I was hoping for some feedback if anyone has one with the D3D panels.
If only Devoucoux would do away with the recessed stirrup barsā¦
ā¦then I would be so happy to go back to the best ever feeling I ever had in a saddle that sadly almost ruined my lovely horseā¦any chance these new panels remedy the recessed stirrup bars? 
I found some pics online showing the panels http://www.fine-used-saddles.com/saddlepics/Biarritz_57_photos.htm
What was the problem with the recessed stirrup bars?
Saddle doesnāt look any different from my 4 year old Dev, aside from the fact that mine is an Oldaraā¦ I checked a different site that had actual information on the D3D, and all it said was wider gullet to release the spine and more load bearing capabilities to release the front end, blah blah. Lots of āreleaseā is apparently needed.
Iāve never had problems with my Chiberta on any of my horses, which over the years includes over 10. Knock on wood. Iām due for a new saddle in the next year or two and I would love to stay with devoucoux. Iāve heard such bad accounts that Iāve been steering away.
Of course, Iād love it if theyād sponsor meā¦ And I gladly give up the amateur status (which means nothing in our discipline)!!!
Dreamingā¦
CWD just bought out Devoucoux so im guessing the design is going to be a wider channel and integrated panels like the CWDās are.
[QUOTE=PonyGirl15;7031305]
CWD just bought out Devoucoux so im guessing the design is going to be a wider channel and integrated panels like the CWDās are.[/QUOTE]
I hope they can still retain the devoucoux āseatā and ābalance.ā
[QUOTE=TomTom;7030893]
What was the problem with the recessed stirrup bars?[/QUOTE]
My understanding is that with some horses it will create pressure points and make the horse really sore under the stirrup bars. Since they are recessed there is less padding between them and the horse.
Maybe itās a good thing CWD bought out Devoucoux
[QUOTE=PonyGirl15;7031305]
CWD just bought out Devoucoux so im guessing the design is going to be a wider channel and integrated panels like the CWDās are.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Winding Down;7031336]I hope they can still retain the devoucoux āseatā and ābalance.ā[/QUOTE] What are integrated panels? Also, would love for the seat and balance to remain but hurray for wider gullet channelā¦are the stirrup bars in CWD saddles also recessed?
Here is what is on the CWD website about the construction of the panels. I have no idea what they will change on the devoucoux saddles but I know they wonāt change much because they will still be keeping the devoucoux name. I think they are just enhancing them. The D3D name is very similar to the marketing of the 2G CWD saddle so Iām thinking they are looking at enhancing the devoucoux construction also.
For the horse :
The wide panels are concave and integrated for a better pressure distribution of the saddle along the horseās back. These panels have been studied to be positioned and fixed in such a way that the horseās spine remains entirely untouched. The three point girthing system ensures the saddleās stability and good position to prevent from nasty pressure points on the horseās back whilst moving. The saddle opening is increased around the shoulders to free up the horseās movements when in action.
For the rider :
The integrated panels offer a refined close contact that enables the rider to have precise actions as he can feel the horse move under him.
The close contact has been worked on with a lower cut of the saddle flap around the stirrup bars so that there is only one layer of leather under the skirt. The sweat flap has also been cut higher to contribute to developing the close contact.
The stirrup leather surcingles are positioned lower on the saddle flap to reduce the angle between the stirrup, the stirrup bars and the stirrup surcingle, to have less substance under the skirt. The pommel is widened with a thicker strip of foam that overlaps on both sides of the pommel to support the riderās abductors.
Here is the press release on their alliance
Interesting!! Maybe they will offer more training for their reps, as I hear horror stories (and have my own) about the Dev reps, but donāt think Iāve heard any about CWD reps.
FWIW, I love my Dev. Itās pretty fantastic. When Iām ready for a new saddle, Iāll certainly sit in some other saddles, but Iāll go to Dev first, bad rep experience or not.
well most eventers donāt really have any feedback on CWD reps cause CWD only entered the eventing market very recently (except for a few reps who were going to some eventing shows) hunter/jumper was alwaysā CWDās target. So the alliance (more like a purchase really, CWD in fact simply bought Devoucoux) makes sense in that way since Devoucoux was historically big in the eventing world.
