I am in the market for a decent used jumping saddle. I have come across a Bates Caprilli, Jaguar (unsure which model), and I am looking at Beval ltd’s. Can I get your honest opinions on the quality, fit, and comfort of these brands please? All of my horses are fairly flat backed one having more prominent withers then the other two so I realize I may end up with two different saddles.
With the Bates, check and see if it has wool-floocking or the Cair panel thing. I’m not a big fan of the Cair panels. Beval is always in style and worth trying out whenever you can find one! They can be tough to find (at least in the pony world) because people never sell them and if they do it’s usually to someone they know in their barn vs. the open market.
Any other opinions or suggestions on brands I should look at or try?
Depends on your price point really. See if you can find a used/consignment dealer (if you’re in the MD/DC/VA area I can refer you to someone) that can come out and you can test ride some saddles. Great way to save some big bucks on higher end tack and you get to try it for real broke in saddle with leathers, etc. rather than treat a new saddle with kid gloves. I try to avoid brand-specific fitters b/c they will always be biased toward the brand they are associated with. Most Dover Saddlery stores have a saddle person who might be able to come to your barn also and bring a bunch of things out for you to try also (I used to do it when I worked there - I would have you come to the store and sit on a bunch then narrow it down to 3-4 that looked good enough on you to try on the horse later and if it worked at the barn I would call in your payment info and leave you with a new saddle). Not sure if all the stores do that or not anymore, but worth calling your local Dover if you have one near you. Since they sell multiple brands, they are really out there to make sure it fits you and your horse.
Personally I have a Tad Coffin and love it, but it was a significant investment. But it does fit me perfectly, and is easy to adjust to different horses as needed thanks to the various thickness pads you can get with it. For my OTTB the thick wither relief pad was a perfect fit. New or used, a rep can come to your barn to do a fitting for most of the higher end brands.
Since I am in Montana there are no saddle shops to be found with decent quality saddles! I am doomed to buy online and see if it fits the horse and me. I know a couple of folks here that have Pessoa’s and Bevals that I can try to at least be able to make an educated guess. I really can not afford to go over $900.00. I have been searching for a saddle for well over a year and if I weren’t so busy sticking with a strict budget and the money I have saved I would have already purchased something. If I don’t find something in the next couple of months I will just start adding to my kiddy
These three places have been recommended to me in the past, either by people I know personally or by folks here. You should be able to find a decent used saddle in your price range. They all offer trials, I think.
If it’s a hunter/jumper saddle, the Jaguar is probably an XJS. I have one, have had several. Lovely, quality saddles (there was SOME fluctuation over the years as the marker changed, the Harry Dabbs ones are the best IMHO). They no longer fit the horses I have-- so I sold all but my favorite. Very nice wool-flocked English made saddle.
Since you don’t have any local tack shops in your area, I would suggest trying Trumbull Mountain. I have no personal experience but many people on this forum have gotten great results with them buying long distance. I believe they will show you how to do a wither tracing and what photos to take so that the saddles they send you on trial will have a good chance of fitting.
I would also suggest Stubben, they will last forever (mine was over 40 years old when I sold it and still in great condition), come in a variety of styles and models, and are very reasonably priced. They also seem to fit a great variety of horses. If you google both you will find websites and contact info.
I’m currently working with The Farm House tack shop (they are in SC, I am in MD/VA area) to buy my daughter’s saddle but there are a ton of used saddle shops that advertise online and will ship to you for trials and such. Here’s a link to a thread someone posted previously and one of the replies is a whole list of online vendors. Check them all out!
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?399221-Need-to-find-a-used-Beval-Jr-saddle
Also watch Danforth - http://danforthfineusedsaddles.com/saddles.php
Farm House Tack - http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/thefarmhousein/the-Saddles-cln-Used-cln-Close-dsh-Contact/Categories
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?399221-Need-to-find-a-used-Beval-Jr-saddle
Also watch Danforth - http://danforthfineusedsaddles.com/saddles.php
Farm House Tack - http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/thefarmhousein/the-Saddles-cln-Used-cln-Close-dsh-Contact/Categories
It’s always helpful to check online reviews for various saddles & dealers - don’t believe everything you read 
but use them to create a picture.
If possible, always ask for the serial number of any saddle before shipping it in, e.g., Beval is usually very helpful in regards to what sort of horse & rider conformation a saddle might fit.
Old Jaguars are lovely & not to be confused with the new strange Harry Dabbs saddles (not sure if the Jaguar name is still being used as well).
Murphy’s always has a decent selection in the under 1K range - many of these saddles are lightly used/well cared for or even “like new”
I don’t know if this shop is at all close, but might be able to help with fit to your horse/repairs etc
The old Bates Caprilli is a decent saddle (better workmanship etc than the new “made in Vietnam” version but you will want to check the panels for deflated air bags etc) but still has a certain “feel” - try to find local saddles to at least sit in before shipping (obtain quotes on shipping & insurance both ways before deciding if it’s worth your $$).
Generally a saddle fitter that will do an online consult (if there are none travelling though your area) is money well spent.
You can learn a lot about saddle fit watching this video series.
GAGirl, if you don’t have a local fitter, I’d recommend working with a shop / fitter who has experience in working long-distance with photos and templates of your horse’s back. Panther Run Saddlery and Equestrian Imports both do a lot of successful fitting that way. The saddles you’ve mentioned all fit differently, and an experienced long-distance fitter would be able to determine which (if any) might be your best option based on the template and photos.
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Since you don’t have any local tack shops in your area, I would suggest trying Trumbull Mountain. I have no personal experience but many people on this forum have gotten great results with them buying long distance. I believe they will show you how to do a wither tracing and what photos to take so that the saddles they send you on trial will have a good chance of fitting.
Those are all such different saddles with different trees, construction, flocking and panel configurations. We would be happy to work long distance with you via tracings, photos and our questionnaire at no charge. You can’t beat the trial policy if we have something that would be suitable based on your information
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Not a fan of beval ltds at all. They put you in a very bad position from my experience
Trumbull Mountain is a great place to do long distance shopping…you would have to send them a tracing and they are used not working with them. The only problem is, I don’t know if you can find a saddle in your price range from them. Stubben will probably be your best bet. There are tons on the market and they can fit a lot of different body types…you can get them for incredible bargains.
Does GA mean Georgia?! There are several consignment shops around Atlanta if you make a day trip…
Oh duh, nevermind. Montana.
