What do you all do for cheap, temporary saddles?

[Pally]

So I just spent the day browsing online saddle ads and I’m feeling a little disheartened, rather than the giddy feeling tack shopping is supposed to give you. I felt I needed to turn to the COTH maybe not for saddle fitting advice, per se, but, I dunno, commiseration and maybe… philosophical? advice on saddles.

Backstory: I occasionally buy and sell horses. I wouldn’t really say it’s a profit maker but a way to “do my own thing” while not subjecting myself to the lifelong commitment and financial drain of a forever horse (plus, I actually really like projects and training, so it’s actually a win-win). Sometimes I ride other people’s horses. But whatever the case, you’d definitely call me a budget rider/owner.

I’ve had a Pessoa (GenX or something I think) fixed tree for around 10 years, bought used for $500 because it’s not cosmetically pretty, but it fits me really well. It’s also done a good job of fitting a few horses I’ve had/ridden. Yay!

I also have an ancient pancake saddle with a wide tree, that I’ll never sell, because it’s value to be able to pull out for some tank I come across far exceeds it’s value on the open market. Cool.

Latest project (3.5 years old, to be sold by spring) fits neither of those. NBD, I’ll just pick something up right? But in looking it seems like there is limited choice on a low budget and/or things are overpriced for what they are.

I remember when I first started riding English 15ish years ago, the advice I took from forums like this and my Western experience was to buy older, quality saddles rather than newer and cheaply made. Only problem is now I’d really like to buy a 15-20 year old saddle…

I’m not overly concerned about looks or fashion. I’m still willing to take on a really old (30-40 years) saddle with understandings of condition issues and limitations in fit. I’m also willing to spend a little more on something for current horse that is also great for me/potentially for many other horses/has fantastic resale value. But I’m seeing a lot of crap brands at the mid-higher end of my budget. I get it… people want near what they paid for barely used saddle. But I don’t want to pay it. Where are the useful mid-range saddles? Non-existent?

I think the real answer is “Stop buying horses, they are too damn expensive!” But that doesn’t ever seem to pan out . And I actually hope to do more of it in the future (with an added rehab leaning since I now do bodywork as well… which may mean more rapid body changes and importance of saddle fit). But I just can’t imagine spending as much on each horse’s saddle as the horse itself (only to have them sold before their custom arrives), so I don’t feel like the “gold standard” of working with a fitter towards perfection is the answer.

So where does that leave someone like me? Just keep blindly putting the saddle I like on everything? (I can not in good conscience do that). Instead of doing pre-purchase vettings, I do pre-purchase fittings to match the horse to my favorite saddle? (I’m kidding, I think.) Build an army of saddles so I can hope to have one on hand? (I don’t hate this idea, but I think the SO is starting to notice).

Sorry this is so very long and sad. Someone please just come on here and tell me you are still finding useful cheap saddles to use when needed!

[furlong47]

Look at the older brands that are out of fashion but hold up forever. Personally I love Stubbens and you can’t throw a stone without hitting an older Siegfried still in decent shape for $250-500. (And as long as you don’t beat it to hell you’ll probably be able to resell for a similar amount when you’re done with it.)

[PonyPenny]

I find many vintage saddles on EBay.

[SweetMutt]

Anecdotally, I have a Stubben that I picked up from their annual fall sale, unused but sitting for a couple of years because it was a tobacco color, for something like $700. I like to say I got the ugly discount on it. (I dyed it, and it’s a normal brown color now, though also collecting dust until more TB withers come into my life). If you really want a super old saddle, you might try some of the less conventional outlets - I can tell you my local feed store is full of them, and many tack stores have a few oldies at the bottom of the used stack.

As far as your long-term question about how to keep up with saddles for different horses, I think the answer is a combination of have a few saddles, get a shimmable pad or two, and get friendly with the secondhand market (as both buyer and seller).

I suspect the used market looks especially inflated right now since everything new is delayed and expensive. If you get something in good shape and treat it well, you can probably sell it on in a couple of years (if you need to) for not too much less than you bought it for.

