I’m trying out an older SLK, MW. I’m no longer riding dressage but still want an Albion for trail riding my Oldenburg mare, (because I’ve loved every Albion I’ve ever sat in.) My mare is a refined looking girl. 6 yrs old. Evidently not as narrow as I thought though! I just heard from the dressage trainer who started this mare 2 yrs ago that the SLK she wore when being started was a WIDE. Hard to believe. She said that the SLK tree is more suited to TB types and they don’t even have anything as narrow as a MW in the barn. (They all have Albions down there). So this saddle will go back and I’m now eyeing an Original Comfort WIDE on eBay. Experiences with saddle fitting WBs in SLKs vs Original Comfort? I’m also open to other Albions but my budget is under 750.00 so I’m limited to older models.
Also look at Albion SLs. It worked for my warmblood cross until she got too wide for the MW tree. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to what the saddle is stamped as because in my experience Albion is all over the place. I’ve seen mediums that are wider than MW and other stuff like that so always go based on measurements.
And the Albion Style. I have had an OC, Style, old SLK and new SLK. Personally, I liked the Style best for trail. I agree, the widths are all over the place. I have a narrow, refined Hano and she is in the new SLK which is a MW.
Yeah, I would agree, my experience with the older Albions, are that they are often on the wide side. I have owned an Original Comfort (didn’t own that one long - it was too wide in the twist and hurt my hips), an SL (fabulous saddle, fit a LOT of horses well - finally sold it to a friend about 15 years ago, and she used it on several horses she was riding part time), and an SLK. My horses are all on the medium wide to wide range, and all my saddles were either M or MW, and fit easily. None of mine were Tbred - all were low withers, short strong backs, well sprung rib cages.
I can’t speak for the newer Albions, but the older ones were not built for a narrow TB type horse! The SL (Style) is much more close contact, smaller knee roll, more open seat - it is really a nice saddle.
Thank you guys for your input!!!
I can’t comment on widths of the newer Albions (by newer I mean anything past the mid 80’s) but the Original Comfort does run wide. But if you like a wide twist, and some people hate it, there’s nothing like it. Most older Albions have a relatively wide twist (except maybe the Style) but if you really want a saddle that, ahem, stays out of your business, Original Comfort all the way!
I’m also an Albion fan and have two in my tack room - the SLK and a very old Style. My personal horses are all MW or Wide. I am not a fan of the Original Comfort or the Legend because the twists on those tend to be too wide for me. The SLK, SL and the Style all give me a place to sit, are wide enough for my beer keg shaped horses and allow my leg to hang where it needs to be without causing pain. When I’m not on my welsh cobs and mustang, I prefer my passier GG for the narrower beasts, again, because I need a twist on the narrower side but a definite ‘spot’ to sit. I also prefer saddles with less padding. I tend to put a minimum of 10 miles on the trail per horse per week.
