Curious if these saddles are worth the hype. I have a horse rehabbing from KS surgery and another that will be starting under saddle in the spring and they both will be in need of new saddles. I’ve been to two Schleese saddle fittings with friends and now I’m paranoid that anything that doesn’t have the extra wide gullet channel and all that will be detrimental to my horses.
The problem is even used, one Schleese, let alone two on top training expenses and aforementioned surgery will be quite a stretch. I’m curious from people that have actually tried the Schleese’s if they would be worth eating beans and ramen for the next year over.
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I have not personally used Schleese, but several friends have. No one has a single good thing to say. Their fitters are trained by the company and they throw around a lot of flashy marketing terms, but at the end of the day these outrageously expensive saddles did not fit the horses they were purchased for from the word go.
I always prefer an independent saddle fitter over one who’s affiliated with a specific brand. If you have access to one, I’d recommend it. These brand rep saddle fitters are very seldom interested in finding the best fit for your horse - they’re interested in the commission for selling you a saddle.
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Lots of saddles have “extra wide gullet channels.” Just look for something you can stick four fingers into. I can in my Trilogy and my Bourne. I hear more and more complaints from people who find them gimmicky.
Have you sat in a Schleese? I cannot ride in them because of how wide the twist is. My legs physically cannot wrap around the horse. I would not pay you $1 for a saddle I can’t ride in, but some people need a wide twist and love them.
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I have ridden in Schleese saddles for quite a few years — but just switched to a Trilogy on my wide Hanoverian. The twist on the Schleese, combined with a wide horse to begin with, made it difficult for me to maintain a correct position. So far I am loving my new Trilogy. That being said its hard to generalize about saddles – it all depends on your specific horse and your own bio mechanics and build. I will say that Schleese saddle fittings can be difficult to schedule and are also quite expensive. So it would be worth checking out some competing brands for sure.
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I had a Schleese for a couple of years. It seemed well made, but it sat too far up off the horse’s back to suit me. Plus scheduling fittings is difficult, since I’d have to haul several hours and they’re only in my area once or twice a year. And you’re restricted to just using their fitters for maintenance or the warranty is voided.
My opinion? There are far better options in saddles at equal or lower price points, without the restrictions.
Sat on one once at Equine Affaire and it was the most uncomfortable saddle I’ve ever sat in. Guess I’m not built like a typical woman?
Ask on this board for a good independent saddle fitter in your area and go from there. I had really good luck with the one I tried. It’s especially helpful that she is local and could tweak the fitting as the horse muscled up and I lost weight.
I found them to be very heavy and bulky. Nicely made but I think there are others that are comparable at a lower price point. I’d be open to a used one since they offer a large range of panel options but wouldn’t be inclined to buy new.
Gimmicks like super-wide gullets (actually counterproductive because it reduces the contact area substantially), and my pet peeve: stuffing asymmetrically to match the asymmetrical horse and rider (try getting straight with that going on)…
Anyway, NO.
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I had a fitting with a Schleese rep and honestly didn’t care for any of the saddles they had me try. I am also wary when anyone tells me they can fit any horse. I ended up with an independent fitter who had access to many different brands of saddles and with her help found a saddle that my mare approved of and that I found comfortable myself.
Now, a lot of the riders at my barn have Schleese saddles and they do like them, but they are incredibly expensive to have adjusted. Easily twice as expensive as my independent fitter.
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I’ve had probably 15 on trial over the years and have hated every single one. There is just something about them that doesn’t jive with my conformation. I’ve never gotten so far as discussing ordering one to fit a horse. I will note that they are very heavy saddles.
The one horse that I was most interested in one for (short back, likely in need of custom panels) ended up very happy in his Black Country.
Nope. Not worth the hype.
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In a word, no. There’s a reason why there are so many used ones available dirt cheap. I don’t know anyone who didn’t end up selling there’s after a few years of frustrations with fit and customer service.
No. The trees in Schleese saddles are subpar. There are many saddles made today with wider channels for the modern sport-horse. You may have to go custom or semi-custom, but you don’t have to limit yourself the Schleese.
When I was looking for a new jump saddle to replace the one my horse had outgrown I tried a used Schleese I found on consignment. Don’t remember the model. The leather was nice and I liked that there were two different places on the stirrup bars where you could run the leathers. Hated the width of the twist and the saddle rocked side to side on my horse so I returned it. My experience with that saddle would not invite me to look at that brand again if I was saddle shopping.
