I am really intrigued by Stackhouse saddles for a short-backed gelding + long-legged rider. (The approach of starting with fitting a tree and building from there seems genius.) Has anyone had experience with these saddles for upper level dressage?
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Yes! I love them. It’s a great process and I love my saddles. I have Stackhouse saddles for both my FEI event horse and my upper level dressage horse. They order a specific tree for your horse and build the saddle, by hand, custom for you and the horse. They are terrific, nice people too!
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Thank you!
I’ve been somewhat interested in them for a minute because I like a few things about their saddles. I’ve not been able to ever see one in person though.
As for an “upper level saddle” that’s sort of an arbitrary thing. You just ride in whatever saddle is comfortable for you, the horse, and abides by the rules if you’re competing. There’s no set features, brands, or styles (again, aside from competition rules and regs). So I guess I’m sort of intrigued as to why you asked about these saddles in respect to upper level dressage.
There are some riders at the upper levels that are very minimalist with their tack (think older Passier style), and others that have “more going on” and I’d say that’s just preference a lot of the time. I know that some need more “support” than others in certain ways, but again, I think that’s rider dependent. If you like the saddle, go for it.
I’m also interested in feedback on this brand though! It makes sense to fit the tree then build the saddle from there. That’s quite typical in the western world and I kind of wish it were more common in the English world, in some ways.
Amerigo has a somewhat similar philosophy in that they have several different tree shapes for different back shapes. So you find the right tree, and outfit from there. They’re not hugely customizable but do have different flap options.
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I was asking because eventers seem to love them, but I wanted to get some perspective from dressage folks, if that makes sense? Have folks been happy with these saddles in advanced collected work, etc.?
I appreciate the suggestion about Amerigo too!
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I’ve been a Stackhouse customer for over 20 years, and they are the absolute best saddles. Worth every penny for the attention to detail, quality, fit, and customer service.
Lesley and David fit your horse from the tree up, and once you’ve seen a saddle fitted that way, you’ll realize that flocking can never fix fit unless the tree fits the horse, and tree fit can never be accessed unless the tree itself is placed on the horse’s back.
I’m not an upper level dressage rider (competed through 2nd level in regular dressage and Prelim in eventing dressage), but my husband (also a rider) and I have had 4 dressage saddles between us and I’ve had 3 jump saddles. I’ve also ridden in a lot of different brands, and my Stackhouses allow me to find the best position and provide the balance and security I need, no matter what I’m doing.
Our horses and ponies love them, and we’ve had saddles fitted from the narrow thoroughbred to the wide pony to the high-withered and wide Dutch horse.
I had a very specific issue with my current pony shifting the saddle diagonally through a combination of shoulder asymmetry (skeletal, not muscular), short back, and thrust/impulsion, and Lesley and David worked with me to find solutions. They customized the panels to accommodate the shoulder and added an extra billet to improve stability, and the pony is so much more comfortable and happy.
I’m happy to answer any questions. 
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Thanks for sharing! Given that they don’t use wool flocking, how have you managed adjustments as horse develops more muscle?
I love the look of the stack house. It’s super pretty leather, and design, and is a super comfy saddle to ride in.
However, what I don’t love about them is the foam panels. I’ve seen a lot of horses fit to a Stackhouse, feel better, start using themselves correctly and then the saddle doesn’t fit well anymore 
there’s only so much they can adjust.
My other little negative thing is you have to kind of baby the leather. It needs to be stored on a soft cushioned saddle rack or you get rips or scratches on the panels underneath. Obviously for the money you should baby it, but still 
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My friend got her horse a Stackhouse. When it wasn’t fitting as well as it should David and Leslie told her that her horse’s back had changed and it needed a new custom saddle.
To be honest, the saddle never really fit without a half pad anyway. YMMV
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The foam strikes me as the biggest downside too — and the reality is that they just change so much.
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I have a Stackhouse dressage saddle and love it. I bought it for a horse that was five at the time, and David and Leslie made part of the tree points leather instead of metal and placed shims in there that could be removed as she muscled up. I never needed to do that, but they certainly had in mind the likely changes that would take place as she matured in her training. (she was injured slipping on ice and retired, then died so her training never went that far).
That saddle fits another of my horses well, and I’ve kept it because I have the baby of its original “owner” so I was HOPING it might fit him like it did his mom. I actually doubt it will because she was a tank and he’s an elegant thing, but we shall see.
They were a pleasure to work with and the saddle itself is gorgeous. The only other issue I have with it is that I’ve lost quite a lot of weight so it could be a size smaller and fit me a little better now, but that is hardly their fault!
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