No, have not found a saddle yet. Please do message me your person’s contact info, and Thanks 
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It is a stretch for her. Her husband isn’t that happy about it. She also didn’t plan on spending anything close to that when she went to the fitting. There are a lot of used dressage saddles that give the same security of the deep seats and knee rolls that are not $7,000. Heck even if they truly gave her a used price on the one she got I would understand. I think that $7,000 for a used Schleese when they are about $8K used is more than the normal market price on these things. There are plenty of them used for closer to $2K or even less. Pelham Saddlery has 5 or 6.
I know that going downhill in an English saddle can be interesting. I ride in an old Beval Devon 2000. It is new enough to have padded flaps but still no knee rolls or blocks of any kind. Yes, I paperchase and trail ride in it. I plan on foxhunting in it. However I am a younger rider than she is and more confident. Everyone has their own comfort level and I am good with that. In my area it is kinda rare to see Western riders unless they are on gaited horses. We are heavily an English area. She would not be open to Western anyway and not a synthetic saddle.
There comes a point sometimes that it is easier to just spend the money rather than spend time trying to find the same feel in something less expensive. I think I am a little jaded about brand reps versus an independent fitter. Therefore I don’t necessarily fully trust her advise.
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Oh I agree that’s a very high price for a used saddle. I stay clear of the local saddle reps. I’m capable of sourcing a good enough saddle and getting an independent saddle fitter to reflock.
My trail saddle is 2001 Passier Optimum with modest knee rolls. I thought I’d need a Western saddle for back country but it turns out anything I am willing to take horse down, I can stay in the saddle ok.
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Did someone say banks? Hills???
Back “in the day”… Nelson Pessoa and Grand Geste
Courtesy of Showjumping Hall of Fame
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$7K I think your friend drank the Kool-aid. She very much could have gotten a new saddle custom to her horse for that price. If true, she needs to contest this with her fitter. And she needs to be firm.
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I’m sorry this happened to your friend. It sounds like the fitter played on her insecurities as a rider to convince her to spend above her budget. Schleese marketing has always been quite aggressive and I can see where someone might buy a saddle because it makes her feel safer. I think there are a lot of used Schleese saddles on the market for far less than $7K. I’ve owned two and paid less than $1K for each of them (jump saddles). If she’s feeling burned, she should check and see if there are similar used saddles (same model and size) to see what they are selling for and then go back to the fitter/distributor and see if they will make her right.
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Sad update after seven months:
Cantering happily along yesterday, when I heard/felt two clunks under the pommel. My horse moved as if he’d been goosed, and I noticed that the pommel had dropped more than an inch toward my TB’s withers. Untacked and turned the saddle upside down. The gullet has lost all its integrity.
This saddle had been fine. It had been adjusted well enough for my middle-aged horse to use his back, and I hadn’t worried that it had some miles on it.
When I spoke with the fitter/saleswoman last night, she said the gullet plate had probably broken and would neither hazard a guess as to what a repair would cost nor agree to a loaner or replacement. She also said something to the effect of: You knew that saddle had a ton of miles on it.
Age notwithstanding, seven months is not long enough for a saddle (or any item more than $50) to last without a debilitating breakdown.
I’m super bummed. It’s back to bareback for me until the dealer/fitters can make this remotely right.
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Was this the used Schleese? This is a risk with saddles that can be adjusted because the gullet plate does not last forever with multiple adjustments.
Mine broke on my older Schleese at a horse show… now my fitter had warned me and prepared me but until it happened… but I bought my saddle new and when the lifetime warranty was in effect so I only had to pay shipping to Canada (not back to me). This was also a known issue with the Hennig tree mine was built on… of course not known to me back when I bought it lol.
Sorry this happened to you! Maybe find out from other saddle shops that do repairs a cost to see if it’s worth it?
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Yes, it is a well-used Schleese. Though it had cosmetic signs of use, it felt better to me, and I think to my horse, than the other three the dealer/fitter offered. No one warned me that the gullet plate might fail. In particular, not within seven months of purchase. :-/
The fitter said yesterday she would price a repair and get back to me. We’ll see.
Popping in here to add my own experience—I had a Schleese fitter out in the fall to look at my (non-Schleese) saddle and was almost immediately told that the panels were too long (I need an 18” and my horse is short-coupled). They tried very hard to sell me on a Schleese, but after riding in a couple demo saddles, I couldn’t stand the twist in them (and was not financially or emotionally in the position to drop $7k on a new saddle after being told that the $7k new saddle that I’d bought used for $4500 wasn’t a good fit) so I just made my excuses and popped over to our local independent tack store that weekend.
