They are not flexible trees in the sense you’re thinking, like the flexible some endurance saddles are. Tad was one of the first to use carbon fiber in saddle trees and the smartride is a polymer I believe. The panels used to be wool but are quite thin and the entire design was meant to be wide with generous width around the spine and the fit changed with pads.
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Ooh… show me those!
My favorite dressage saddle is a Stubben Tristan Special. Those are the PdN of dressage saddles-- a bareback pad with stirrrups.
You have to ride by balance and core in those because there’s just not a whole lot to grip onto. But they also really help that cause by allowing you to sit up by the withers.
To me, the very worst feature of the modern, big block saddles is that they are built on trees that are like cut-back headed ones. That means you are put at least 4" further back when the saddle is fitting the horse. That’s a harder, rougher-riding place on the horse’s back to sit.
The problem, however, is that very few saddles built to fit wide (or at least modernly-wide) horses are designed to let the rider sit close up to the withers. I think the French and Italian saddles will do this, but I don’t think their basic tree design accommodates wide horses well.
Any suggestions?
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Have you found a modern, well-fitting saddle that let’s you sit up close to the withers like the Tristan/Willi Schulteiss saddles did? I want that!
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Gosh, I want and NEED this due to my cervical dystonia in my neck.
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Equipe and Prestige have come the closest to replicating this for my personal conformation.
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I do remember a previous conversation with the OP and want to state that saddle fit for the horse is just as important as saddle fit for the rider.
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Maybe the Genesis??? I believe Catherine Haddad switched to that model after clinging to the Schultheiß forever……
I had a Tad Coffin dressage saddle on trial for a week or so a few years ago. My horse loved it, even though my saddle fitter said it was technically too narrow in the tree for her. We’d borrowed some TC jump saddles for a while, which she also went well in, so I wasn’t surprised that she liked the dressage saddle. I’ve always assumed it was the flexibility of the tree that made it work for her even though sitting on her statically, it appears too small.
From my perspective, I loved that it let me sit super close to her back. I didn’t feel insecure in it even with the flat seat - probably because I felt like I was practically bareback and could get my leg around her more than I could in my then Hennig princess. Unfortunately, it put me in a chair seat that I couldn’t work my way out of, so I didn’t keep it.
I ended up with a Black Country Equinox in a MW tree, if that gives you an idea of how wide my mare is. She’s an Oldenburg with a normal albeit somewhat longer wither and a well-sprung ribcage. I bought the saddle used, so don’t know for sure, but it might even be a hoop tree in the saddle rather than a standard tree.
OP being me? Or that Jean Luc guy?
If so, well, thanks so much for telling me that saddle fit is important for the horse!
I’m arranging for a Tad Coffin trial saddle and have also a heads-up to a saddle fitter.
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Prestige D1, and I’m guessing the D2, although I haven’t sat in it. Stubben Genesis series as well.
Eh, aren’t we lucky to have choices nowadays.
Find a correctly balanced saddle for your horse that puts you in a decent position and that you are confident and comfortable in and go enjoy your ride.
Life’s too short for anything else.
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The Prestige D1 for sure, and some of the Amerigo saddles have a forward balance.
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