What are everyone’s thoughts on the Dover Circuit Elite saddles? I have read posts that say the older (Big Ben) were great but am seeing mixed thoughts on the quality of the ones Dover is now crafting.
I am looking for a hunter/jumper saddle that needs to be wide tree/possibly adjustable gullet.
Obviously I am trying to stay at or below $1,000
I am 5’11’’ and my horse is a Belgian thoroughbred cross so fit is a bit of a challenge with her broader back and large shoulder.
I have the Circuit Premier Special DS Saddle. I have an almost 5 year old WB gelding who is ever changing. I had an amazing CWD with a medium wide tree but unfortunately had to sell it because it wasn’t wide enough through the gullet and through his shoulders. I have this in the wide tree and although the tree is wide enough, my guy still needs more shoulder room. It isn’t causing him any physical pain or soreness but I am trying to get this one to last me a couple more years until he stops growing.
As far as the quality - I would say it is alright. I purchased URAD grasso which helped tremendously! I swear by that stuff for this saddle. The color along the piping on the top of the seat is rubbed off completely. Idk what that part of the saddle is made of, but it doesn’t look like leather necessarily. I had a girl ride in it last night and she said she felt very secure in it. It reminds me of a butet but with a little bit more of a scoop in the back of the seat. It doesn’t come close to the quality of a French saddle IMO but for the price tag you can’t beat it. Mine was on sale for $999 and came with a free circuit bridle which is worth $130 and I sold it so for me it is worth the buy.
Hope this helps!
I have a 17" forward flap regular tree Dover Circuit Premier Special EQ that I bought right after Christmas in 2013. I absolutely LOVE my saddle. I grew up in the old Crosby PDN - narrow twist and super flat seat - and this was the closest thing in my price range (under $1000) that I could find - and I tried a lot of saddles, from Toulouse to Pessoas and used Countys. I have a really bad lower back and this saddle works quite well for me with the flatter seat. The leather did take a bit to break in, but I was diligent about oiling it every few days at home and using that Effax Leather Balsam (worth the $20 investment) when I left it at the barn to soften it more quickly.
It fits most horses I ride, though the pommel does come down a little low on my higher withered thoroughbred so I use one of those black lami-cell pads on him. Works great on my paint and most of the smaller warmbloods I ride. I like the smaller front blocks and I thought I wouldn’t like the back blocks, but now I love them 
I’m a nearly 40 year old local circuit showing amateur and I endorse this saddle as comfy and worth the money.
If you are willing to spend the time breaking it in, totally worth the investment. It looks great and people are constantly asking me what kind of saddle it is because it doesn’t look like a knock-off or cheap tack. My former trainer didn’t even mind riding in it when she was on my horse and she’s used to a Childeric!
I had a Premier Special Eq. Really lovely saddle, soft grippy leather and rode like a Butet.
The medium tree is quite narrow and the wide was more of a medium so it ended up not working for my horse. Too bad though I really liked it!
My horse is growing like a weed so I’m not going to splurge on a fancy French saddle only to have him out fat it in three months. That said, I really liked my Circuit Premiere Special Eq saddle while it fit him…the price was great (bought it gently used for $600 I believe) and it was very well balanced. Leather quality wasn’t amazing, but I wouldn’t expect buffalo leather for this price point, either.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s a great saddle for the price!
Someone I know just posted a photo of hers, purchased 3 years ago. The photo shows what appears to be a ruined saddle. I guess a screw came out and it basically fell apart mid-ride. I don’t know enough about saddles to evaluate if that is possible but it was at a horse show so it seems like a brazen lie, if it is one. Dover hasn’t been clear if they’ll replace it. (She took it to a store today and they’re shipping it out for evaluation.)
Love my Premier DS!
I love my Circuit Premier DS! Great saddle for the price point. Rides like a knock off Butet. I had mine wool flocked by Smith Worthington to get that semi-custom fit for my mare. It fits me great, fits my mare awesome. The leather is the nicest quality for the price. Pretty dark brown color too!
I would buy another one in a heartbeat!
I have an older (circa 2004) Circuit Grand Prix and its a nice enough saddle. I don’t think I’d buy one again, and I haven’t sat in any of the brand new ones. But it does its job, it’s pretty comfortable. Still a little orange, even 12 years later, though. LOL
I have the Dover Special Eq Premiere. I got mine 2-3 years ago (I think). This is actually my second one, as the tree in my first broke. Dover replaced it and I haven’t had a problem with this one since. I really like it and for the price point, it’s a great saddle! As others have said, it’s definitely not a nice french saddle, but if you’re looking for something nice to hold you over before you invest in a french saddle, it’s a great option.
Not sure where you are located, but I just got a very slightly used Dover Circuit Elite from On Course Consignment in Wellington, FL for a steal… She has tons of nice saddles for every budget there. I believe she is on Facebook and posts a list of the saddles that she has.
I love my Dover Circuit Elite saddle. It has fits several different shaped horses well, from my high withered paint to my muttoned withered standardbred now ex-race horse stallion --side bar** we are going the dressage route hes kinda really afraid of ground poles so jumping not in his future**
it is very comfortable, the leather is nice and supple, just as supple as devoucoux saddle…
my only complaint is the knee rolls on mine have a bit too much padding right now but I am working on breaking those in, and if not I may just have them altered at the tack shop that does saddle repair.
