Hello, I was wondering if I could get some insight on some saddles.
When I was a kid my old barn used to mainly ride in Tad Coffin saddles so what I had previously been used to was the A5G and the TC2. If I remember correctly they were 17” and 17.5”. Most of them fit at the time and positively changed my position.
My current trainer does not like the Tad Coffin’s so I’ve branched out to try different types of saddles.
I tried an Antares Connexion recently in a 17.5 seat and 12.5 flap length. I was fighting for my position and there wasn’t enough clearance over the pommel of the saddle.
My femur measures out to about 58”, so I’m technically suited to a generous 17.5” to 18” seat
I’m 5’6 1/2 so I’m not super tall but I am a bit more pear shaped
I’ve been looking into Antares, Devocoux, or Voltaire. Any recommendations for saddles? It’s a whole new world to me now 
Are you riding your own horse or a school horse owned by your trainer?
If it’s your own horse, then I say to you: it’s your butt! and if a TC fits your horse and you, then pursue that option.
I finally just found a new saddle after over a year of looking (thank goodness for having a best friend built the same). I have decided that seat size numbers mean almost nothing. Or, at best, are reference within a brand. I am a whopping 5’2", but in an Antares, for instance, would need what is labeled an 18" seat with practically a pony flap 
Agree with fanfayre, if it is your own horse and you both like the TC, just keep trucking. If not, test ride in anything you can beg or borrow and keep a record of what size/model and whether you liked it. I took pics of the stamping of each saddle I borrowed so I could know exactly what it was as different models can ride very differently even within a brand.
Third vote for it doesn’t really matter what your trainer thinks.* If it’s your horse, find what fits your horse (first) and you (second), and get that.
*If your trainer has a legitimate reason for not liking the TC (it objectively puts you in an incorrect position for your discipline), then maybe you need something else, but be very sure you’re not picking a brand just because that’s what your trainer likes/uses. Horse and rider fit and rider positioning are the only things that matter.
And, some trainers get kickbacks from some brands.
The French brands (Antares is an exception as they have multiple trees and also use wool flocked panels) typically have short tree points and one basic tree shape (the fit is done through the foam panels) so a lot will depend on whether or not that shape saddle works for your horse. Personally, I don’t want to have to pay for new panels if/when my horse changes shape, so I buy wool flocked saddles, but your preference may be different.
As for your conformation, saddles with a more forward flap and a flatter seat work best for me. I have very long femurs. My jumping saddle is a Jeffries JMX, but if I were shopping now, I’d probably look at Antares and maybe Stubben. However, my new horse is a very typical TB shape and the short tree points would not work for him.
I feel this problem!!! More so in the deeper seated saddles - flat seats tend to feel roomier. But I felt like a busted can of biscuits in a 17” Antares Contact and Devoucoux Biarritz. I ended up in a 18.5” Devoucoux Oldara for a while and it looked like a great fit!
When I was leasing, I rode in a flat seat 17 Butet. I loved it. I still do. I bought a horse and decided to spring for a new, custom saddle, which made me even pickier. My new horse is more of a “seated” ride while my lease horse was a “light seat only” ride, so I wanted something to support my seat more. I ended up ordering a Prestige, and what made me select my particular model was that it is wider in the seat (28.5 cm across vs Butet’s 23 cm across), and WOW what a world of comfort. After just demoing in the saddle, I noticed where the Butet created pressure points. I don’t typically like deeper seated saddles, but this one doesn’t feel deep.
Just sharing my experience, OP! If it ain’t broke for you now, don’t fix it - saddles are expensive, and TC’s are nice. They hold their value nicely. BUT! If you’re looking for something to better support a facet of your riding, it won’t hurt to branch out and try a couple brands. I thought the Devoucouxs and Antares saddles I rode in were absolutely dreamy. I’ve never tried Voltaire for two reasons: one, they’re expensive so I was worried I’d love them too much only to have my heart broken if they didn’t fit my horse, and two, the used market is so saturated with them that it makes me a little nervous. However, I know plenty of people who are happy riders with happy horses in Voltaires.
