Saddle brands … opinions please!

[shadesofbay3]

i have a saddle fitter for my new horse coming out this week… she came highly recommended, and is independent/not connected with a brand.

when reading the initial email she sent me, it looks like if my current saddle is able to be worked with or she is able to help me with obtaining a saddle of one of the three following brands (i’ll list below)

i haven’t heard of the brands and was wondering what everyone’s opinion of them was… was hoping that she potentially was more open/in contact with other brands as well, though maybe that is ignorant of me

the saddles she would be able to customize or design are the loxley, bliss, or cavaletti

fyi i do the hunters and will be doing low level stuff, local shows, potentially stepping into rated one day, nothing more than 3’0

[Laurierace]

Old school UK brands. Not something I would buy but may suit your needs

[LazyA1]

There is a large group of Facebook fitters that do not like French saddles or any other saddle with short tree points. They seem to be of the opinion that any saddle with short tree points will not fit.

Those fitters love those old school UK brands. I believe they also tend to be more versed in dressage than hunter/jumper.

I understand their theory, but my fitter is more open minded and I have horses that go well in various short tree point saddles, Antares, delGrange, Tad Coffin are my present saddles.

I would look for a more open minded fitter.

I also think that a big factor that no one mentions in saddle fitting is the riders weight and balance. Perhaps a heavier and less balanced rider DOES need to be more careful about tree points, I do not know.

[GreyDes]

Loxley and Bliss are “sister” brands. I believe Bliss is the higher end version. I’ve ridden in a couple of Loxley saddles and they’re well balanced with nice quality leather.

If you want a wool flocked saddle, they’re certainly worth considering. https://www.bliss-of-london.com/

[shadesofbay3]

may i ask why?

[Laurierace]

Just preference. They tend to look plain and boring to me. I have a four year old who could use a hoop tree so we looked at those brands but opted to go with Prestige instead

[trakehners]

The fitter that we use carries Bliss amongst a few other brands (Kent & Masters, Fairfax, Patrick Saddlery) and it’s what probably half of my barn rides in, including my trainer. Off the rack they aren’t terribly exciting to look at but most of the people that I know who have them have custom ones which are actually quite nice. There’s lots of little details that can be added which make them look a lot fancier.

I have a wildly different brand (Erreplus) and had no issues having her fit it for me—she congratulated me on being one of the only people she’s seen who impulse-bought a saddle at the KY 5* that actually fits their horse, lol. I prefer my saddle to the various Bliss saddles that I’ve gotten to sit in but I also don’t fit in those saddles since I’m way taller than most of the other people at my barn so that definitely contributes to my bias.

[chocolate_chip_in]

I needed a hoop tree for my chunky monkey pony cross, and an independent fitter put us in a second-hand Loxley. I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but I really, really like the saddle. It’s well made, the leather is high quality, it’s comfortable, and my trainer says she loves my posture and leg position in it. It’s a pretty saddle with some nice piping, but after trialing five or six saddles that were complete fails, I couldn’t have cared less what it looked like as long as it fit both me and my tricky little creature.

[HipNo34]

Which to me is every bit as bad as the teenager (or teenager type) that only wants a French saddle.

Coming from the generation of “buy a medium a tree and call it a day,” I try to follow these groups to learn something. I do recognize that the thinking has evolved for the better. However, there’s a strain of judgy-ness in these communities that I find off-putting. There’s one account in particular that can yield some useful stuff but the comments section feels more like Regina George and Her Hallelujah Choir than a discussion.

And to that end, I do recognize social media is not necessarily a good go-to for learning…anything.

If anyone can recommend some agnostic educational resources, I’m ready to make notes.

[fourfillies]

I had a similar fitter out. Her brands (Bliss; Loxley and a third that looked and rode similarly) were just too much saddle for me to be comfortable in. She ultimately recommended a Tad Coffin. Horse loved it immediately. Took me some getting used to but I love it too. Hopefully your fitter is able to make other recommendations too.

[Baybear]

A barnmate of mine got a CWD which supposedly fit her horse but didn’t fit like the test ride. She then got a Loxley which whe really likes, it puts her in a much better position, fits her horse better too. Interestingly no one seems interested in her CWD which she’s had for sale for over a year now. Apparently there are alot of CWDs for sale?

[Laurierace]

CWD is a horrible company with horrible reps who will say anything they can to separate you from your money then disappear after the sale is made. As a result the market is FLOODED with people trying to unload their saddles

[CanteringCarrot]

The individual that owns Loxley/Bliss/Cavaletti used to have ties to Black Country, so you may find some similarities there.

Cavaletti is the more “budget friendly” line out of the three. Honestly, if you like how the saddle feels while you’re riding and the horse does too, that’s what really matters. I don’t buy a new saddle based on if it looks cool to me or not. It’s all about feel. Although, I wouldn’t be able to do certain colors, I think.

Bliss has some more “interesting” looking saddles that aren’t so plain if that’s a concern. I wouldn’t hesitate to own any of the three if my horse went well in the saddle and it suited me, personally. If you really don’t get along with the brand(s) then find another fitter.

I do have some preferred brands, but if the fitter has a good reputation, I’m generally willing to try what they have on offer unless I know for sure that it’s not something for me (ridiculously wide twist, for example). The fitter could be more open minded, but sometimes that goes for us too

[Alterrain]

@Laurierace

CWD is a horrible company with horrible reps who will say anything they can to separate you from your money then disappear after the sale is made. As a result the market is FLOODED with people trying to unload their saddles

This x100

[shadesofbay3]

I ended up with a Prestige

[Baybear]

Is that the reason why so many are for sale? A gal at my barn got one about a year ago, now is getting a new horse. I hope for her sake her CWD fits him - they don’t seem to be moving much in the resale area.