[QUOTE=jn4jenny;8285626]
Annette Gavin in Pennsylvania sells Thorowgood, and her saddle-fitting crew sometimes works at a distance. They have a better trial policy than Dover, too (10 days). The question is whether she’ll have one in stock for you to try. They tend to sell like hotcakes. http://www.hastilowusa.com/saddles/thorowgood-saddles.html[/QUOTE]
Thanks, jn–I’ll give her a try 
I have no saddle fitters within probably at least 300 miles of me. So my opinion of these saddles was formed by my own experience. I think they’re great saddles. I can count on one hand the number of dressage saddles I’ve found that I can actually ride in, and the Thorowgood is one of them. They have SO many more fit options than the wintecs and are better looking in general. For the price, you can’t beat them if you want a new saddle.
I had a Thorowgood T8 High withered dressage and it was the most comfy saddle I ever owned. The seat is not as deep as other dressage saddles but for lower levels its divine. I now have a Kent and Masters MGC GP and love it too. They are great saddles from same factory and saddle fitters here loooove them.
Not that it’s needed, but I’ll throw in another rave review for the Thorowgood/Kent and Masters saddles. I own one of each, and both of my horses and I love them.
I get compliments on the Kent and Masters wherever I go. It looks like any other expensive saddle.
No one in the CoTH dressage forum has anything bad to say about something? It’s a day to mark on your calendars! :yes:
I have an older (2009) T8 High Wither Dressage model and it is my favorite saddle I’ve ever owned. Comfortable, secure, puts me in a good position, and fits Princess Sharkywithers like a glove. My fitter loves it too. He’s not a fan of “adjustable” saddles usually but he very much likes this one.
Should I show this thread to the saddle fitter? 
[QUOTE=Mukluk;8288621]
Should I show this thread to the saddle fitter? :D[/QUOTE]
Sure, although it would be even better if you showed her an actual, recent Thorowgood saddle. You’d get a better sense, then, of what she did and didn’t like about it.
JMHO: Unless this fitter says ridiculous illogical things about a Thorowgood T8 when you put it under her nose, try not to be too hard on her. Saddle fitters are on the road a lot. They have limited time to sit around on the Internet looking at competing brands…and with 150+ saddle brands in the world, staying up with the latest and greatest takes a lot of time. Ask me how I know. 
So unless a client like you happens to have a certain brand in your tack room, fitters might go years between seeing them.
On the subject of thorowgood - has anyone tried the new T8 low profile dressage for their wide/round types? How flat are the panels, front to back? I’ve had the cob dressage saddle before (kent & masters) and actually have a T8 all purpose, and am interested in this newer one.
Referring to this guy
Both independent saddle fitters I’ve used recently sell them. Like any saddle they are not a magic fit for every horse and situation but they fit well in many situation and are a great value.
[QUOTE=myhorsefaith;8289063]
On the subject of thorowgood - has anyone tried the new T8 low profile dressage for their wide/round types? How flat are the panels, front to back? I’ve had the cob dressage saddle before (kent & masters) and actually have a T8 all purpose, and am interested in this newer one.
Referring to this guy[/QUOTE]
My horse is not wide/round but is extremely flat from back to front and I was really disappointed that the panels on the T8 dressage (standard model, not cob) were WAY to curvy for her, because I heard that Thorowgood/Kent and Masters are a good choice for flatter horses. That said, I’m not sure if the cob model has a flatter tree than the standard model. I did not try the cob model as I didn’t want the “lower profile” and shallower seat as I find the standard model to have quite an open seat already.
I did really like the comfort and feel of the standard T8 and it seemed very well made for such a “cheap” saddle. I’m sad it didn’t fit my horse.
Ya, that is why I ask. I’ve owned quite a few Kent and Masters dressage saddles - both the original series (which are akin to the shallow-seated thorowgood models), both in original and cob, and a couple of s-series, which have the deeper seat that the new thorowgood dressage models also now have. I believe my s-series were not low-profile, not sure they existed just yet when I purchased them. Whatever I did have, the panels on my s-series were a bit too curvy and angled for my horse.
The original, shallow seat in cob has pretty flat, short panels. I liked how it fit my gelding except that it was just too shallow for my needs. I’m wondering if the new low-profile panels are as flat as the cob panels are/were. I do wonder about the r-bar being used versus the s-bar, as well.
My dilemma is currently that his medium-wide BC eloquence X is working for him (yay), albeit a teeny tiny bit too wide - easily corrected with a sheepskin and super thin shim. He’s not terribly wide, just very very flat. The saddle, however, is too big for me. Originally it worked great for me too when I had to ride him with a shorter stirrup (big/uncadenced pacing standardbred learning to trot and canter)…but now he’s got his act together and I can ride with a much longer leg. The lengthening of the stirrup now I can’t sit where I need to sit- i feel like my leg is being pulled into a chair position and the whole thing is just awkward.
Getting a smaller seat size of the same saddle will likely be what I need to do - but I need to sell the one I have first to try it and ultimately help pay for it. Was hoping that perhaps the t8 low-profile could be a decent in-between saddle while I sort that out. I also thought of perhaps a wintec but I have used one on him before I found the BC, and while the panels are flat enough it was not stable enough on top of his back and wanted to move around a lot.
[QUOTE=myhorsefaith;8290755]
My dilemma is currently that his medium-wide BC eloquence X is working for him (yay), albeit a teeny tiny bit too wide - easily corrected with a sheepskin and super thin shim. He’s not terribly wide, just very very flat. The saddle, however, is too big for me. Originally it worked great for me too when I had to ride him with a shorter stirrup (big/uncadenced pacing standardbred learning to trot and canter)…but now he’s got his act together and I can ride with a much longer leg. The lengthening of the stirrup now I can’t sit where I need to sit- i feel like my leg is being pulled into a chair position and the whole thing is just awkward.[/QUOTE]
So this is a Hail Mary punt, and it may not be applicable to your situation…but sometimes, you if you slide a sturdy band onto your stirrup bar, you can make the stirrup hang further back on the bar and thereby get out of the chair seat position. I’ve seen people do it with dee ring savers, those little rubber bands that help secure a horse blanket clasp, cow castration bands, etc. Can’t hurt to try.
You could also get Smith Worthington to retrofit your saddle with adjustable stirrup bars, but that’s $$$ so you’d have to love everything else about the saddle.
I gotta say…the Thorowgood T8 Low Profile would not be my pick for a horse that’s built for the BC Eloquence X. The T8 series tends to be pretty curvy. Your comment about Wintec makes me hesitant to recommend anything without a hoop tree, but for a flat-backed horse that needed a “get me through a few months” saddle, I’d be more likely to recommend the Tekna S Line Dressage.
sigh - deep down that is what i thought…wishful thinking, right?! Thank you jn4jenny for being the voice of reason.
Now if only we could find someone with gobs of money to design a more affordable adjustable hoop tree saddle w/ a deep dressage seat & narrower twist (thank you BC for figuring out how to do that!) with the quality that thorowgood puts into their saddles. asking for too much? :lol:
Saddle fitter will be in town mid september, I think I may get the T8 as a trial and not tell her what it is- just “what do you think of this one?”
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
