I have a Forestier, I am an eventer so no worries about monoflap, but mine is very flat and I feel like I have alot of close contact. I rode in a flat prix de nations for a long time to start and I think that has stuck with me as well. I have the badmiditton, which probably won’t work for you due to monoflapness, but maybe one of their duel flap models would work for you?
I know a few people here in TX that recently switched to the Erreplus.
They have a new flat saddle. I haven’t personally sat in one, but they are getting rave reviews.
One of my social media clients, a die hard Butet girly that went to Antares for a few years, just ordered 3 of the flat models & is switching her entire barn. She LOVED it.
Another vote to try the Renaissance!
Frederic Butet created them after he sold & left Butet to LIM (CWD, DVX, etc).
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Tad Coffin. They’re about as flat and minimalist as possible but GREAT balance. Low pommel and I don’t think the twist is wide at all (I love a narrow twist and these aren’t “narrow” on paper). A lot of horses go well in them. Flap length will be the hardest thing - I’m 5’9"+ and all leg, but since I’m not jumping massive fences I don’t hike my stirrups up, so it works. I’d have two saddles (one with each tree) if I could, but right now the other saddles I have are working and I don’t need to spend the money.
Nothing is going to wear like iron these days. Things to avoid are covered leather and calfskin, look for solid leather and/or buffalo for more durability. And follow manufacturer care instructions, and don’t ride in jeans 
I went looking for a specific County configuration and came across Albion. It has a little bit of a AP look but with a hunter cantle. I got their least deep seat and love it. It is super grippy and comfortable. Puts my middle aged self in a great position. Wool flocked for my growing young horse was a bonus. Might be worth a look. I have an aging Tad Coffin for my other horse which I’ve come to love but it’s needing to be repanelled ($$) so I’m thinking about replacing it with a 2nd (because, of course, two horses couldn’t need the same tree width).
I like my Renaissance quite a bit. It has no knee or calf blocks and I probably ride the best in that saddle compared to anything else. I never realized how much I fought with the blocks in the mares previous saddle! Turns out with her and I, less is more.
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I’ve not seen a single eq or medal rider showing in one, have you? I went down the rabbit hole looking at wec etc photo feeds and saw zero. I don’t think I’ll be the one to revolutionize anything for those rings. Perhaps I’m wrong and it’s no big deal to show eq with visible blocks but my gut says it would be even if many ride with them concealed by a flap.
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I think you’re ascribing too much weight to what saddle you ride in.
If it fits the horse well, fits you well, and enables you to ride effectively, then no judge is going to care if they can see the block or not.
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While true on paper, most AA Show judges are not going to be thrilled to see a monoflap saddle or a black saddle in their classes. The traditional aesthetic is very important
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Agree. It’s one thing if the ONLY saddle you can find/afford that fits you/the horse is a monoflap/external block/black/etc - some people have success with a long fleece cover making the short girth look like a long one, and some brown leather is so dark it’s almost black from a distance anyway. If you’re just dabbling in the eq but mainly doing eventing or jumpers, I don’t see a problem with using a legal saddle that you already have.
However, if planning to show Eq regularly I would not intentionally BUY external block or black or monoflap given the budget and option to get something traditional. Some judges really are sticklers and will call them “non-traditional”, and for some reason that seems to be MORE true at smaller or lower level shows. IME.
Most brands that make a monoflap make a dual flap that’s similar. It won’t be as close contact, but I’ve sat in quite a few dual flap saddles, even wool flocked, that feel very close to the horse!
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As I wrote above, I had monoflap confused with integrated panels. So my comment about monoflaps was based on my thinking it was an integrated panel and not visible.
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Those old collegiates were amazing. I still love riding in them. The balance is just perfect for me.
I would say these days the Renaissance is the closest feel and they will make a plain flap which is becoming more popular again. Tad Coffins are great but be prepared to get it repaneled fairly frequently at great expense and very much on someone else’s timeline- also he’s going to retire someday and then what happens? I like Bevals, I have two, but they fit a very limited range of horses. You can also look for an older Ashland or Jeffries who made nice saddle with wool flocking that still pop up in good shape.
