Schleese Wave saddle feels disconnected from horse's back

[greengirl]

I just demo’d a Schleese Wave dressage saddle for a week. It’s incredibly comfortable to the point that it feels like sitting on a sofa! The forward balance puts my thighs in full contact and helps me get my lower leg under me. It also seemed to fit my horse alright.

My biggest beef is with how difficult it is to feel my horse’s movement directly under my seat. He has a big walk and I can usually feel what his muscles and back are doing quite well. In the Wave, however, I lost a lot of the finer feeling and just felt the swaying motion.

I’d love to try other Schleese saddles, namely the HK, Jes Elite, and Infinity, but am wondering if this is a characteristic of them. Does anyone know?

[Unfforgettable]

They pretty much all tend to sit well up off the horse. That’s why I sold mine. I prefer a closer contact.

[Countrywood]

I had one, comfortable but high off horses back and yes hard to feel the motion. Also put me in a chair seat…eventually sold it replaced with a used Hennig.

[greengirl]

This is interesting. My trainer also rode in it and felt the same thing.

Countrywood, which Hennig do you have? Does it have a similar forward balance like the Wave? I really appreciate what the Wave does for my thigh contact.

[FineAlready]

I have an HK, and I don’t feel this way at all. Which is saying something, considering that I’m a long time former hunter rider who prefers a jumping saddle that is as close contact as possible (no knee rolls, etc.).

[greengirl]

[QUOTE=FineAlready;8317649]
I have an HK, and I don’t feel this way at all. Which is saying something, considering that I’m a long time former hunter rider who prefers a jumping saddle that is as close contact as possible (no knee rolls, etc.).[/QUOTE]

Good to know, Fine! Maybe I’ll forge ahead and try the HK.

[greengirl]

[QUOTE=Countrywood;8317562]
I had one, comfortable but high off horses back and yes hard to feel the motion. Also put me in a chair seat…eventually sold it replaced with a used Hennig.[/QUOTE]

Countrywood, which Hennig do you have? Does it have a similar forward balance like the Wave? I really appreciate what the Wave does for my thigh contact.

[Halfling]

The HK is basically a modified Wave. I cannot ride in a Schleese either. I’ve had 3 or 4 of them and end up selling them. They are bulky and sit too high off the horse for my taste. I never felt “with” my horse and my leg never felt like it could hang. The twists weren’t right for me either. I had a Wave, HK and Obrigado. I really thought I wanted a Schleese, but they just never worked. Beautifully crafted saddles though and the people I dealt with were nice. I ended up with an Hermes. It sits a tad over the horse’s shoulders, but her shoulders move freely under it. I’m a bit more forward on her back which she likes and it is very close contact. I’ve seen quite a few on ebay that are reasonably priced. New cost $$$$. Best saddle I’ve ever owned. Coming from hunter/jumper land you would probably love this saddle as it is almost like a jumping saddle with a deeper seat and a long flap with a block that does not interfere with your leg.

[Farys]

I had a Schleese JES Elite and now an HK and have not felt this with either saddle. Did the Wace have the flair panels or was it wool flocked? I have ridden in my friends Wave and hated it but hers was flair and I felt like I was riding on a bouncy castle. No harm in trying a different model. You will probably find the HK will ride more similar to the Wave then the Elite though.

[Countrywood]

I have the Hennig Sofa ( the double flap not monoflap though they make a monoflap). As far as forward balance, I am not sure what you mean but the Hennig saddle feels very unobtrusive, almost as if it is not there, yet it is comfortable and supportive. They can and do make models with more forward flaps ( if you are buying used, just look for that description).

I had the Schleese Triumph model

[greengirl]

Handling, I’ve never ever considered Hermes, due to the cost. I’m curious now, though. If can demo a used one, I’m up for it. Which model do you recommend?

[greengirl]

[QUOTE=Halfling;8318057]
The HK is basically a modified Wave. I cannot ride in a Schleese either. I’ve had 3 or 4 of them and end up selling them. They are bulky and sit too high off the horse for my taste. I never felt “with” my horse and my leg never felt like it could hang. The twists weren’t right for me either. I had a Wave, HK and Obrigado. I really thought I wanted a Schleese, but they just never worked. Beautifully crafted saddles though and the people I dealt with were nice. I ended up with an Hermes. It sits a tad over the horse’s shoulders, but her shoulders move freely under it. I’m a bit more forward on her back which she likes and it is very close contact. I’ve seen quite a few on ebay that are reasonably priced. New cost $$$$. Best saddle I’ve ever owned. Coming from hunter/jumper land you would probably love this saddle as it is almost like a jumping saddle with a deeper seat and a long flap with a block that does not interfere with your leg.[/QUOTE]

Halfling, I’ve never ever considered Hermes, due to the cost. I’m curious now, though. If can demo a used one, I’m up for it. Which model do you recommend?

