you’ve been told they mess up horses backs? I have NEVER heard that. and it would be the legacy… not the show jump or A/O.
I LOVE my Bates Saddles!
I have two Bates Saddles…the Bates Caprilli Dressage Saddle and the Bates Caprilli Close Contact Saddle. I use them for eventing (up to Novice Level thus far) and First Level Dressage. I am of moderate height (5’5") and they both fit me very well. I have a hard to fit TB mare who has moderate withers and a large shoulder with very animated movement. If she feels the slightest bit restricted, she will become very fussy if a saddle doesn’t fit just right. My trainer refers to her as “The Princess and the Pea”, because everything has to fit just right. The Bates saddles are wonderful. They are a great alternative to a custom saddle. They are allow you to customize not only the gullets, but the blocks as well. The Close Contact saddle has velcro spots for both a front and rear block. The saddles will come with a normal size block(s), but you can order additional sized blocks to create a more custom fit. I have NEVER had an problems with the CAIR panels as the one person described. In addition, many people that ride in our group have Wintecs of varying ages and no one ahs had trouble with the CAIR panels. The leather on the Bates saddles is very nice and has become nice and supple as they ahve broke in. Hope this helps:)
I event in the Pessoa XP3 with the interchangeable gullet. Mine is WOOL flocked and has gussets. I wasn’t a huge fan of the foam panels, but am very happy with the wool flocking. My saddler fit it properly to my horse and it is lovely. My trainer rides in it and loves it too. I have an albion also and while the leather isn’t as good as the albion, I still like it and it has worn well. It puts me in a great position and it’s comfy for both horsie and I.
I grew up with an Ainsley Chester which has carried me for about 10 event horses, from novice to intermediate. Last fall I had to bite the bullet and buy something new for my prelim horse as the Ainsley wasn’t fitting him (tree too wide.) I wound up with a Bates Momentum and I have to say that I love it. It is a bit of a different feel, but within 3 rides I forgot I was even in a new saddle. My coach (who only sees me every few weeks) was like, “uh, what happened to you and why do you ride so much better now?” It seemed to work well for my horse too.
I’ve just bought a new (wider) horse and thought about going back to the Ainsley…I had always planned to use it with any horse except Stevie (the narrow one.) After thinking about it though, I realized that I actually prefer my Bates. I still can’t believe it, but it is true!
I really liked the older style Bates Caprilli jumping saddle, which had nice leather and a deeper seat, but I wasn’t so impressed with the current model when I tried one earlier this year. Stiffer leather and a flatter tree. We also have a Pessoa pony saddle for our daughter, and I think generally the quality is not what it once was. I’ve oiled it and oiled it, and it’s still squeaky and fairly stiff. Not at all like the Pessoa I had several years ago. For the money, I think going with an English made saddle like Black Country or Albion is a better bet. I love my Albion jumping saddle and the panels are very wide and horse friendly. You have more room in a wool-flocked panel to adjust it, and I haven’t been that impressed with the Cair or the Flair air panels.
