To the people that like Toulouse saddles, which models do you like and why? I’m not looking for negative opinions on the brand in general. I had the marielle but had to sell it because the seat was too big. Overall I really enjoyed it however I found it didn’t offer much leg support at all.
My sister has a Premia and since she doesn’t ride anymore it’s in my tack room.
It’s a nice saddle for the price, the leather is soft but the billets are short and their leather is bad (you can tell where they’ve cut some corners to save money). Not bad in they’ll break, just rough.
I’ve spoken to the rep before and each Touslouse saddle is a knock off of a higher level brand. I forget which are which though… sorry!
I think it runs a bit narrow, but has a great balanced seat and fit her long legs really well. I like that the twist is narrow but it’s just too long for me in the flap. I’ve taken it x country schooling and felt pretty secure considering it didnt’ actually fit me.
I have an Annice Pro and a Aachen, both with the Genesis tree system. I think the leather is very soft and nice, especially for the price. They have worked great for saddling up 2 different horses. They are my first jumping/dressage saddles so have nothing to compare them to but they are working great for me. I have had them 2 1/2 years.
Honestly, as nice as they look and feel, I do not know a single person who kept theirs. They all ended up moving onto other saddles after discovering long term saddle fit issues.
I think they’re modeled after Pessoas.
I have heard that the craftsmenship varies from saddle to saddle–one saddle might be wonderful, and the next a piece of crap. i have also heard of more than one person having the genesis tree break.
I have an Annice I bought used a couple of years ago. I love it. Leather is nice, fits my massive withered/shouldered thoroughbred, balanced saddle. I sat in a couple of others. One was fine, the other put me in a chair seat. But I love the one I ended up with and the leather is really soft and nice.
[QUOTE=HiJumpGrrl;8207358]
I think they’re modeled after Pessoas.
I have heard that the craftsmenship varies from saddle to saddle–one saddle might be wonderful, and the next a piece of crap. i have also heard of more than one person having the genesis tree break.[/QUOTE]
Close, not quite - they are modeled after other high end popular brands like Antares, Devocoux, etc.
OP I know you are not looking for criticism but please for the sake of your horse’s back consider a different brand. They fetch 2k new… for 2k you can get a nice slightly used Stackhouse, or Kieffer/Stubben/Passier, or Devocoux, etc.
The quality control is abysmal. It isn’t the leather you have to worry about, it’s the dimensions of the panels, the trees, etc. I was a product buyer for my old tack store and we often had to send back most (as in 80% of the shipments) because the panels were uneven lengths, the tree was warped, the stirrup bars two different heights, etc.
Those saddles cost 2K??? Holy cow. Definitely get a used something else for that money. I got a very nice Black Country saddle that beats the snot out of any of the lower range saddles for less than that.
I got mine for $900 new from Dover. I like it, and it fits my horse well. I will eventually get a custom Stackhouse when he stops growing, but the saddle works well for now. It’s nice not to really have to care about it. It’s been soaked multiple times and still feels great.
See I disagree. I have a Premia, I love it. I have talked with some of the people that sell the newer models and ADORE the Denisse Pro with wool flocked panels.
I have owned my Premia for over 4 years and it does a great job on the horses it fits. Doesn’t fit the new guy but he needs muscles for any saddle to fit.
I think it’s an awesome line of saddles for a lot of the horse population that doesn’t have the funds for the “Only $2k” level. I got mine for $550 used and have had it last very well.
I am unlikely to quick jump to a CWD or Devocoux anything else that costs a huge percentage of my annual salary. I like Toulouses and have enjoyed some nice success with them.
~Emily
I know that one of them is model specifically after the Pessoa A/O, I spent an entire evening entertaining the owner (who’s name is not Toulouse… there is no M. Toulouse, he just thought it sounded fancy and I love that about him).
I think there’s positives and negatives to all saddles and none of us know her horse. How many threads have we seen complaining about the customer service or quality of custom saddles?? People can be disappointed no matter what the price.
OP- I live 20mins from you. If you want to try mine you’re welcome to.
[QUOTE=Xctrygirl;8207845]
See I disagree. I have a Premia, I love it. I have talked with some of the people that sell the newer models and ADORE the Denisse Pro with wool flocked panels.
I have owned my Premia for over 4 years and it does a great job on the horses it fits. Doesn’t fit the new guy but he needs muscles for any saddle to fit.
I think it’s an awesome line of saddles for a lot of the horse population that doesn’t have the funds for the “Only $2k” level. I got mine for $550 used and have had it last very well.
I am unlikely to quick jump to a CWD or Devocoux anything else that costs a huge percentage of my annual salary. I like Toulouses and have enjoyed some nice success with them.
~Emily[/QUOTE]
I agree Emily, also I don’t see used CWD or Devocoux for the price of a new Toulouse. I see them for way more than I think they are worth.
In fact, the other day on facebook someone posted a Devocoux that looked like it had been run over with a truck, or maybe survived a tornado (or maybe a Shark-nado) and still wanted 3k for it. Paying for the name or the quality?
Not to mention that the new Toulouse I am coveting that is high quality leather and wool panels costs around $1700 new. That’s scary to me that someone will likely buy the “Sharknado” Devo that 2LaZ2race mentioned before buying a brand new saddle.
I’ll stick to Toulouse where possible thanks.
Em
I have two, I don’t want to sell the old one. I bought an Annie Genesis, thank heavens for the second one. Went from a half draft to a shark fin QH.
I thought I loved my M. Toulouse I used to have. Until I sat in an Albion. I hugged it after I got off.