If the saddle happens to fit both you and the horse, and you like the feel, there is nothing necessarily wrong with a Schleese. But I’d be wary how many times it’s been torqued in an adjustment press in the back of the reps SUV. After a few times the tree can be compromised.
Schleese despite their promises cannot fit every horse or rider. The reps over promise, and can under deliver.
If your horse has a back that aligns with the basic Schleese tree that’s great. Otherwise keep looking.
I agree the channel can get so wide the panels seem to have little point of contact on a horse that isn’t flat backed.
Dont buy into their scare hype merchandising. There are lots of good brands out there.
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How timely. I posted a Schleese thread here about a month ago.
My new trainer is into Schleese’s and their story. I went in on a saddle fitting (the rep comes 3x/year but it cost $175). Rep measured my horse’s back and described things that wouldn’t fit him. Then brought out my saddle and it didn’t fit him. The horror. (Saddle has been flocked by an independent fitter who last time gave me a discount because she didn’t have to do much).
Fitter gave me an Obrigado with cut back shoulders, shorter panels (my horse is short-coupled) and extended stirrup bars to ride in. I really, really liked it. The cut-back shoulders were excellent for my big-shouldered horse and the extended stirrup bars were great for me. But not the $7K price tag. Or the $6K price tag for the demo model.
Asked the fitter if an “official” used model for half the price, plus/minus was available. Then upped my price a bit. She replied twice that a) nowhere in the US was a used model that would fit my horse in that price range (really? Even though I stated PLUS/minus?) b) she still had the $6K model if I wanted it (I told her at the visit I couldn’t afford it and again in email) and c) there’s an all-purpose model available in my price range and so I could even jump! “c” kind of crossed the line for me.
I relayed the experience to my vet and asked if she ever saw cartilage loss from ill-fitting saddles and she kind of rolled her eyes. Yes, a standard dressage saddle could restrict his front end movement in relationship to the cut-back model, but he likely would only be restricted in movement. She’s not seen cartilage loss in her practice. Pretty much ever. The vast majority of her dressage clients do not ride in Schleese saddles.
I asked a gold medalist who had a horse in training at the barn to ride my horse for an “evaluation ride”. I asked her later if she thought my saddle fit was terrible and she said she didn’t remember it, meaning that she would have noticed if there was a huge problem.
So yes, I think the cut-back model is great for my horse. The extended stirrup bar is great for me. The short panel is also good for my horse. I WISH i knew of a saddle that had a cut-back model. But man a) the saddles are pricey and b) the reps aren’t particularly helpful unless you’re got the cash.
I’m looking online for cheaper Schleese’s in the model that I liked. I’m trying to keep an open mind. I reached out to a friend who purchased a custom Schleese for her horse years ago and she retired it with the horse. Neither her nor her daughter (a dressage trainer) ride in Schleese saddles.
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I personally did not like the fit - we called that saddle the “ladykiller” for good reason., ouch.
BUT, that doesn’t mean that it cant be a good fit for you and your horse. Dressage saddle shopping is essentially one of the 7 circles of hell. There are threads upon threads of people doing their research, working with reps, spending thousands of dollars and ending up with a lemon. Not all reps are ethical, some are just salespeople with no real knowledge, just marketing terms.
Just like any horse product, you will find people who love it and people who hate it. Neither is wrong. The unfortunate fact is that you will have to TRY lots of different saddles to find one that will work for you and your horses. Don’t buy into brand hype, try to get an appointment with a few different saddle fitters. While this sounds easy, it is an incredible pain in the a##. Be prepared to be persistent and do as much supplemental research on saddle fitting as you can so you know what to look for.
best of luck to you!
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The unfortunate thing is I live in North Dakota. The Schleese filters come at least twice a year. There is one independent fitter on the other side of the state, but she’s still in school for saddle fitting, so can’t make any adjustments. I got lucky with my jump saddle from them. It fit perfect. But they typically have a very small inventory of Dressage saddles because there aren’t a whole lot of us in the state.
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I suspect that the fitter should be able to look at/measure your horse and bring in some better models that can fit your horse if their stock is small. Or at least make good recommendations to you and help hook you up with a good model. I would think if you already purchased a saddle from them.
Your WISH is granted: Harry Dabbs Future panel is cut back. It also is upswept in the rear so fabulous for short backs AND they offer an adjustable stirrup bar. And they start at about half the price of a Schleese saddle for better quality and design. (I’m sure some people will want to argue about that last claim, but I’ll stand by it.)
Cheers!
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