I sure hope CWDās customer service in the US will teach a thing or two to their new co-workers (or should I say āformer worst enemiesā?).
[QUOTE=MILOUTE55;7031975]
well most eventers donāt really have any feedback on CWD reps cause CWD only entered the eventing market very recently (except for a few reps who were going to some eventing shows) hunter/jumper was alwaysā CWDās target. So the alliance (more like a purchase really, CWD in fact simply bought Devoucoux) makes sense in that way since Devoucoux was historically big in the eventing world.
I sure hope CWDās customer service in the US will teach a thing or two to their new c. o-workers (or should I say āformer worst enemiesā?). www.facebook.com/ Voltaire design. [/QUOTE]
Do you really hope that?:winkgrin:
Iām bumping this thread because I have the same question. I rode in a saddle with the D3D today and really liked the way it sat on my horse. I was pleasantly surprised by the way that the panels, which felt soft and overstuffed to the touch, conformed to fit around the horse. Any experiences with the way these saddles break in?
Bumping again.
Anybody can share experience ?
I used one on a horse I was looking after on a temp basis - it was a brand new saddle & they are the same as āoldā Devoucouxs its just that the panels are bigger and deeper/thicker - not so thin and flat or curved. The saddle sits on the horse MUCH better than the old style and the fit of the saddle looked excellent- panel shape matching the horses back very well- I was really impressed.
But Heard on the grapevine a few months later that the horses physio had decided that the saddle had made the horse really sore and didnt fit at all.
However the agent who sold the saddle did say very firmly that the Devo saddles have to be re-checked and re-fitted after theyāve bedded in after about 3 months of use& I know for a fact that the owner hadnt got round to calling the agent to re-check the fit of the saddle. So I donāt know what happened in the end!!
I ended up buying a Biarritz with the D3D- the fact that it fit my horse and sat well on three others in the barn with very different builds was very attractive to me. I was coming from a Biarritz and ordered the same configuration as what Iād had.
The horse loves it. He. Absolutely. Loves. It. I was coming from a saddle that no longer fit him as well as it should have, but also rode the horse bareback enough that I had a sense of where his stride was, and Iāve got two more feet of stride to play with because heās so comfortable. Tip wants a wide gullet and a lot of wither clearance, and he certainly has it in this saddle. Trainer thought I was crazy to get a new one, but after the first ride she saw in it, she said āWow, I didnāt realize his shoulder was so restricted before.ā Now, mind you, heās also been doing āequine yogaā for the last six months and has gotten far more flexible, and his old saddle was not fitting him properly, so not all of this is due to Magic Saddle Syndrome. But when yesterday in his old saddle he struggled to stretch up to a 13ā stride and today in the new one Iām pulling on the reins to fit in a 13ā stride and weāre going slower, wellā¦
I do find that this D3D Biarritz rides a little differently than the Biarritz I had. I find the twist a little wider, which puts my leg on in a different position. Either the stirrup bar is further recessed or it just feels that way because the panels are different. The flatwork length that always felt a little long to me in my old Biarritz is now absolutely perfect (with the same leathers.) For me, this is great- itās a better place for my leg to fall. Your mileage may vary.
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I just bought a Chiberta with D3D panels. I havenāt ridden in mine enough to know how it differs from my trainers but when I tried the saddle the D3D panels fit my horse so well and I too was impressed that the same saddle fit multiple other horses with great balance as well. I am new to Devoucoux though so not much experience with how they compare to other panels. I can say that I never considered getting a saddle with foam panels until I saw the panels on these saddles. I have been very impressed. Makes me feel like the saddle will fit well as my horses back changes throughout the year.
I can try to share some more pictures of the panels and the saddle on my horses back later if people are interested.
