I’m starting the dreaded search for a new close contact saddle and after sitting in a few, have found that I prefer a flatter seat. I could really use a couple of recommendations for brands that carry a flatter seat saddle in an 18" seat.
I do show hunters.
My price range is $1500, but for the right saddle I may go to $2000.
Thank You.
The Pessoa Gen X has a flat seat and is within your budget (new).
You can usually find an older used Tad Coffin in that price range.
ainsley.
Tad Coffin. Remember that these run a little small, so this is one time you really should insist on an 18" and not compromise for the 17.5" that seems like a deal.
Besides having a flat seat, I think you need to ask yourself if you want the balance of the saddle to be forward, such that you sit right up by the pommel. I like to ride there. So I look at the shape of the seat not only in terms of depth, but where (front to back) the deepest point is. I also look at how much like a box or a U the seat is. In other words, is the deepest point pretty long? Or is it short such that you have just one place to set?
Just looking for a shallow seated saddle usually means you won’t find a saddle with a seat that locks you into one position. But that doesn’t mean that the converse is true: That all shallow seated saddles will let you sit up by the pommel if that’s what you like.
So if the TC is a saddle with a shallow seat that lets you sit up front, I find the County Stabilizer to be one that puts me farther back in a way I don’t like. Others will tell you differently. They probably have longer femurs than I do. But that’s another famously-shallow saddle.
Hope this helps.
Tad Coffin A5
If you’re okay with used, a lot of older Crosbys have really flat seats. It may be hard to find one in your size that is in show condition, though. Exselle does make old models of Crosbys upon request though. It is the same factory that the Miller’s-era Crosbys were made in and they can make any of the older models for you! I am regrettably not very familiar with newer brands, but I think some Bevals may have a relatively flat seat.
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