Schleese Saddles - fit and quality

[Flash44]

I just found out that Schleese makes Western saddles, and I have a very hard to fit horse. Actually it’s a 14 h pony, she is WIDE and small enough that most Western saddles are too long for her back. I’m considering taking her to one of the Schleese saddle fitting sessions in PA since I’ve been through several saddles and I’m not 100% satisfied with any of them. She is currently in a draft width Flex 2 tree, but I feel the saddle itself is too long for her.

Any opinions on these saddles, dressage, english, western, etc? They are very expensive!!! So I don’t want to get one if it’s not worth the money. The ony saddle I’ve ever really liked on this pony was a Duett in the 38 cm tree and a Wintec with the extra (maybe extra extra) wide tree when my son was younger and rode English. I am riding Western, so only consider Western saddles. But I would appreciate opinions from anyone riding (or rode) in a Schleese, especailly dressage riders. TIA!!

[Scribbler]

IYou do know that in North Americs there are many handicraft Western saddle makers who will build you a custom saddle, including choosing from a couple dozen trees, from the ground up to your exact specifications? For a fraction of the price of a “semi custom” English saddle?

They will choose the tree by visiting your horse, and you can specify the length of skirts to fit your horse. Also the kind of rigging, the horn style, seat style (flat or tipped back), leather colors, etc.

Here in Canada if a new Schleese dressage saddle costs $6000 a fully custom hand made Western saddle from an individual maker might start at $2000 depending on tooling.

I have never seen a Schleese Western saddle but have been unimpressed with how I have watched them oversell and not fit their English saddles.

Schleese like all the English brands is only semi custom. They use the same tree on all their saddles.

Find a reputable Western handmade place.

[Malda]

I rode in a Schleese recently, dressage saddle on a trail ride for an hour, extremely comfortable. I’m one of those women with a very wide pelvis and most saddles hurt, but not this one. Also, many saddles for me are “crotch killers”, but on a Schleese the pommel is very soft.

I’d also like to see other’s opinions about Schleese. They are expensive, but if I can finally have a comfortable ride I’ll save up. Hopefully the horse I’m looking at will pass the PPE, then I can start looking at saddles.

I’ve owned a Duett, those are also good saddles, but it hurt after about 20 minutes.

I’ve heard these are good quality Western saddles.

https://www.easyfitsaddles.com/custom-saddles

Are you looking for a woman’s saddle?

[ThreeFigs]

Look for a Western saddle with rounded skirts instead of squared ones. Also, have you looked at Western saddles built for Arabians? Built shorter for them. And Arabs are wide-backed, considering their size. I had one who wore the same saddle my Warmblood wore. A 6-inch difference in height and a 400 lb difference in weight.

You can probably find used Arabian saddles for a fraction of what you’d pay for a Schleese. Don’t buy a Schleese. Overpriced and not all that’s promised…

[findeight]

Schleese can’t get you a saddle that is not to long for your horses back because I doubt they offer any shorter tree length, which is what you need to start withbefore hanging leather on it…

It sounds like you have a decent budget so really think you can look for an actual Western Saddlemaker who can build you a real custom saddle from tne tree up. The rounded skirt idea a a great one but that option isn’t going to be offered on that wide a tree and bars. Normally see those on Arabs and other non bulky types.

Pricing on those true custom saddles depends on your individual choices in leather type, color and quantity, tooling pattern and intricacy, fender type, size and buckle, tree, seat configuration and detail ( like a strainer, suede, padding , stitched or not), rigging, ornamentation and so on. I know you can get a from scratch custom Western saddle in at least a workmanlike version, if not fancier, for what Schleese semi custom on their available tree will cost you, probably for less.

The trick is finding the custom maker. And a bit longer wait, the good ones are busy. But they are out there even if they aren’t famous household names to drop to impress all around you…least their saddles are actually custom.