So for me, when I sit in my Butet, I can feel the outer seams/edges of the seat digging into my outer buttock areas. It rubs/is uncomfortable. I wouldn’t say I’m pear shaped, but I will say that I carry extra/more weight in my lower half. For a better frame of reference, I’m about 5’2”, 135-140 lbs, and I wear a 26/28R Tailored Sportsman breech.
Oh! You meant you!!! I thought you meant the horse.
. Thank you for clarifying.
I’m glad to hear someone else feels this way. I’m a County fan through and through, but I would never even consider a, for instance, CWD, because there are SO many used ones out there. What is so wrong with them that people have to sell them so often? 
Oh no! But truth be known, my Butet also isn’t a fit for my guy. The angle of the tree is incorrect for his body shape and it appears too wide. It sits too low on his withers.
I like my Stubben Ascend. I bought it custom for my horse however his is currently out of commission for a few weeks. It has fit a few of the lesson horses I have ridden. It is pretty forgiving. It is wool flocked so can be adjusted. A few people have ridden in it and have really liked how comfortable it is.
I’ve purchased like 6 saddles in as many years: Beval, Antares, CWD, Loxley and 2 Stubbens. Stubben has by far the most customization options for horse and rider, and definitely more than any French brands seeks to fit the horse as best as possible.
My advice is to really research any brand you are considering buying new. Do they offer multiple tree sizes, how long are the tree points, how wide is the gullet, do they seem to actually care if the saddle fits the horse, etc. If you are buying the saddle for one horse, it needs to fit you both well and probably affects the horse’s soundness more than yours. If you are riding multiple horses, then you’d want to work with a brand/fitter who can steer you towards a tree setup that matches the type of horses you are riding.
I think it’s odd a trainer just doesn’t like a specific brand, especially TC. My barn is sponsored by CWD and I’d rather jump in my reining saddle than ever own another CWD and my trainers are fine with that.
I know one trainer that does not like Devacoux saddles. In her experience they make horses back sore in particular near the stirrup bar. I have heard this also from an independent saddle fitter. Therefore I can see where from a horse welfare a trainer may not like a particular brand. The balance point and where they put the rider may be fine. Another example of that is the Wintec and Bates. Many saddle fitters do not like the Cair panels as they can lose air unevenly and can cause pressure points along the seam of the “balloon” that is out of sight inside the panel. Once again more of a horse welfare issue.
From a well-known saddle fitter" Saddle Dissection: Antares and Devoucoux
One of the tedious tasks all my apprentices get to do is dissect saddles. If the saddle is in good shape, they also get to put it back together (usually accompanied by much crying and cursing).
@sd.saddlefitter and I took apart two French-made saddles, and we found the same tree and foam in these different brands."
This is why it’s funny to me when a trainer doesn’t like a brand, and specifically French brands. CWD, Antares, Devoucoux, Butet etc pretty much all use the same tree and the same foam flocking. It seems odd and indicative of not being educated on the different brands that a trainer would think one fits better than the other.
My understanding with the Devacoux is they set the stirrup bar deeper in the saddle so the rider is less able to feel the buckle from the stirrup. This means there is less foam under the stirrup bar so less padding against the horse. Or the same amount of foam but it is compressed more against the horse. Either way the horse can become sore in the area around the stirrup bar.
This is a complaint that 2 of my independent saddle fitters have about that brand. One of the 2 is also an equine massage therapist.
ETA: Fix typos
I don’t think anyone has asked: WHY doesn’t tour trainer like Tad (as we call his saddles)
Without knowing that I can’t direct you appropriately.
Is there a saddle she does like for you? Does she have everyone riding in it?
I have heard through the grapevine (so don’t quote me on this) that with CWD a lot of people buy them with the intention of fitting a specific horse, and once the saddle comes in or finishes being broken in, it usually doesn’t end up working for the horse or makes their back sore.
The Tad’s have not had much wither clearance for horses with a higher wither historically speaking and that is the reason for not liking them. More of a horse welfare thing, especially because I was planning to buy used not new and custom to one horse