Whatever you do, don’t stop buying horses.

[mvp]

OP, you can buy my little (measures a 16.25") Crosby AGA Grand Prix for $500 and put that on everything for the rest of your life. Those saddles fit a lot of horses surprisingly well. This one has not been used up and it has been cared for. I am now of a certain age with the size ass to match, so I ride in larger and dressage saddles.

If not my saddle, than another like it. I have a “Crosby saddle” search saved on Ebay. If I were in your spot, I’d do something similar. It might not be a Crosby you want, but pick a make of saddle that you know well enough to buy just from pictures. The Stubben idea is a good one if you like the balance of those; those saddles seem to be as close to immortal or like a Western saddle as we get in English world.

I think there are this kind of saddle— the old school, good quality, used— out there. But, IMHO, saddles started getting cheaply made more than 15 years ago, so you might have to get in the Way Back Machine to find one.

Good luck! I hope the universe fulfills your order soon.

[Texarkana]

Buy a used Wintec Pro Jump… if you can find one! They can be pretty hard to find used because they are really well liked saddles by those who own them. Even buying new, they are worth it. They wear like iron, they fit way more horses than the average saddle with all of their adjustability features, and they give a really balanced ride. That grippy suede is to die for when riding unknown or young horses. In the brown color, a ground person can’t even tell it’s not leather.

I wouldn’t bother with too many of their other models for your purposes. They have a pro close contact that might be worth it, it just wasn’t on the market very long. I jump in a pro AP that I love, but most people aren’t going to like that for H/J. The smooth 500 close contact models are like riding on a sheet of ice; all of their 500 models leave a lot to be desired. I think a lot of people’s only experience with Wintec are those low end models, which understandably turn people off.

[No1]

In the past year, I bought a HDR Parisian dressage saddle with a changeable gullet for a young horse. I intend to have the horse for a while and will probably by her a nicer saddle when she’s older/I have the funds, but for a now, it fit her better than anything in my price range and I can switch out the gullet to use it on my narrower gelding. It was about $1000 brand new.

Look at similar saddles (HDR, Toulouse, etc) with changeable gullets and invest in a good, shimable half pad. It will be good enough to get by on most horses.

You can also check out the Aiken Tack Exchange for older saddles. They had a few on there when I was shopping, however, most were narrow or too small a seat size for me.

[Pally]

Thanks everyone. Especially for this:

@SweetMutt

Whatever you do, don’t stop buying horses.

It sounds like ancient is still the good option. I do now also have an old Crosby-type that I lucked into (bought in a “clear-out” lot, stored for ages but looks barely used) this summer. It actually had been working for current beast until he recently hulked out a bit more. (And thanks for the offer @mvp but my ass/leg hasn’t been that small since I was like 10 )

I should probably consider adding a Stubben to the collection. They aren’t really my thing, but they’d be a different “shape” option on the horse side as well. And at least if my house explodes I’d still have something left to my name

@Texarkana

Buy a used Wintec Pro Jump… if you can find one!

You know, I can’t remember where and why, but I think I have ridden in one of these, and was surprised at how balanced it was. Thanks for the tip, I’ll keep them on my radar.

I’m definitely not sold on the “changeable gullet will make it so it works on any horse”. In fact, I borrowed a Collegiate Convertible for a few rides with this horse. Textbook case of clearly not fitting even though the gullet itself looked beautiful. And honestly, I was relieved, because it felt like I was always fighting my position in it, although it looked like a good fit for me on the surface too. It might be part of what is making me nervous about the current middle range. I’m not saying I’d turn the changeable gullet system away… but I’d have to want the saddle it’s in, not the other way around.

I guess it’s also worth a mention that I’m in Canada. I used to buy on eBay and ship saddles up here all the time. Then shipping prices skyrocketed and our dollar tanked (and this was all well before COVID complications) so I stopped that. I’m still willing to import the right saddle/deal, but definitely trying to stay at least domestic if not local. Which, luckily, though FB and Kijiji are looking slim right now, I do have some tack stores within driving distance I can try before I totally give up.

