I am looking for an inexpensive close contact saddle and I am unsure of good brands. Ones that I have looked at are HDR, Kincade, Collegiate, EquiRoyal. Any opinions on which are best? I really want to keep it under $1000, it is going to be my wedding gift and we are already spending a ton on the wedding…I ride english pleasure mostly, but enjoy jumping and trail riding too. I am currently riding a 21yr old Appendix QH.
Ovation makes a very good jumping saddle for just under $1,000 (the “Showjump” model). If you want a new saddle I’d look into that. There are other “higher-end” brands which you could find used.
the HDR Advantage Close Contact "Grippy " saddle is a good buy for the price , we use them in the school program and they are holding up well . and they are wool flocked
Agree that the Ovation is a comfy and pretty less expensive saddle brand. I’ve ridden in a couple.
I’ve never ridden in one, but I know a few people who have the Dover Circuit, like it, and say it fits a lot of horses.
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Ovation makes a very good jumping saddle for just under $1,000 (the “Showjump” model). If you want a new saddle I’d look into that. There are other “higher-end” brands which you could find used.[/QUOTE]
This is about the only under $1K (new) saddle out there I’d recommend. The problem is that, unlike at the top end of saddling, some serious compromises get made by brands designed to be entry level. Materials and workmanship can be bad, or be of varying quality. But the place you and the horse will really suffer is in the design that’s just not user friendly for horse and/or for rider. IMO, close contact saddles are asked to do a lot of work-- be very small and yet distribute a lot of weight. And they are supposed to help us balance well. By the time you want to accomplish that engineering job with any success, you need some care put in.
If you are willing to look at used saddles, your options open up and improve considerably. It helps, too, if your horse as a rather orthodox and narrow build, as many of the inexpensive-but-well-designed used saddles on the market today are from a time when trees (and or horses) were narrower.
If you give COTHer’s your specs-- size you want and a picture of your horse, I’ll bet they could find you some good candidates.
Congrats on your nuptials and your fine taste in wedding presents. If your fiancé is giving you the saddle, it bodes well.
My family owns a kincade and it is the biggest pile of you-know-what. I believe it was ridden in a handful of times and now is just sitting in the tackroom, with about an inch of dust on it.
Also does it have to be new? Try ebay or craigslist for used, more expensive saddles! I got a really nice Stubben (not the “in” saddle to have right now, but I don’t show and wouldn’t care if I did) for $500, and there are plenty of other cheap, nice ones for sale!
I believe HDR makes a synthetic saddle that is fairly cheap and has good reviews (is it called the club or something?) so maybe look into those if you don’t mind synthetic?
I have a Dover Circuit that I like. It was very close to 1,000 (and may have actually been 1,100ish with taxes and everything) but for that price point, it is quite nice.
What are you calling “close contact?”
If you mean “flat” / no knee rolls, blocks, etc they are hardly made anymore, and used are going for a few hundred dollars. Some are ‘hardly’ or really not used (I’ve found two, basically unused, in the past few years that I bought on the spot, @ $250 and $300; their peak value was 2500-3K when this type of saddle was in vogue).
I have had amazing luck with Dover Circuits. Ovation is good, Collegiate can be good, older (used) Crosbys are also good, you can sometimes find used Pessoas for a decent price.
Also look in the clearance section on the Smith Worthington site, and give them a call to see if they have something in your budget that would work. I paid under $1k for a brand new Stoneleigh, and it retails for over $3k. They have a few left but the size options are limited, if you get lucky and are one of those sizes it is a great saddle. Way better quality than the ones listed on this thread, the leather is first rate and the workmanship excellent. Plus, they will adjust it to fit your horse included in that price.
This is my second Stoneleigh, I still have my first – it is around 20 years old and still going strong.
Forget new. Buy a used good quality saddle, you will get more saddle for the money. My experiences have been the same as M O’Connor. There are such great deals available if you look. It’s hard to not make a collection of them, as their previous owners “upgrade” to a “currently popular” expensive saddle that will probably fall apart in few years. A quality saddle will last you the rest of your life, with adequate care.
Used Beval Natural.
Do not buy a cheap new saddle.
I agree. I much rather see some with a limited budget put it toward a nicer quality used saddle than a cheap new saddle.
Put it towards a high quality used saddle… Kieffer, Ainsley, Stubben, Passier all make nice saddles that age well but don’t cost an arm used – you can pick an Ainsley up for ~$400.
Take it from someone who worked in a tack store that sold HDRs, Ovations, Camelots and Kincades… and had to deal with the angry customers when they wanted to return the saddles back after only a few weeks and horrible wear.
Northrun makes some nice saddles, like the Ashland, that go well below your budget used.
I love my Ovation and have had NO wear issues with it at all. I do agree that if you have a limited budget, most of the time it is better to buy a used saddle of a quality brand, than a cheap new saddle. You get what you pay for there.
I highly recommend that you stay away from Kincades. I personally like the Dober Circuits. They’re on sale often and good quality for the price. I just sold my Dover Circuit Elite- my trusty saddle for years upon years- which is still in perfect condition and one of the most comfortable saddles. It’s 9 years old and looks & rides great.
Used is better than new. Absolutely.
I have been very impressed with the Thorowgood T8 and Kent and Masters is a very good entry priced saddle brand.
It really depends on what your horse’s shape is laterally and longitudinally and then what works for you. You can get the best deal around but if the fit is wrong then what is the point of a good deal?
