Synthetic Trail/Endurance Saddles

[atomicfriday]

Well here I am opening a saddle thread, expecting 10 different replies from 9 people! Lol but all that aside I am looking for any and all insight, I’ve been doing research but I’m positive there are options even my diligent Googling skills have overlooked.

I want synthetic because they are lightweight (for my horse and my wallet), easy to clean, and leave little to worry about during inclement weather. The horse in question is an Arab gelding who is not conditioned/muscled and could use a little more weight, so I am worried about buying a saddle now and it not fitting later after he is toned up. I know some swear by treeless but they intimidate me a bit. What are your opinions on flex trees, and/or saddles with changeable gullets? Is an Arab tree preferable?

Some saddles ive been looking at are Abettas, and the Tekna dressage model. The abetta has my preferred modeling of a hornless western design and Arab specific trees but the Tekna has a flex tree and changeable gullets. Ihave ridden in an orthoflex dressage type and I felt pretty secure so i think I could live riding in a dressage saddle if it offered the best fit for my horse. All suggestions and insight highly appreciated! Truth be told I wish I could just ride in my Best Friends Bareback Pad everywhere; so plush and I never have to worry about my ankles giving out on me!

[ehwaz]

Not a fan personally of flex trees. A treeless(Freeform with both equipedic and HAF pad) did work for me before I started doing serious mileage, but then my horse got white hairs over her spine.Also, with the treeless saddles pad is very important- they aren’t cheap. Synthetic saddles are great- I’d also look at the leather/cordova saddles, like the bighorns. Leather seat, but the rest is synthetic. Do you have a good saddle fitter near you? Or a good used tack shop- maybe find something that works now and reassess? There is a really good blog for saddle fitting that I like (and I think she posts on here) http://saddlefitter.blogspot.com/

[rcloisonne]

Don’t be fooled that an “Arab” tree will fit all Arabians. They come in all types of top line conformations, from high withered to mutton withered to everything in between.

Check out Thorogood dressage saddles if you’re looking for a well made, comfortable synthetic.

[Kitt]

ehwaz, thanks for the kind words on my blog - glad you find it helpful.

atomicfriday, if you can post a photo of your horse (a conformation shot rather than just a photo of his back), it would be a lot easier to make recommendations on saddles. There are some good synthetics out there - I’ll second rcloisonnne’s recommendation of the Thorowgoods - but a photo would be a help in determining if they’d be a good choice for your horse.

[atomicfriday]

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses, perhaps this thread is useless without pics but I won’t see him again til I go pick him up in a week or two. From what i REMEMBER (which may very possibly mean nothing at all) he has a prominent wither (at least medium considering Thorowgoods fitting guide) IMO a bit narrow though I am used to QHs. Typical Arab shoulders, and bit of a flat back to a somewhat flat croup.

I know Arab trees are not one size fits all but in the event my horse is one that it does work for I just wanted to make sure i didn’t miss out on something by not trying it. Saddle shopping ahhhh too many options!!

Oh and I WISH I had a good local tack store I could go to. There is ONE in my area and they’re crooks. Even some I know of an hour or so away I can’t imagine having endurance gear but they MIGHT have some synthetic dressage… Hmmmm.

[chicamux]

One option that many people never think about when buying treed saddles is using a saddle pad with pockets for inserts. Then you can custom fit the saddle to your horse, as long as the saddle tree is fairly close to being correct for the horse and you just need moderate alterations to the fit. A Skito saddle pad works great for treed saddles, not just treeless saddles.

Here is another synthetic saddle option. Wintec saddles are now being made with built-in pockets for shims. The link below shows how this is done. They still have the changeable gullets also. I know endurance riders who compete in Wintec dressage saddles.

http://www.easychangefitsolution.com/index.html

chicamuxen

[sonata]

thorowgood also makes an endurance saddle. I have the Jill Thomas. it also has the changeable gullet. mine doesn’t because it an older model. I find mine quite comfy

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

I have the newer Thorowgood endurance saddle with the changeable gullet, and it works great on my high-withered Arab. He started at one plate, and I was able to easily change it out for the next wider one as he got more topline.