Thanks again!

[wsmoak]

@Texarkana

Buy a used Wintec Pro Jump… if you can find one! They can be pretty hard to find used because they are really well liked saddles by those who own them. Even buying new, they are worth it.

I got one of these when I bought my big horse just to have something while I was saddle shopping.

My only complaint is that it has a very wide twist. It’s kind of like sitting on a 2x6 and I feel like I’m sitting up above the horse. The air filled panels probably don’t help, maybe it comes with regular stuffing or can be changed out.

Changing out the gullet plate in these is quite a physical task, but can be done.

So if you’re looking for something not too expensive to have around, see if one of the Wintec line might suit.

[Texarkana]

@wsmoak

@Texarkana

Buy a used Wintec Pro Jump… if you can find one! They can be pretty hard to find used because they are really well liked saddles by those who own them. Even buying new, they are worth it.

I got one of these when I bought my big horse just to have something while I was saddle shopping.

My only complaint is that it has a very wide twist. It’s kind of like sitting on a 2x6 and I feel like I’m sitting up above the horse. The air filled panels probably don’t help, maybe it comes with regular stuffing or can be changed out.

Changing out the gullet plate in these is quite a physical task, but can be done.

So if you’re looking for something not too expensive to have around, see if one of the Wintec line might suit.

I have heard people say they found the twist too wide in a lot of Wintecs. Personally, I don’t feel like that at all I’m any I have ever sat in. Not disagreeing in any way! Just pointing out this experience varies.

I also haven’t found changing the gullet plates difficult. It’s not something you would want to do frequently, but it takes me maybe 10-15 minutes for every Wintec I have owned. The most difficult part is getting everything tucked in and lined back up correctly. Someone on this forum said they took theirs apart and had to put it in the hot sun to get it back together; not my experience at all! I don’t know if there are some QC issues that make some harder to get back together than others?

I feel like I get kind of fanatical about my Wintec experience, haha. But it’s because I was solidly in the anti-Wintec camp for many years, then had such a positive experience with their higher end models that I want to share my story.

[NancyM]

My cheap saddles aren’t temporary LOL. I have a selection that fit me, and can fit a variety of horses, and paid between $50 and $200 for each. I’m old, and grew up using close contact flat hunter saddles, and still do. Stubben makes/made a close contact Siegfried II, that is my last acquisition for $100. Stubbens have multiple widths, A to E, so if buying second hand, look for the stamp on the sweat flap to know what you are getting. Crosby tends to fit a bit wider than you’d think, PDNs are long lasting and very comfortable and secure to sit in. I have a PDN, and an Olympic. My other passion is Courbette Stylists, I have two. One that I bought new in 1977 (a medium width) and love dearly still, and another that I “rescued” for $50 a few years ago, a “narrow” width (fits shark fin TB). Oh, and I also have a Passier Century, which fits a bit wide and I don’t currently have a horse it fits well, but it doesn’t eat much and only takes up one space on my saddle racks, so it is welcome to stay with me, because you neva no when I might need it. Paid $200 for that one.
These saddles are cheap because they are out of fashion, and don’t have a lot of padding in them. I don’t like padding in saddles, so they are perfect for me, and I don’t care about what is or is not currently in fashion. What I care about is being as close to the horse as possible, which is what you get with a saddle does not attempt to “hold you on” with padding, knee padding, thigh blocks, thick seat padding etc. My other saddle is a Beavertail exercise saddle with only a half tree from my race training career, the closest you can get to a horse’s sides, and extremely secure. I saw that someone was using one of these in the jumper rings a few years ago, big classes. I’ve jumped in mine too, it was great. Because it fits every horse like a surcingle, but with without a tree, you can’t ride for long periods in it, doesn’t spread the rider’s weight like a treed saddle does.
Buying old saddles requires that you inspect them closely, and they may need some new billets, which is cheap and easy with these saddles. I haven’t had to restuff any of them. Mostly wool flocked (I think?). I get top performance out of my horses, no issues related to not using the “latest style” in saddles. I was taught to ride with a secure seat early in life, and do not need a saddle to attempt to hold me on the horse.
All of these are well made saddles, built to last, and easy and cheap to repair if needed. I don’t actually look for them, they seem to find me LOL. But they are out there. I find them at local tack sales, local used tack stores, on facebook (!!!), and the Olympic was advertised on a scrap of paper on a local bulletin board- which is a joke if you knew how remote I live!. It’s really great because nobody steals them because they aren’t worth anything! And if a cat jumps up and wants to sleep on one of them in the tackroom, I don’t have heart failure.
Look around, you will likely find something that will do for you. Everyone thinks they want the $8000 custom made ones that fall apart in a couple years these days. They seem to be the most popular!

