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What are the favored saddle brands now?

Is there such a thing as an adjustable tree with both pommel end AND cantle end having adjustable plates?

No. There are mechanical stability issues with that. That would effectively make the whole tree adjustable, I don’t see how that would be possible.

The closest you could probably get is something like the EQ Saddle Science which is not adjustable in the head plate I don’t think but IS adjustable in the panels.

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The trick for me will be getting a saddle that kinda cuts back in front to get past those shoulders of hers…and either has short panels or sweeps up in the back and has a wide channel all the way from front to back. One i’m riding in now has a channel that goes more narrow as it goes back toward cantle end. Front is nice and wide though. And then there’s me… anti-bucket seat person, and allergic to knee rolls… LOL.

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Maybe look at the erreplus saddles. Not sure whether they are available in the US?

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Thanks! They are sold here! Just wrote them and asked a few questions. :slight_smile:

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Yes. I am not getting on my baby if the saddle: isn’t secure; is moving around; is riding up; is going to piss him off. I need a stable, secure saddle that is comfortable for the baby before I will get on. I am trialing some of the saddles on my mare; and lunging him in them. So far, I haven’t found one that will stay in place.

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I definitely think that Black Country has a few models/options that could work for your preferences. You might even prefer a working hunter saddle (UK term, not US hunter/jumpers) since they can be flat, more open, and have little knee roll, but the flap is still fairly straight. They have similar dressage options.

I tried some Erreplus saddles and liked one well enough, but sort of felt between sizes with the particular model I tried, but they were nice saddles and are worth considering. My latest (as of 1 year ago) saddle is an Amerigo. My knee blocks are velcro so I can take them off and have basically nothing there. The seat isn’t deep, but not flat either. However, they do have a model or two with a flatter seat than mine. The area for the spine is wide, which is important for my horse. He’s got big shoulders and the saddle works for him. However, he does have a tall and long withers. He has developed this overtime and I’m somewhat thankful for this because as a youngster he had nothing and it was difficult to find a set up where the saddle didn’t move a bit. It’s not abnormal for a withers to “emerge” with training. His is wide, long, and relatively tall in comparison to his back. He has a rather uphill build, which comes with its own complications. Amerigo does have different trees for different builds, but I’m not sure how they fit on a super wide or propane tank-like horse.

Have you ridden in any older Passier saddles? They have some flatter models with less knee roll. Not super trendy or cushy, but they last and are functional.

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Having just been through this with my latest 4 year old (and a zillion before that, lol!), I will say that if you find one that somewhat stays in place or only rides up a little bit, you may just want to re-position the saddle and hop on to see if it stays put when you’re in the saddle. When they’re growing, maybe bum high/little to no withers, big movers/hijinks on the longe line, it’s a LOT to ask a saddle not to move at ALL. So many of them will shift while longeing but be ok with a rider. I’m sure you know this already, just sharing for others that may not. :slight_smile:

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Black Country is a good suggestion, especially for those rounder types. Personally, I’m investigating Amerigo right now, they’re interesting saddles, and I never thought I’d be a “foam person”. LOL!

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Amerigo panels, as far as I know, aren’t foam. They’re not traditional wool flocking exactly, but technically they are flocked. They contain a synthetic wool fiber.

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I believe Amerigo saddles have a “Swiss” panel, which is wool flocking with a felt lining.

https://www.thesaddledoctor.ca/swiss-panels/

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i’ve inquired to Black Country re their Kur and Classic models. I am hoping they can use my Schleese measurements to guide me better than i can. Maybe if they can come up with a model i can hunt for a used one. Meanwhile, i’ll pick up a used Niedersuss next week and take it along with my mare to lesson Thurs…see what my coach thinks (she will be the first to say she is not a saddle fitting expert! But i think she is waaaay better than i am)

I think the Black Country have too wide a twist for me. I do have a fitter coming mid July who has those saddles. Erreplus is not available xw except by special order (or if you can find used)–I talked to the people who bring those in. I do have coming next week a used Trilogy Verago Elite and a new Lovett & Ricketts Ellipse with a hoop tree. I just don’t think he’s that wide, but he does have a shorter back and many of these saddles travel past the last rib. I am seeing way too much slipping and sliding and slopping and flapping to want to get on the 4 year old in a trial saddle. I can tolerate an inch slippage (might be too flocked in front, for example), but some of this is from the wrong shape of tree. The N2 was totally wrong and had pressure points. I have options and then if I can’t find anything, I have something custom made and send him back to the colt starter to ride western for six months…

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Yes, that link explains it well. :+1:

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I tried a Niedersüß Symphony on my horse a few years ago and it was nice in that it had a flatter, more open seat and very modest knee rolls. The fit wasn’t bad but he hated it. :woman_shrugging: I had not seen him object to a saddle like that before. He also didn’t get along well with a Prestige, but that one had more noticeable issues. I wouldn’t hesitate to try a Niedersüß though. Usually they can be found at a good price too.

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My Erreplus…:heart:. My trainer pressured me into buying it and then she quit her job and left on the day I got the saddle :flushed:…. But she was right, my horse seems to like it and it is incredibly comfortable compared to my old Hoepfner. And my horse is not easy to fit…

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Good to know, thanks!

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Same here with BC, if they have a hoop tree. I’ll be curious to see what you think of the L&R with the hoop tree, wasn’t my bag of tea. :wink: Have you thought of trying a jumping saddle? SO much more forgiving and usually not too long. I know it’s not ideal, but then again, neither is (probably) sending him back to the cowboy. Just a thought…I have done that before. Of course it’s all different muscles for us, LOL!

I feel like I’m not at the end of the road yet, but really only want to give it another month before sending him to be restarted. I have custom saddlery coming July 1 and another one who sells Prestige coming July 19. I have the two saddles this week plus the County rep will come out next weekend and try and fit that saddle (although I am against sending a $6,000 used saddle off to put in a point billet when they come that way new for $6,700 and I have a really hard time spending that much for my 22 year old horse!). The jumping saddles at the colt starters made my horse’s back sore (either they bridged or were too wide and sat on his spine and they had a pretty healthy selection) and this is how my mares old saddle ended up getting remade for him and then destroyed at the colt starter’s place. I am in the process of having 24 tons of rubber installed in my arena so I am dying to get a saddle that works, for either of my horses. And an additional note on the County–after the last ride in it, I could not sit down comfortably for three days!!! The pommel is already high and the front gusset is overfilled and if it rides up only a little…it’s a crotch killer. LOL

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I don’t know that I’d gravitate towards any of those three brands for your horse, although Prestige might have one that isn’t too long in the back and would be less likely to bridge.

Maybe the Amerigo HC? Our local Equipe rep sometimes has used or demos for sale of both Equipe and Amerigo. The Equipes with the spring tree can be adjusted some. Not the carbon or synthetic ones. The twist will feel more narrow on those without squeezing the horse at the stirrup bars (which is a notorious problem with Custom).

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