[Malda]

There’s also Synergist. I don’t care for them, but I know people who won’t ride in anything else. The price is not bad and I know the quality is good, they last forever.

https://www.synergistsaddles.com/horse-saddles/custom-horse-saddles/western-trail-saddles/

[Sanely_Eccentric]

Jochen Schleese fitted my mare for a dressage saddle and it was remarkable how happy she was to work in it. I enjoyed the quality, the fit for her and comfort for me. For her short back and wide spine he designed it with shoulder relief, banana panel to take pressure off the back, and a wide channel.

At one time I was considering a western saddle and was looking at saddles with rounded skirts and a flex tree.

It really becomes a personal choice, saddle fit, and budget. Good luck in your search.

[amm2cd]

I have a whole barn of short backed to super short backed horses.
I do dressage and have been very happy with the Schleese options and fit. In a barn of wide shouldered, short backed horses (and ponies), saddle fit has been a priority and Schleese has fit voth rider and horse without sacrificing quality. Of course, my experience is only in dressage saddles and experience with fitters may vary.

your experiences may vary.

[Scribbler]

If the curve and drape of the Schleese tree is a good match for your horse’s back the saddle will be a good fit. If the curve and drape is not a good match it will never be a good fit no matter how the rep tweaks it.

This is true for every semi custom saddle.

Also note that while the founder of Schleese is a master saddle fitter the reps in the field that work on commission are not. And they have an incentive to over promise.

I have seen barn friends go through the Schleese semi custom $6000 saddle route and never get good fit. However these are the only people I know who bought semi custom saddles new from a rep so I am sure this problem isn’t limited to Schleese.

So some people get Schleese or whatever brand and it fits.

Some people get Schleese and it doesn’t fit, but either they don’t realize or they don’t find out for years.

I doubt Schleese ever says to a client what my independent saddle fitter has taught me to look for: this tree is just the wrong curve for your horse and will always bridge. You need another brand.

[Calhoun]

I have a Schleese, love it, so does my horse. The downsides in my experience are, you’re stuck with their reps whether they are company or independent reps. I had a independent rep tell me my saddle fit, and a company rep told me it didn’t. Unless a rep lives in your area, you have to wait on them, or ship the saddle to Canada which is expensive considering both ways. It’s also time consuming considering the 3-5 days each way for shipping. The reps are in my area three times a year. I find the office people to be professional and know the product, but they constantly change. To walk in your barn and do measurements the base price is $160 and goes up from there. I paid the independent rep $160 to fit the saddle only to turn around and pay the company rep another $160 for another fitting, plus additional costs.

[mvp]

OP, are you really willing to go in either direction? If so, I’d follow findeight’s advice. If you pick the right Western saddlemaker, you will do lots better. The saddle will be truly custom, the price will be lower, even for something that’s a work of art (if you are willing to pay anything close to $6K), and it will outlast you.

Not sure that Custom Saddlery will have the tree, panels width and rep in your area that can do the job you want, but they are another choice that’s comparable in some ways to Schleese with prices that start at $4500.

Once you get into the “have a fitter out” buying plan, I think it behooves you to become very educated yourself about what you like and don’t, and signs of good vs. bad saddle fit. I find that the saddle fitting process for horse and rider in a dressage saddle is hard enough that it just about becomes economically-smarter to buy one of these semi-custom things rather than trying to find a cheaper saddle that will serve you and shipping them back and forth (if you can find them) to test-drive yourself. The more unusual the shape of the horse’s back, the more this is true.

[Scribbler]

My other peeve about Schleese is that while the founder posts lots of general articles about saddle fit, the actual website mystifies fit a little.

If I rightly recall, the last time I looked the website basically said saddle fit can be so confusing, so trust us (and don’t worry your pretty little head, implied). They don’t talk about curve and drape. They do talk s lot about rider options, thigh blocks, etc.

They say the saddles are fully adjustable and leave it at that. But the saddles are no more fully adjustable than and other wool flocked plastic treed saddle. They can tweak the wither gullet in a press and they can add a bit of flocking.

They can’t change the basic shape of the tree or the saddle.

