Saddles similar to county epiphany?

[escherichia]

Hi there! Long time lurker and am hoping to tap into your depth of knowledge in my dressage saddle search. I’m an eventer and have been riding in mediocre dressage saddles for years, and decided to put some of what I saved by not showing in 2020 towards a better dressage saddle as we eye a prelim move up.

I’m working with an awesome saddle fitter who herself works with several brands, and completely fell in love with the County epiphany w/ forward flap she brought out - I think it was a combination of the close feel and deep seat. Unfortunately it is 100% out of my budget even on the used market, and I didn’t love anything else she brought out (including the other County models).

At this point I think my wish list is:

• deep seat, narrow twist
• wool flocked
• forward-ish flap (or just not super straight, to accommodate a long femur)
• monoflap, or similar feel
• possible to find an 18" M used for under $3500 max

Can anyone here speak to other brands/models that might feel similar to the forward flap epiphany? I’ve heard some of the Custom Icon models (specifically the Alpha and Star) might feel similar, anything else?

Thanks in advance!

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

Agreed that the Epiphany is a fabulous saddle, I loved the one I tried. If I didn’t have a horse requiring a fully custom build I would probablybuy one. In my view Custom is a pale imitation of the thinking behind the Epiphany. I owned an Icon Star for several years, have ridden in many other Customs. I hated the Star and got rid of it. The whole design locks you in place. It’s a fantastic brand for riding rank horses, but in my view they’re terrible for dressage. Much of the subtle communication of the seat is lost, I think of those saddles as fitting for the “crank and spank” crowd.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I have an Epiphany with forward flaps. LOVE it. I balked at the price too but my mare is hard to fit and finding something used was going to be a crapshoot. Ended up purchasing the Epiphany that my fitter brought out on trial, financed it thru County - via Klarna. When all is said and done knowing the saddle fits and is going to last a long time made it work the investment.

[no.stirrups]

Harry Dabbs Allure?

[blue_heron]

I think my Trilogy Verago fits that bill-- everything except the forward flap maybe. I am 5’4" with a long femur and it fits me perfectly. I can comfortably ride in a number of County models. I can’t do anything with a wide twist, and I can’t do the Customs, the stirrup bar is too far forward and makes me feel like I’m falling off the back.