[lenapesadie]

I have a Bates Caprilli CC saddle that has the same changeable gullet as the Wintecs. It’s been very useful on a variety of horses. I don’t find the gullet to be terribly difficult to change (the first time was the worst lol). Like @Texarkana I find 10–5 mins gets it done. Mr. LS is a mechanic and I had him change the gullet the last time on a whim. He’s completely unfamiliar with tack and he changed the gullet in under 5 mins. So it can be a lot quicker!

I’m currently looking at the Thorowgood saddles. I think the high wither design looks mighty interesting.

I have an ancient Passier dressage saddle that is still in good working order. I find that it fits a lot of horses well. It’s a generous MW so naturally I have an XW and a MN horse lol. If the Passier fit me better I’d try to pad it up for the MN horse.

[2bayboys]

Two saddles I have that have been so very useful on a variety of horses were both found on eBay for $500 or so. One is an Ideal all purpose. Although the flap is straighter than I like and the seat is a smidge too small for me, this saddle has fit more horses than anything I’ve ever owned. It’s also the type of saddle that wraps around you, very useful for riding babies or otherwise squirrelly horses. This is my go to for starting young horses or new horses I’m not familiar with.

The second incredibly useful saddle I have is an old County Pro Fit. It has skid row panels and buffalo leather and I’m sure was very pricey in its day. But I got it cheap and have found it very useful.

My other saddles assigned to particular horses are a Black Country Ricochet with wither gussets and an Excelle close contact. Notice all of mine are wool flocked and good old British leather and craftsmanship, which goes a long way to making them versatile and good investments.

Good luck!

[AAHunterGal]

You can find some older french saddles for under 1k with cosmetic issues but sound trees (though buyer beware no matter what the used saddle is) on Facebook pretty easily. There are some older Tad Coffins that fit everything because they’re made to be used with various 1/2 pads and have a nice flat neutral seat that’s similar to the older style of H/J saddles.

[No1]

Just wanted to add to this, I bought my changeable gullet saddle with wool flocking specifically for the reason you state. They don’t all fit the same and, if I feel the need at some point, wool flocking gives me more options than a changeable gullet with foam panels.

None of that will change the panel length or several other things, but there’s only so much you can do without going custom for every horse you ride.

[Bogie]

@Texarkana

Buy a used Wintec Pro Jump… if you can find one! They can be pretty hard to find used because they are really well liked saddles by those who own them. Even buying new, they are worth it. They wear like iron, they fit way more horses than the average saddle with all of their adjustability features, and they give a really balanced ride. That grippy suede is to die for when riding unknown or young horses. In the brown color, a ground person can’t even tell it’s not leather.

Yes! This has always been my back up saddle. I prefer the older model to the newer ones, but they are hard to find on the used market.

[OnDeck]

2-3 different saddles and a good shim pad

[Pally]

Thanks again to everyone for their replies. I think I was feeling a little discouraged/paranoid in the sense of “Know better, do better” morphing into “If it’s not perfect, why even bother?” That’s probably something I really need to keep working on outside of saddles and horses… but it’s good to hear someone say I’m not a monster for feeling like a 40 year old saddle (or insert whatever travesty someone rails against) might be the best option at any given time.

