Talk to me about the Dover Circuit Premier Special Eq?

[puzzle]

I am considering a Dover Circuit Premier Special Eq as I have sat in several and loved them in the last few years, and my boy has outgrown another saddle. He is wide and flat backed (but with a normal wither) - OTTB, but doesn’t look like it. I know that tracings would help, but I’m curious if people have found these saddles to fit their curvy or flat backed horses over the years. My Beval Artisan is too curvy and now too narrow (I was previously able to correct the slightly-too-curvy with shims but now I no longer have enough space to do so without pinching him).

Besides that, what other ideas do you guys have for a sub-2k, rides like French, fits for such a wide flat backed critter? I have tried repeatedly to learn to love the British saddles but I just /cannot/ get used to their balance point or feel compared to the Frenchies. I have a very long femur and like a flat, open seat, narrow twist, forward flap and most importantly a forward balance.

TYIA!

[Renn_aissance]

I’m a big fan of this saddle as the best Butet feel you can get for under $1500, and if it fit my horse, I would buy one. That said, my experience with them has been that the regular tree is a pretty standard width and the gullet not particularly wide. It does come in a wide tree that may be worth trying. I don’t want to rule out Dover having changed the fit in the few years since I’ve ridden in one myself, but I felt like it was a pretty generic fit with flat panels. Dover has a good trial policy and it might be worth a shot for you.

Some thoughts on brands. How wide is he? If he looks more like a horse than a barrel on stilts, you might be able to do with a Beval Natural long/forward flap. You will absolutely be able to find those used in your price point and they do a nice job on a flat horse, but they run on the narrow side so look for the wide tree. On the used market, CWD can be found for sub-$2k if you search carefully, and many of those saddles have a wide gullet and wide, flat panels (obviously this varies according to the panel, but the tree is suitable.) You can also get that French saddle experience for less by looking outside the major manufacturers: Luc Childric, Bruno Delgrange, PJ.

[mlm7914]

I tried the Special Eq on my guy and it didn’t sit well on his back. He also didn’t work in a Beval Artisan. I ended up with the Circuit Classic II. My taste in balance and my build sound exact to yours. I would try the Classic if the Special Eq doesn’t work, as mentioned the return policy for Dover is easy to work with so I think they’re worth giving a shot.