Other options are some of the UK saddle brands most of which will make you a custom plain flap if you ask: Dabbs and Ideal both have really nice options in their flatter seats. Berney Bros from Ireland makes a flat seat saddle that is extremely old school and feels like a TC to me but is much cheaper and wool flocked, they are easy to work with. I quite like the Voltaire Palm Beach - it’s really the only French type saddle I’ve ever liked. Stackhouse, for $9k (I know!) they will make you whatever you want.
Of the cheap brands, imho Ovation is the best. They make some nice well balanced saddles, they won’t last forever but then again in theory neither did those collegiates.
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I think black would be much less noticeable than monoflap. My Voltaire is so dark it really does look black in some pictures, and no one bats an eye at that. I wouldn’t go looking for one, but if everything else was right and it was just the wrong color, I’d honestly rather have a black saddle than one of those super light leathers that doesn’t darken well.
OP, have you tried a County Stabilizer? You can probably find one of those used pretty reasonably and they have a pretty classic old school balance IMO. After that, I’d look at a Tad and a Butet.
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Butet girly here…I finally found my dream saddle - a Butet premium with NO blocks. My riding has improved and honestly, I think the lack of front block has improved saddle fit on my horse as well!
I am on the hunt for a second Butet without blocks. Although I think you could easily remove them with a seam ripper…I’m not going to try.
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Careful with a low pommel…my old TC rubbed a hole in a poor horse’s withers (not my horse - I worked for a barn at the time)…
Beval Solaris is a saddle that rides extremely like a butet (might be a butet?) and can be found a bit cheaper and imho fits wide horses better. Comes in various tree widths. I still regret selling my wide tree Solaris.
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Try a Tad Coffin. For the rider: It is balanced, with an open seat that has a long balance point. Not a ton of blocking to put your leg anywhere. For the horse (and rider): These are designed to fit very close around the horse.
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Have you spoken to several judges who stated that they would place a rider in a monoflap or black saddle lower in a round of equal quality?
I was once told that I could not show in a brown regular flap jump saddle from England because it had a round cantle and I would not place. The reality is the judge is sat so far away, and my coat covered the cantle, that the only way they could tell if my cantle was round was if I fell off into their lap. There are MANY other factors in play regarding a round over fences that the color or flap on a saddle are going to be WAY WAY at the bottom of the list IF the judge even notices or cares. It is far more likely that someone riding in a non traditional saddle has other riding issues that knock them out of the ribbons than their saddle type (such as someone crossing over and the horse doesn’t have a change, or the rider doesn’t have the typical EQ seat over fences).
I certainly wouldn’t specifically shop for one if my goal was the EQ and I needed a new saddle, but if I had one and it was what fit my horse, and I wanted to show in the EQ, then I would show in it because it was what I had, then I would replace it when my horse outgrew it for a more traditional saddle.
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I’ve been more concerned with my horse’s fit lately - he’s got some atrophy behind the withers and I’m not okay with it. This has me looking to Stubben (known to fit his type). The Ascend model looks quite nice to me!! I can only speak to what it looks like, though. I’ve never ridden in one.
I currently ride in something with a deep seat and no blocks, but the feel is very close. I had previously ridden in a flat Butet. The only difference I feel is some cantle behind me, and it didn’t bother me enough to not like how the saddle rides. Leather-wise, I DO NOT like it. It feels cheap, and it’s fading with use and care rather than darkening. I wouldn’t buy this saddle again with the particular leather option I selected.
Oddly enough, the Renaissance saddles felt like I was riding the saddle instead of riding the horse.
Your best bet is to literally sit in anything and everything.
You could try a Harry Dabs saddle, they’re a very classic look with minimal knee rolls. Made in England so it’s probably more along the lines of what you are used to.
You can check out ours on the website https://thesaddleloft.com/narrow-your-search/ols/products/17xn-5-harry-dabbs-platinum-saddle-5g2r
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Seconding Renaissace. I rode in an F and took it on trial and it was the best parts of old school minimalist saddles without the slick leather and hard seat.
I ultimately ended up passing because I needed more security on my young horse, but I did enjoy riding in it.
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