[ehwaz]

Not sure where you are, but if there is a local endurance/trail club, I would get in touch with them for advice as well.They might have for sale listings or be willing to let you try/ride in their saddle to see if you like the brand/fit.

[atomicfriday]

Thanks for the reviews and suggestions. Right now I am leaning towards the Tekna dressage mostly because of the changeable gullets and from what i have read heavier riders should stay away from the flex trees? I’m 130 and will lose an easy 15 once I’m in proper shape. But out of all the synthetic English types its the only one that actually looks “real”. I tend to get whims and wild hairs up my butt from time to time, who knows? Someday I might want to do a dressage fun show, or an intro level event! Anything’s possible! Plus I found out two reasonably distanced tack shops carry them and I am hoping one of them offers trials.

That being said, the most important thing is how it fits the horse so whichever that may be will be what it is. For myself I would choose the Abetta as I prefer western types, I’m finally getting a new horse after 7 years of being out of it and he couldn’t be more different in type than my old QH of whom I still have his saddle… Rats! Anybody interested in a 40 lbs Billy Cook roper? I’m just kidding I can’t get rid of it (even if you did want it) it’ll just have to be a space taking decoration in my house for the next 30 years and then maybe ill get a horse it fits. Maybe.

[atomicfriday]

Ok SO I happened to browse my local craigslist today for saddles and this Saturday I am going to look at a dressage type Orthoflex. It looks to be in nice condition and they are only asking $500 - I figure worst case scenario the saddle doesn’t fit and I can easily make my money back via Ebay. On another note I also discovered a Thorowgood Griffin for $165. I am not sure if it is a changeable gullet model or really anything about it other than its an 18" seat and I typically am 16"-17". Should I inquire anyway?

[chebeau]

How soon does the horse come? If you can get measurements/tracings, the saddle purchase will be easier and less costly. As someone with a tough horse to fit, saddle buying can be stressful and expensive. Patience and the ability to return something that does not work for you or your horse are two necessary ingredients to saddle success. Also, on this board you have some excellent fitters that will chime in with very good advice if you can post pics and such. Good luck in your saddle hunt.

Happy riding,
Jessie

[atomicfriday]

You are totally right. I think in my excitement I jumped on a potential saddle bandwagon too soon. There are some things I think are a little strange… For one she paid $1000, and is now asking $500. Its been listed for two months. And, I don’t know about you, but if I spent that much on a saddle i would at least know what tree was in it. The horse should be here in a week, two max. I think I will just wait and practice some patience. Besides, I prefer riding bareback anyway.

[Anlashok8]

The western saddle I’ve been riding in is a Black Forest Ponderosa synthetic treeless - LOVE it! It fits my petite mustang, mid-sized foundation QH, and wide draft cross and is the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever ridden in. Super light, all the horses are very happy and move great with it, and it’s light and well-built. This is my first foray into the world of treeless and I’ve been extremely pleased with the results.

[Kitt]

Working with a good fitter will be a help in finding what will work best for you and your horse. And please, PLEASE make sure that you have the opportunity to ride in a saddle (and I mean ride in it 4 or 5 times out on the trail at all 3 gaits under real-life conditions) before you commit to buying it; what feels fine while you’re walking sedately around the arena may be a whole different story when you’re going up and down hills or spending an hour or more in the saddle.

Also, if weight is a consideration, serge panels (available on most UK-made saddles) cut the weight considerably.

[wylde_sage]

I found a Fabtron gaited saddle (lightweight, high withers, western) has been working pretty well for my hard to fit OTTB. My next saddle would be the Wintec new endurance model. No CAIR, just flocked. Also I didn’t have much luck with a Tekna, I could never get the tree gullets to hook down. Changeable gullet deal was a mess with the saddle I had. I sent the whole mess back to vendor. Good luck!