I had an HDR Advantage and outgrew it and upgraded to the HDR Luxembourg ($1200 new, but bought unused from a lady for $600 because she had too many saddles and wanted it gone). All I’ve ridden in for the last 20 years. I’ve never had an issue with the stirrup leathers or anything with them. I don’t think HDR is the best of the best or anything, but definitely durable and work perfectly fine for me.
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i picked up an old Collegiate RD and an old Schleese Melody McFaden on Monday. Will be giving them both a test ride tomorrow.
Both of them were the only flat-ish saddles the tack store had.
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Good luck, I hope one of them works out! I’ve never had any experience with the Schleeses, but have always loved the RD Collegiates!
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I have an Intrepid and it’s often mistaken for a CWD. I’m a hard fit, or maybe just a tough customer, but I absolutely love it.
Figured I’d bump this with an update. I’ve been riding regularly in my Jorge Canaves and I LOVE IT. It fits me great, is super comfortable, and puts me in a fine position. Don’t be scared off by the AP-ness of it - IMO it feels like any semi-deep close contact saddle. It’s definitely not the prettiest piece of tack, but for the price it’s the best purchase I’ve made in a long time.
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I would give anything to get back my old pony saddle Beval Gladstone. I had a 15.5 or 15 that was a pancake and just amazing. Fit everything from fat warmbloods to weird tbs to ponies.
I sold it for spare change when I was not riding and didn’t have any need for it. I’d take it back in a heartbeat. It was probably a late 80’s/early 90’s edition, but it was fabulous.
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I had one of those!!! We had a horse that did not go well in anything BUT that saddle and sold it w him. I’d love to have it back.
It was truly my favorite saddle. I’d love to find it and get it back or find a similar one.
I don’t know. There is something to be said for the science and technology of trees and saddle building, which has been turned on its head in the last ~20 or so years. We have so many better, more ergonomic shapes and materials in tree sizes than we did at the turn of the century. In some ways the newer saddles can be better. That being said some parts of saddle figuration have remained unchanged for hundreds of years, so it’s really dependent on the horse.
I still love my Ainsley XC - it doesn’t seem to fit a single modern horse, but it always puts me in a great position and I feel super secure in it.
I’m not a fan of the less expensive or economy brands - I’m speaking outside of things like Antares or Hermes or CWD, which I consider more ‘luxury’ and ‘fast fashion’ saddles. A good quality saddle, made of good materials, using expert craftmanship, will be expensive – those Centaurs, Bates, HDRs, and Toulouses are cheap for a reason.
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Literally everything Beowulf said. I think the old saddles have some inherent weaknesses that make them generally not horse friendly - not saying they won’t fit SOMETHING, but they don’t fit MUCH. The term “Butet backs” exists for a reason, narrow channels and rails make for pinchy saddles.
That said, I myself have a cheapo interchangeable gullet saddle (Pessoa) that I keep around because it can be made to work temporarily for a lot of the TBs I ride, and it puts me in a decent position. Anything that sticks around for a while gets a fitted high quality saddle - usually used but there’s a few brands I’d order from if needed.
I think you get what you pay for, but you can also pay a whole lot for junk too.
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I consider my Kent and Masters saddle a less expensive saddle, but you can pry it from me when I’m dead. It fits my current horse like a glove and I think it’s extremely comfortable.
I rode him in so many different saddles, but my horse didn’t go any better in them than my current saddle. So we are sticking with what works. I tried to get him an expensive custom saddle.
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This can be true in many aspects, but many of the “improvements” on the newer saddles benefit the rider more than the horse. I have tried literal DOZENS of saddles where I said “oh! That’s NICE!” And my horse said “Absolutely NOT.”
But he demonstrably loves the Passiers I rider him in, and they are older than dirt. It’s clear to me, my trainers, and my vet. That said, Passier has boasted a wide gullet and a cut back pommel literal decades before they became popular with the French Saddles, which absolutely is key for my large WB with dino-sized shoulders.
Once he fills out more, then we will “upgrade” to a newer saddle with some knee rolls 
.
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