[greengirl]

[QUOTE=Farys;8318080]
I had a Schleese JES Elite and now an HK and have not felt this with either saddle. Did the Wace have the flair panels or was it wool flocked? I have ridden in my friends Wave and hated it but hers was flair and I felt like I was riding on a bouncy castle. No harm in trying a different model. You will probably find the HK will ride more similar to the Wave then the Elite though.[/QUOTE]

Farys, the model I tried was wool-flocked. You’re right. It won’t hurt to try other models. I may demo the HK next.

[greengirl]

Farys, in your opinion, how does the JES Elite ride compared to the HK, and how does the HK differ from the Wave?

[Countrywood]

Shows how different people can experience things…A friend of mine at barn had a Hermes and I tried it and hated it. Was pancake flat, slippery, felt like a saddleseat saddle. True hers was older and maybe it is a love it or hate it type saddle. Same with Schleese…some love it, quite a few hate it. Almost nobody hates Hennigs though hard to find a bad thing said about them.

[greengirl]

[QUOTE=Countrywood;8318094]
I have the Hennig Sofa ( the double flap not monoflap though they make a monoflap). As far as forward balance, I am not sure what you mean but the Hennig saddle feels very unobtrusive, almost as if it is not there, yet it is comfortable and supportive. They can and do make models with more forward flaps ( if you are buying used, just look for that description).

I had the Schleese Triumph model[/QUOTE]

Countrywood, I’ll take a look at it. Thanks!
Regarding the forward balance, maybe the better way to describe it is as a “forward tilt.” The Schleeses have that just a bit, as well as a scooped out thigh area to help a woman’s fuller thigh fall properly and to aid in better heel/hip/shoulder alignment. This is what the Schleese website says, at least. For me, it resulted in great thigh contact, which I struggle with in other saddles.

[Farys]

My understanding is that the HK and the Wave are built on the same tree style. Both are built with a deeper seat and a more forward balance. With that said, I had back surgery last year and found that post surgery I wanted a more centered balance which my fitter was able to accommodate with the HK. I found the flaps are straighter on the HK than the Wave and the twist is slightly more narrow.
The Elite is not even comparable. It is built on a different tree number. It is not as deep and the twist is medium wide. My Elite had a more forward flap. The balance is quite centered in comparison to the Wave or the HK.
Personally I have found that all the newer Schleese models ride “big” so if you normally ride in an 18", I would suggest you try a 17.5". It’s a completely different feeling when you try a different seat size.
I personally am a huge Schleese advocate but with that said if your horse went well in the saddle then you could also try different brands that are built on the same tree style with similar tree points. Hennig, Regal, and DK are all built on the same tree. My personal favorite is my Regal Dressage saddle but unfortunately they are very hard to find used and Regal (to my knowledge) is not making saddles at the moment since the Regal saddler currently has an exclusivity contract with DK saddlery as he makes the DK saddles.
Hopefully I was able to help as I am in no means an expert but I have a lot of experience in acknowledging saddle for issues.
On a side note, if your horse is short backed (as mine is), the HK is very well designed for the short back horse as are Regals. I have not had great success with Hennigs for the short backed horse but do just fine for the average length back.

[Countrywood]

Another brand you might consider is Trilogy which features that scooped out thigh area (and is relatively reasonable price)

[Halfling]

Greengirl,
Hermes only makes one model, the Corlandus. It comes in regular or wide, seat sizes from 16"-18.5. There are some used around. After losing thousands on custom and custom fitted saddles the stock out of the box 17.5 W fits the horse and I beautifully. It is not for everyone though. It is monoflap and quite minimalistic. Another saddle you may like is a Roosli. Where are you located?

[bluesegolene]

[
I personally am a huge Schleese advocate but with that said if your horse went well in the saddle then you could also try different brands that are built on the same tree style with similar tree points. Hennig, Regal, and DK are all built on the same tree. My personal favorite is my Regal Dressage saddle but unfortunately they are very hard to find used and Regal (to my knowledge) is not making saddles at the moment since the Regal saddler currently has an exclusivity contract with DK saddlery as he makes the DK saddles.
[/QUOTE]

Kevin Lote just delivered a brand new custom Regal saddle to a friend of mine and I heard of another person just ordering one.