Western saddles for the dressage rider

[TimelyRuckus]

Looking for recommendations for a western saddle that puts me in more of a dressage seat.

As a former dressage rider-now western, I generally HATE most western saddles. I feel like they all put me in a chair seat–what I have spent years as a dressage rider trying to fix :lol:

Any recommendations for a type/brand of saddle to look for?

Thanks!

[CLB15]

I won’t even try to get into brands, but the number of styles- and features of each, is crazy These two are probably the most user-friendly sources of information I turned to when I first started looking: http://www.western-saddle-guide.com/types-of-saddles.html and http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/differences-between-saddles.html

The depth of & shape of the seat, position of and range of motion in the fenders, and about 100 other features seem to change from one style to another. I currently ride one of my horses in a heavy, slickout hardseat ranch saddle which I loved when i first started riding in it, but now I’m looking at cutting saddles. The more I’ve tried, the more my prefernces on whats comfortable to ride in has changed.

[Pocket_Pony]

Love my JJ Maxwell - www.jjmaxwell.com !!!

[beau159]

I would say to try and sit in as many different Western saddles as you can. They are all going to place you a little different based on the saddle design.

I primarily barrel race and I love the close contact feel of my Circle Y Lisa Lockart Flex2 barrel saddles. There’s great freedom of swing in the stirrups as well.

[Foxtrot_s]

I once left my girth at home and, as luck would have it, my neighbour was there at the same time. He lent me his Western saddle, a custom made by Vic Bennett. I’m an all English rider and this was perfect for me, so comfortable and my leg was just right. My previous experience of Western saddles has been twisted knees, painful hips, etc.

If you are used to high end dressage saddles, a custom one would not be so out of sight, would it?

[Flash44]

Ditto horsesaddleshop. Lots of saddles. I have this one, which I LOVE!!! It really puts me in a nice position, and I can still move around. Plus, it has all the “comfy” bells and whistles of the trail saddles, so it’s easy to ride in right out of the box.

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/monarch-arena-cicle-y-.html#.VSUhsvmjOjc

I also have a “trail” saddle, which wedges me in a little bit due to the higher more upright cantle, but I was surprised at how correct I felt at the jog and lope, and it is very comfortable.

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/cottonwood-circle-y-saddle.html#.VSUiXPmjOjc

[californianinkansas]

This is a link to Mr. Brown’s western dressage saddle.
http://thecorrector.net/id37.html

http://www.protectorpad.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=protectorpad&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CBDSG

FWIW, I have his endurance saddle (Patriot IV) and my dressage instructor approves of it, which I was absolutely not expecting.

[rugbygirl]

I can’t believe I’m recommending this fellow, because he was not very nice to me or my horses…BUT…

Danny Kroetch, DK saddles. He builds custom Dressage saddles and custom Western saddles. His background is mostly Western, but there are some very high level Dressage riders using his stuff, including some Para-Equestrians. His saddles are nice…and compared to SOME Western saddles, he’s not all that expensive.

Just be prepared for him to make fun of your current saddle and be really rude about a lot of other manufacturers.

The Western Saddle that I have loved the MOST was made by Les/Wade Ertmann from Onoway Alberta. I’m not sure which tree it was built on, but he hasn’t made all that many saddles for Trakehners, so if you are interested, just ask him about that, he’s got them on file.

[PeanutButterPony]

http://www.rockingrsaddlery.com/trail-and-all-around/

if you like a deep seat but the freedom to place your leg, this saddle is great for that
http://www.customcomfortsaddles.com/saddles.html

[aktill]

[QUOTE=rugbygirl;8094668]
I can’t believe I’m recommending this fellow, because he was not very nice to me or my horses…BUT…

Danny Kroetch, DK saddles. He builds custom Dressage saddles and custom Western saddles. His background is mostly Western, but there are some very high level Dressage riders using his stuff, including some Para-Equestrians. His saddles are nice…and compared to SOME Western saddles, he’s not all that expensive.

Just be prepared for him to make fun of your current saddle and be really rude about a lot of other manufacturers.

The Western Saddle that I have loved the MOST was made by Les/Wade Ertmann from Onoway Alberta. I’m not sure which tree it was built on, but he hasn’t made all that many saddles for Trakehners, so if you are interested, just ask him about that, he’s got them on file.[/QUOTE]

Blech, that had to hurt to write. I’ve met the guy, and wouldn’t voluntarily give him business unless I had to. He’s even riled up some of the easiest going people I’ve ever met, which is saying something.

[rugbygirl]

Yeah, forewarned is forearmed with him. Although I did admire the quality of his saddles. It isn’t often you find someone looking for a combo of Dressage/Western though, and I think it’s even less common to find a saddler who specializes in both!

I’m gonna go ahead and plug Ertmann saddles more firmly. Affordable, beautiful, and when I called to look at making one up for my gelding identical to the one his breeder owned, the guy was super nice and easy to deal with.

[Bombproof]

I have been told that the modern tendency for Western saddles to have a legs-forward “chair seat” configuration is an artifact of rodeo which requires a lot of sudden starts and stops but no protracted riding. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know the saddles I like best are older designs, presumably from a time when a cowboy spent all day in the saddle but did comparatively little chasing and roping. The most balanced, “dressage-like” Western saddle I have ever ridden is an M1917 skeleton rigged U. S. Army packer saddle and it’s now my go-to for trail riding. They’re not easy to find in usable condition, though. I have a second one with bad leather and I’m thinking about having a new one built on the tree when I can afford it. Sort of a long way of saying you might look at older saddles or at least older designs, as I usually find them more balanced than newer designs.

http://www.icollector.com/C-1917-Military-skeleton-rig-packers-saddle_i8523080

[csaper58]

I think Bombproof has a good point about older saddles being more comfortable. I have found the old Balanced Ride saddles put me in a very good position.
www.stansgarsaddle.com click on the Balanced Ride option.

I also find Julie Goodnight saddles very balanced.

A 17 in a dressage saddle is usually a 15 in a western saddle.

[MyKindaFlower]

I recently purchased a Texas Wade saddle from here: http://specializedsaddles.com/

LOVE the saddle and found the company to be very helpful. They cheerfully answered any questions I had, helped me select the best saddle for my needs, and sent me a fit kit so that they could have the saddle pre-adjusted for my hard-to-fit draftX.

I did look at an adjustable Western DK saddle a couple years ago at the Equine Affair and really liked the quality but I’m glad a waited and did some more research because I prefer the way the Specialized saddles adjust. The stirrup position is also adjustable (forward, balanced, or centered) which might be something that would help it feel ‘more Dressage’ for you.

Good luck on saddle shopping OP, I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for!

[Pocket_Pony]

I used to have a Specialized saddle (an older model) and really liked it. Found it had good alignment and I liked the adjustability of it as well. They seem popular among the endurance crowd.