[HenryisBlaisin]

I have a Schleese dressage saddle, and it’s a beautiful, well-made saddle. The fitter I used did an excellent job of fitting it to my horse and he goes beautifully in it. It’s super comfortable, too-I’ve done several trail rides in it because it’s so comfortable. That said, it doesn’t fit me very well, and tends to put me in a chair seat–I bought it from someone I knew, but from several states away, so did not ride in it first, and it ended up a bit too big for me. That’s not to say they all put you in a chair seat (I’ve ridden in others that put me in a correct position) or otherwise have issues–I love the saddle, and it would fit a taller rider just fine. It just doesn’t fit ME.

[Wicky]

Henry, I found that I sit better in my Schleese if I put something on the stirrup bars (some braiding bands or a keeper) to push the stirrup leathers back a bit. This seems to fix the chair seat problem. Also make sure that the front is not tipping back.

[Flash44]

@ThreeFigs

Look for a Western saddle with rounded skirts instead of squared ones. Also, have you looked at Western saddles built for Arabians? Built shorter for them. And Arabs are wide-backed, considering their size. I had one who wore the same saddle my Warmblood wore. A 6-inch difference in height and a 400 lb difference in weight.

You can probably find used Arabian saddles for a fraction of what you’d pay for a Schleese. Don’t buy a Schleese. Overpriced and not all that’s promised…

They are not wide enough for her. She needs a draft width tree.

[Flash44]

I’m in Baltimore, and you can find anything and everything English but not so much for Western gear. And no Western saddle makers.

[ThreeFigs]

OK then. have you Googled Western Draft Horse Saddles? Lots of stuff comes up, and less expensive than Schleese. Yes, you’ll probably have to have the saddle shipped to you. Perhaps a wither tracing sent to the seller(s) will help narrow the field. And measure your horse from withers to croup so you know just how short the saddle needs to be.

Good luck in your saddle hunt. it’s the only thing more aggravating than looking for a new horse!

[Magicboy]

Just a word about quality…I rode in schleese saddles for many years and always found them a very high-quality.

[lorilu]

I have a hard to fit Lusitano. he is very short backed, wide, and has a slight roach in his back. Traditional western saddles did not fit at all. I found the Harmony western saddle - it has panels and a wide gullet like a dressage saddle. I have seen the Schleese - which came out after I bought my saddle - personally I think it is a little funny looking. Anyway, here is a link to the Harmony - and a second link to photos that show the panels http://www.westerndressageridinggear.com/harmony-western-dressage-saddle1.html
https://www.facebook.com/pg/WesternDressageRidingGear/photos/?tab=album&album_id=217859098368766

[Enkizu]

I do not recommend Schleese Western saddles. I own 3, all of which were custom made for my horses, and professionally fitted by a Schleese rep after they were created.

I posted elsewhere on this forum about this, but want to also post here. My hope is to save other people from what I went through and the lost time and money. When I started the journey to find a saddle for some of my very hard to fit horses; it was overwhelming. I gravitated towards Schleese because they had so much information and education. I believed their promise of extreme customization that could fit any horse and rider.

I had 5 horses measured by a Schleese saddle fitter and I bought 1 used dressage saddle had 3 custom western / hybrid saddles made specifically for those horses.

The process took almost 10 months from initial contact to saddle delivery, was very expensive. The saddles were very hit or miss. In one case an extreme miss. I expected after all that, the saddles would fit like a glove.

I was also frustrated with the customer support angle. When we tried to tell our saddle fit rep that things were really off with one of the saddles, we got tremendous pushback. When we contacted Schleese we were just directed back to the rep. We went back and forth with push back from the rep and Schleese, ultimately ended up keeping the problem saddle because we just didn’t want to deal with the rep anymore. It never remotely fit the horse it was made for despite trying all the ‘fixes’ the rep recommended.

Also, I feel like Schleese is much better at English saddles than Western ones. In this industry, watch out for anyone claiming they can tackle every type of horse, every type of rider, and every discipline. It would be amazing if there was truly a one-stop-shop, but there isn’t.