Reviews On Tekna Jumping Saddle

[Versatility]

I am looking at buying a schooling saddle, with a interchangeable gullet system. A local tack store that I go to can get them, and says that some people like them better then Wintecs. I want something low maintenance. I also don’t want to break my pocket right now and will potentially be doing lower level schooling shows and want something also nice enough to show in for a little while.

Interchangeable gullet is important to me, as I have a shark fin paint and a round but tall Appaloosa and ride TB’s from time to time as well. I need something I can change to fit everyone.

What do you think about the Tekna Saddles? How do they fit seat wise? Quality? Nice enough to show with? Any experiences?

Thanks in advance!

[jumpingstarr]

Love my Tekna so far, I’ve had it for a couple months.

Seat wise, I’ve always ridden in a 17" and this 17" fits just about like every other one I’ve ridden in I don’t know about showing at larger shows, but I’ve used it for some local shows, it’s so convenient to just be able to wipe it off with a damp rag and them boom it’s ready to show! MUCH nicer than a wintec at a comparable price, I definitely recommend!

This is a video of me riding in it, and I think it puts me in a pretty good position compared to my last saddle! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXfMUTJKwPI

[Personal_Champ]

You mentioned that you have 2 very differently built horses that you currently ride - just as a FYI, the Teknas are not (as are most other XCH gullets) designed to be changed daily, more of a growing horse/lease situation type gradual switch.

[swillowness]

[QUOTE=Personal Champ;7596796]
You mentioned that you have 2 very differently built horses that you currently ride - just as a FYI, the Teknas are not (as are most other XCH gullets) designed to be changed daily, more of a growing horse/lease situation type gradual switch.[/QUOTE]

Posting to agree with this. I had a Collegiate Diploma with the gullet system. Stupidly thought it could be changed between rides for different horses. Ended up breaking the system. Granted, the part that broke was very cheaply put together, but all the same, it broke. Very lucky that Stateline sent me a new one no questions asked! None of the gullet changing systems, whether it be the plates or the RTF/Genesis, are meant to be changed frequently. They will break, guaranteed.

As for the Tenka saddle, they look pretty awesome, especially compared to Wintecs! But if you’re wanting to save some money and ride different horses, it might be better to find two CHEAP saddles that fit the shapes of your mounts.

[jointhehunt]

I purchased a Tekna S Line Jump in June of 2013 to fit several high withered horses that proved to be hard to fit. The saddle has an excellent appearance and feel, hard to tell it is not leather. The seat has a ‘grippy’ texture to it like you find on newer leather saddles. The fit on our horses with the medium gullet has been exceptional; well balanced with the panels fitting evenly from front to back and good space in the gullet channel so the panels sit alongside the spine. The three horses we use this saddle on all have substantial withers, one with hollows behind the shoulder. All horses moved more freely. I did not change the gullet plate but did add a half pad for the horse with hollows.
Now the bad news, rider fit. The twist feels wide compared to what we have been riding in - much flatter ‘pancake’ Crosby type jumping saddles. We started using ‘leather’ leathers but they were almost impossible to get onto the stirrup bars as they are very recessed. Purchased the Tekna leathers to match and they are thinner than leather but much wider and still hard to get on and adjust.
The billets on the saddle are a touch wider than traditional leather billets and make girthing a bit difficult.
Now the real trouble - at the canter on any of the three horses with ANY rider the right stirrup leather will catch and roll under your leg if you move your leg at all. You cannot move your leg to cue for the canter without this happening. Once it rolls you can’t get it flat again without using your hand. This happens with any leathers we tried. We rode in the saddle for a month to give it a chance to ‘break in’ before I contacted a Tekna rep about the problems. I was told 30 rides was not enough to even break in a leather saddle. What?? The rep stated that the stirrup bars are tight to keep the leathers from slipping off. Nothing to address the rolling of the leather under your leg. So… we have continued to use the saddle and try to figure out what is going on. A year into it now -( approx 150 rides), it appears that the stirrup bar on the right side is set slightly too far forward so the leather falls onto the knee roll and causes the rider to be in a chair seat on the right side. You can actually see the leather hanging differently on the right side vs the left leaving a forward wear mark on the top edge of the flap where the leather comes off the stirrup bar. Last Friday my daughter and I decided that we just can’t ride in it anymore, too difficult to work on canter flatwork or fences - too bad for the horses that it fit well. I contacted Tekna again with my findings, giving them the whole history once again and I received a reply from the same rep stating almost the same response as before with the added statement that the problem with the ‘rolling leather’ has not been ‘seen or heard of’. The company rep told me I could return it to the place of purchase for an evaluation which will initiate an inquiry into the warranty.
On the whole I think this is a good saddle that meets the needs of a lot of riders/horses and this specific saddle has a flaw. After a year of use the saddle looks practically new, the panels show very little, if any, compression and I would have to say that I do not notice much difference in the overall feel of the saddle from day one – no real ‘break in’ it just seems the same. As for dealing with the company, I am not impressed so far. I will update after the seller contacts me about proceeding with the warranty process.

[Personal_Champ]

There is no “rule” on twist - some people like a wider one, some prefer narrow. Just because you don’t care for the twist on the Tekna doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be great for someone else.

I prefer a narrow twist, but my mare’s conformation dictates that her saddle has to be a wide twist, so I have a super-wide County for her. NOT my personal favorite, but it’s gotta fit the horse.