They found me a saddle for $800 that fit me well enough and that my horse seems happy in (after I took a few on trial to see which ones he expressed his disdain for—apparently he hates foam panels) and I figured that would tide me over til I could figure out what to do with my supposedly poorly-fitting monoflap. Fast forward to recent weeks and both my trainer and I have been feeling a bit skeptical about what I was told, so today I marked where the panels end on my horse’s back for both my monoflap and the cheap saddle, and in a shocking turn of events, they end in the exact same place 
I’m going to have my trainer’s fitter look at my monoflap the next time she’s out to see if she can tweak the flocking for my horse or if more substantial modifications are required, but I am so beyond frustrated with this whole affair. My consolation is that I didn’t get convinced to buy one a Schleese and the one that I did buy in the interim will be a good backup if I ever get a project horse or am riding other people’s horses in my own tack. Ugh.
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About the twist… schleese’s new “proLite” system changes the feel of the saddles. The twist is still narrow, but they are wider BELOW the twist. I bought an Obrigado with that system after riding in it for a short while (maybe 10 minutes?) I knew I wanted an Obrigado as I’d had them before, and had one whose panels too long for the horse. It tood a few weeks, but I finally figured out that my hip hurt because the saddle was pressing my femurs apart below my hip joint.
I was annoyed when the fitter said - Didnt you notice when you tried it? Well, no, not in 10 minutes!!
They sold it on consignment (I took a big loss 
) and sent the other older schleese in to have the panels replaced. Love it.
I have since ordered another Obrigado for a different horse and I am pleased; I DISLIKE the fact they expect ONLY their reps to work on it (or warranty is void).
A good friend and ocassionally my trainer has also decided the ProLite system is not for her.
You have to ask for the “classic” style…
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My Schleese fitter/dealers basically washed their hands of me, telling me to go directly to Schleese customer service.
While apologizing profusely, the offered me a free fitting, valued at $300-plus, and a $700 fix for the ca. 2005 saddle I paid $1800 (including a fitting) for seven months ago. The rep tells me the repaired saddle will be worth $1600 when finished. I simply don’t have the money to spend that kind of money on a saddle I just bought.
My next move is to ask for a $1000 refund. I’ll send them the saddle to fix and resell.
I hope they do it for you, especially since they sold you the saddle!
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I had great service from the first fitters and the main office. I hope you get the same from the main office.
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Tacking on another question to this thread (Sorry to highjack!) but does anyone know what the difference is between the numbers stamped?
I get the tree style difference between the W, E, H, and S, but what do the other number/letter combos indicate?
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I grabbed a picture I had on my phone (not
My saddle but a friends)
I’m not sure for first four numbers if it is anything more than a serial number. The middle S is the schleese adapt-a-tree. 0809 is when it was made, so august 2009. SR means shoulder relief panel. There is also RE which is rear wedge. 4-18 means panel size 4 and seat size 18.
Hope that helps!
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I’ve had the same experience in a “fleece-ya” saddle.
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I had both a JES Elite and an Infinity. They worked great for my horses, but my follow-up appointments were basically fine-tuning the flocking as opposed to tree adjustments. I’m so disappointed to hear of the problems others are having.
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I have had with great luck with my Schleese saddles until this past year - no one has been out to our area to do saddle fittings in over 18 months. My experience with Custom was a total disaster - each fitting made the saddle worse, so I sold it.
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I bought bought a new Prolite. My mares back is happy (has been checked multiple times by vets, chiro and body worker), she seems happy (she’s a mare, are they ever happy?
) and my back is happy. I tried the obrigado and she hated it which is interesting because the prolite is the obrigado but with the new psi panels. She also likes the Let’s Dance but I didn’t like the seat. Also has the psi panels. There’s something to be said for those.
The twist is different. It drops strait down which is a good thing, just not what I’m used to. I’m used to a lot more “saddle” which turns my knees out, is more comfortable but not the best position. I can actually put my legs where they are supposed to be and I’m nicely over her center of gravity. I can feel my seat bones. I had none of those with my supposedly fitted Stubben.
My previous saddle was super comfy but I was fighting it all the time. The fitter never saw an issue.
I’m not pro brand fitters or pro independent fitters, I’ve had good and bad experiences with both.
As for Schleese being the only ones who can adjust your saddle or you void the warranty, Stubben is the same. I’m sure other brands are, too.
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