[QUOTE=starhorse;8664460]
Someone I know just posted a photo of hers, purchased 3 years ago. The photo shows what appears to be a ruined saddle. I guess a screw came out and it basically fell apart mid-ride. I don’t know enough about saddles to evaluate if that is possible but it was at a horse show so it seems like a brazen lie, if it is one. Dover hasn’t been clear if they’ll replace it. (She took it to a store today and they’re shipping it out for evaluation.)[/QUOTE]
I’d be interested to know what saddle it was and see the picture.
My bet? Horse flipped on it. You’d be surprised how many people return saddles that were clearly flipped on to Dover… you can tell when the tree is smashed to smithereens… No amount of riding can do that.
Dover has a lifetime guarantee on all of their Circuit saddle trees. They’re very nice saddles for the price. The leather holds up very well and if cared for they will last you a life-time.
I’m riding in a Circuit Premiere Special Eq on one horse. It’s fine but because I regularly ride in Delgranges, I kind of hate the Circuit. It suffers by comparison, which it should. 
It’s all well and good and if I wasn’t riding such a big moving horse in it, I might not object so much, but the balance point for me is too forward so I am constantly having to push my lower leg forward to keep it under me. I end up with huge spur rubs from that. The leather is also m’eh, but the owner of the saddle does nothing to care for it, so I don’t know how much better it could be. Also, I don’t expect the leather to measure up to my saddles.
I guess I would say that if you are not riding in any other high end saddles, or on a really big moving horse (this particular guy launches you out of the saddle with every step), you might quite like it.
Have you looked at the Ovation Saddles? Many have the changeable gullet and most are under $1300. They are very nice. http://www.ovationriding.com/saddles
I personally ride in a Pessoa that my horse and I both love.
Thank you everyone for the responses! I am currently looking into either a used Pessoa, Ovation, or the new Circuit =) You guys are great!
[QUOTE=RugBug;8668238]
I’m riding in a Circuit Premiere Special Eq on one horse. It’s fine but because I regularly ride in Delgranges, I kind of hate the Circuit. It suffers by comparison, which it should.
It’s all well and good and if I wasn’t riding such a big moving horse in it, I might not object so much, but the balance point for me is too forward so I am constantly having to push my lower leg forward to keep it under me. I end up with huge spur rubs from that. The leather is also m’eh, but the owner of the saddle does nothing to care for it, so I don’t know how much better it could be. Also, I don’t expect the leather to measure up to my saddles.
I guess I would say that if you are not riding in any other high end saddles, or on a really big moving horse (this particular guy launches you out of the saddle with every step), you might quite like it. :D[/QUOTE]
The Premier EQ is a rather flat saddle so I’d think it wouldn’t give you much to stick to on a horse that trots you out of the tack. The Circuit XD might ride more like the Delgranges, though comparing the two is like comparing a Toyota Corolla to a Mercedes. The Corolla is a nice car, in in price range but it’s not a Mercedes. The new Premier Champion has a nice feel and a bit deeper seat. I sat on one in the store and it seemed very nice though the one in stock was far too big a size for me.
[QUOTE=Linny;8669165]
The Premier EQ is a rather flat saddle so I’d think it wouldn’t give you much to stick to on a horse that trots you out of the tack. The Circuit XD might ride more like the Delgranges, though comparing the two is like comparing a Toyota Corolla to a Mercedes. The Corolla is a nice car, in in price range but it’s not a Mercedes. The new Premier Champion has a nice feel and a bit deeper seat. I sat on one in the store and it seemed very nice though the one in stock was far too big a size for me.[/QUOTE]
As I noted, the the circuit can’t compare to my Delgranges, but the point is as long as you aren’t used to very high quality, they aren’t bad.
that said, both my Delgranges are the full grain except for calf seat and minimal knee rolls flat models as that is what I prefer. The seat depth or full calf stickiness has nothing to do with my preference…because that’s not what my Delgranges are. They are, however, extremely well-balanced and one is custom for me, and THAT is what makes the difference. If I could, I would choose my 1984 pancake of a Moritz Elite over a circuit…because the balance was better…for me but finding a horse it fits isn’t easy ( and yet we put them on everything back then)
I just have to chime in that I have the Circuit Premier XD, and I love it lots. I almost went with the CL but decided to have the XD ordered in because I liked the look of it. Very comfortable seat, super soft leather and there was no ‘break in’ time.
It’s only a 6 or so months old at this point but my obsessive care has gotten it nice and dark from conditioning and it looks/feels great. My trainer said it feels like her CWD. Hope this helps.
And Dover will always replace/exchange it if you change your mind!
http://67.media.tumblr.com/79c9ddaa2a0b31118322550f1ce7ed2b/tumblr_o6om78UsF31v6jk7wo1_500.jpg
like to a picture of it on my boy
[QUOTE=allisonrobincook;8668516]
Thank you everyone for the responses! I am currently looking into either a used Pessoa, Ovation, or the new Circuit =) You guys are great![/QUOTE]
The new styles that are coming out this year are a DREAM. They are much nicer than the older styles and fit a broader range of horses. The Warendorf in the dressage is the first saddle I’ve sat in, in years, that puts me in the correct dressage position. Same with the new jumping saddles. I have a Vega for my jumper, but I’m considering purchasing a circuit for the hunter I have coming in next week.
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