision. I want my pancake PDN back! What is all this #%&$ padding between me and my horse?!? I was ready to start saddle shopping again.
A month later and I might love that saddle more than I love my horse (and I LOVE my horse).
A few years later and I joke I’m going to be buried with that saddle. I’ve gone to the dark side. And I’m pretty sure it’s helped me stay on more than once.
So I guess my point is that it does take some getting used to and it’s definitely an adjustment, but I can see the appeal of those newer saddles 
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I’m not sure how feasible this is, but I’ve heard that you can get any of the old Crosby saddles made for you (I imagine in a wider tree as well) by Exselle/Walsall Riding Saddle Co. (WRSC made Crosby saddles back in the day). I’m not sure what the price would be, though.
This site claims you can order a version of the older Crosby saddles listed. I’ve never tried it, so I’m not sure how it would work, but it might not hurt to contact them if that’s an option that interests you:
https://shop.allsaddles.com/millerssaddles-ss2.html
If you can find a wider Crosby, that would also be a great deal. I have found medium/wide and wide tree XL Excels and Equilibriums (I believe Tad Coffin designed these before starting on his own, so Tad Coffin might be something to look into as well). There are also used Exselles on the market sometimes.
Butet is known to be a flatter type of saddle (and I’ve seen a few in the plain flap option), and I believe Devoucoux made a plain flap saddle at one point.
If you can find one, an older Collegiate in a wider tree might be a good option, too. I believe they shared many of the same design elements as the Crosbys back when they were both owned by Miller’s, IIRC. I have both a Crosby Sovereign and a plain flap Collegiate Graduate and both have a very similar feel.
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Ha! I just had the same problem. My AG5 is a terrible fit on my new mount, but the PDNcake I bought for $25 at a used tack sale as a nostalgia purchase works quite well. C’est la vie.
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“Crosby” saddles are being made again, according to their website reintroduced in January 2020. I had no idea. Anyone care to make a guess about what “inspired by English design” actually means?
I had one of the original Equilibriums back in the mid 90s. I am apparently an old timer like the OP and the idea of the poofy couch just doesn’t work for me either for a number of reasons.
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I saw that as well! I actually asked them if they were still being made in England and they told me that they were not (didn’t specify where they are being made now, though), but were being designed there. I’ve looked at a few of their models and they are completely different from the Crosbys I remember!
Since they are owned by WeatherBeeta, I wonder if they are being made by the same manufacturers that produce Collegiate saddles for them (and formerly Bates/Wintec as well, though I heard they are no longer with WB). Regardless, I imagine they are most likely made in some place like Argentina, if I had to take a wild guess.
I had a very nice, newer (2015) model Beval natural. It was amazing. I had a Crosby but it was too narrow for my fat, wide TB. The Beval fit wonderfully. Still kicking myself for selling it. I ended up with a 2009 devoucoux. It’s slightly too deep/cushy and almost too curvy for fat, wide TB. I would of gotten another Voltaire if they weren’t so spendy
Another vote for a Used Tad Coffin. Easy to find in a wider tree as the older ones were made to modify fit with custom padding. I also have a Crosby Sovereign from the 80’s & grew up riding in PDN’s since the 70’s. I have never been comfortable in a poofy padded saddle. Ridden in a lot of them but prefer a flatter closer contact feel. I found a used Tad Coffin a few years back that is flat without any blocks. They are out there. Good luck on your search!
Thanks everyone!
I’ve tried so far… a Duett that was a couch, an old Childeric that was going to need a new seat but wasn’t bad, a too big Harry Dabbs Avante and now onto a second Harry Dabbs A/O . This one is old and ~pancakey~… Hopes up! Tad Coffin seems to be an expensive rarity around here, nothing under 1500 - 2k and I might as well get something with financing if I’m going out of budget (I’m on a vet tech salary with a dog and a horse to feed lol)! I did see an Equipe Expression that might fit with financing but, now that’s down a rabbit hole.
I went from a Crosby PDN to a Crosby Equilibrium and am now in a Harry Dabbs Jaguar XJS. The Jaguar is not quite a pancake, but it is pretty open- it doesn’t lock you into position and has excellent balance. It was designed by Peter Menet before he went on to found Amerigo. For the money, it is a nice quality saddle and is comfortable without feeling like a couch. It is a slightly curvy tree, so it won’t work if your horse’s back is super flat.
I also second the recommendations to try the Beval Natural and Exselle Debut. Both can be found affordably with a bit of patience.
