Hello COTH hive-mind. I have a lovely 2007 Devoucoux Oldara that I love but that does not quite fit my new mare right. I’ve been tossing around the idea of having the saddle repaneled with the newer D3D technology. Has anyone done this? Would you mind sharing your experience? Possibly the cost as well if you’re comfortable?
TIA
Is the tree a good match? Are you able to use it with shims? If so you could probably get new panels to fit her. If the tree is not a good match, then no. Your saddle fitter can tell you.
it’s a nice static fit, but gets a little low in front when i’m in the tack. haven’t yet tried to shim for that as this was our first ride in this particular saddle.
That is generally due to the wither gullet being too wide for the horse. If it’s relatively minor then in a wool saddle adding flocking will help. In a foam saddle I guess you just need shims. If the gullet is way too wide though you need a narrower tree.
this particular saddle has a scapula brush and i wonder if that’s just enough “space” to allow the saddle to sit down just enough when i’m in the tack. i’ll try a front shim and see. thank you!
Had to look that up! It means the panel is thinned out over the shoulder, to allow more movement? Yes that would do it.
If it were me, I would find a good saddle repair person to convert to wool flocking. There’s more adjustability and may save you a bit of money over redoing the foam panels. However, it’s all a matter of preference and in your case adding a shim pad may make enough of a difference in fit.
Yuppers - it’s supposed to allow more shoulder room/freedom but doesn’t seem to be helping me out here exactly. lol
I’ve been told by several saddlers that they can’t change them to wool because of the space available for putting on wool panels? If you happen to know of a saddler that does quality work in that conversion, I’d love to know about. 
This is exactly true. The foam panels are much slimmer than wool, and if you swapped out in a casewhere the foam was an OK fit as seems the case, just needs tweak, the saddle would not fit the horse afterwards.
100% true. Not everything is a good candidate for foam to wool conversion. I will pm you crimsonsky. I have a good friend who is an independent saddle fitter that does a lot of distance fittings.
You should not replace the foam with wool, but a good Saddlers will replace the entire panel.
i’ll likely have the Devoucoux rep out when they’re back working (on furlough due to COVID) and see what can be done. i’m certainly not opposed to having the panels replaced i was mainly curious about cost and experience.
I had the panels on my CWD saddle ( same saddle company) replaced due to saddle fit for new horse. Depending on if their saddle shop is currently open, I think it took two weeks to get it replaced and shipped back to me. Easy process. I felt it was worth it to get the saddle I loved to fit the new horse. Done it a few times with other saddles as well. I think it’s costs $500, which is cheaper than getting another saddle. When the rep comes out to fit the horse, they will take notes on the saddle, and they will ship it back for you.
At least as of a few years ago, Devoucoux would not replace a standard panel with a D3D- I think because of the way it ties into the tree. I ended up buying the D3D and didn’t regret it. My horse had 2’ more stride in the D3D than the previous saddle, or when I sat on him bareback. Also confirmed by my skeptical vet, who thought I was being ridiculous getting a new saddle.
I have to echo Renaissance, when I was saddle shopping Devoucoux told me they can only convert saddles made after D3D came out (I think 2012 or so?). They could probably repanel your 2007, but it would just be regular foam. My horse and I loved the D3D when we tried them, I wish I could have found a used saddle that had them but when I was shopping it was still a very new upgrade. Oh well, maybe next time!
ah that’s a bummer. i’ll see what they say and probably get the panels replaced regardless of if it end up keeping the saddle or not. i really like it, but no point if i can’t use it on any of my horses. 
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
