I wish there was a saddle out there that made me a better rider so I could ride above my actual level! A saddle that could help me see a distance, or perfect the timing of my aids for a lead change. Really not sure that any saddle in the world is going to make someone ride above their level, but that’s just my view.
Saddle preference is so incredibly personal. That’s great that you find your older saddles more comfortable. I personally love the comfort of my french saddle. I have an OLD Stubben Siegfried that I evented in as a junior. Fine saddle, but just not comfortable at all IMO. I prefer comfort. My hiney likes butter soft leather these days. If that means it doesn’t last 20 yrs then that’s ok with me. Not saying it won’t last that long, I honestly don’t know. Impossible to say since I’ve only had it 2 yrs. But again, some people just have different expectations for their saddles.
Quick side note on rider comfort in saddles - it really has nothing to do with how “soft” the seat is, it all has to do with construction of the seat and the rider’s conformation. When I was in college I had a summer job at a bicycle shop and of course we sold bike saddles. Lots of customers would come in asking for a super cushy saddle so they could ride comfortably and would gravitate towards the models with lots of gel padding. However, what I learned from my friends that studied bike fit (which is almost as interesting as saddle fitting, btw) is that the cushy saddles can actually cause more pain than a firmer seat because they don’t provide the same support. A cushy seat will be more comfortable at first, but the large amount of gel actually causes instability in the biker’s position, causing them to have to adjust their bodies to maintain an optimal position. To get a comfortable seat, you have to match a saddle to the width of the rider’s seatbones. They had a tool that would help measure the distance between your seatbones to find the correct sized saddle. I’ve often wondered why equine saddle fitters don’t use something similar.
Obviously equine saddles are a bit different, but I think the concept still applies. A cushy seat does not always mean it’s comfortable, and a rock hard seat doesn’t always cause unbearable pain.
For what it’s worth, just chiming in with my experience-
I have a buffalo leather 2016 Voltaire. It gets a fair amount of use, as I use it on my two horses and ride about 7-8 times. week. I wipe it down after every ride but don’t really baby it. It is still in excellent condition, the leather looks great and is still soft and sticky. I would not hesitate to buy another Voltaire
Going off of that, saddle innovation has basically kept at a stand still with tree functionality and construction. Historically, saddles were made for men and we haven’t really looked at that, even with a majority of riders (not pros but AA’s and Juniors) being a female body type.
Our hips sit differently than a man’s and there are very few companies who take this into account. I was at a dressage symposium a few years back and sat in a saddle designed ergonomically for a woman - the alignment and ability to get in a ‘classically correct’ position was startlingly easy.
It is crazy how different it feels but major brands aren’t going to pick up on that any time soon, I don’t think.