@NancyM sounds like we actually have similar taste in saddles (save the exercise one… that did not feel secure to me the one time I tried. Maybe I’ll give it another go this winter, but… eh). And I definitely don’t mind making those bargain buys permanent. Just need to get a better hiding/storage space going in the garage. I guess the better wording was if the horse is temporary (either in duration or their current shape lol).

@lenapesadie

I’m currently looking at the Thorowgood saddles. I think the high wither design looks mighty interesting.

I have an ancient Passier dressage saddle that is still in good working order. I find that it fits a lot of horses well. It’s a generous MW so naturally I have an XW and a MN horse lol. If the Passier fit me better I’d try to pad it up for the MN horse.

Curious if anyone has first hand experience to share with the Thorowgood. It does in principle look like another good option when something weird comes up, given the variety of options

The first (of like…3) dressage saddles I ever rode in was an old Passier. I liked it and do admit, I’ve been pretty tempted whenever I see them come up for sale. But then I remember I don’t ride dressage

@2bayboys your collection sounds lovely. I think this is the kind of thing I’m working towards. Good to know it’s doable.

@AAHunterGal

You can find some older french saddles for under 1k with cosmetic issues but sound trees (though buyer beware no matter what the used saddle is) on Facebook pretty easily. There are some older Tad Coffins that fit everything because they’re made to be used with various 1/2 pads and have a nice flat neutral seat that’s similar to the older style of H/J saddles.

I do see the odd bargain French saddle ($1000-1500 CDN). I’m just a little paranoid about tree soundness because that’s a price that (for me) I’d hate to find out something is a thow-away. And the benefit/curse of having ridden in a bunch of high end French saddles while grooming is I know exactly which ones I’d actually want to throw my money at. So while it’s definitely something I’m open to, I consider it more of a waiting game rather than something I can reliably pick up when I have a sudden need.

Tad Coffins aren’t something I see a lot in Canada, but definitely something I’ll keep on my radar in general.

@No1

Just wanted to add to this, I bought my changeable gullet saddle with wool flocking specifically for the reason you state. They don’t all fit the same and, if I feel the need at some point, wool flocking gives me more options than a changeable gullet with foam panels.

See, I wasn’t totally aware there were non-English wool options with a changeable gullet. Definitely good to know. As I said, it’s not that I’m opposed to changeable gullet saddles… just aware of their limitations. (And to add to the “how easy is it?” discussion, I’ve only changed a gullet that one time… I think it was 10 minutes or so… some grunting ensued but I lived through it.).

Anyway, what I’m getting as my takeaways are:

• Nothing wrong with ancient if it’s good.
• Saddle buying/hoarding between horses is OK, probably even good.
• I should probably invest in a shimmable pad. I have a variety of half pads which offer slighly varying effects, but not a good set of shims.
• I can use my saddle fitting knowledge to find solutions rather than think doomsday thoughts.

Thanks again!

[foursocks]

This is exactly what I was going to say! I’ve tried the changeable gullet saddles on three different young horses and found them to be ill-fitting compared to a decent-quality medium width CC with a shimmable half pad.

My old County Innovation was originally built for one TB and moved on to fit several others, again with a shimmable half pad. I bought an adjustable something or other when I got my second-to-last baby horse (a very large WB) and it was terrible and gave both of us a backache. After that I used an old Devoucoux, which worked ok with a half pad as he filled out. The next young horse (another WB) didn’t fit into the Devoucoux and the County was too narrow for him as he began to fill out, so I ended up spending money on a Voltaire and that has been worth it. I’m hoping that my next baby will fit into the Voltaire with a half pad, since it is doubtful a 3-4 year old will be as beefy as my current guy!

[Live_Wire]

When I was dabbling in the buy/sell game I had an older Thorowgood Griffin that fit every single horse I put it on and was comfortable/secure to boot. (its for sale as I shattered my heel and sir boyfriend said I should just concentrate on my own diva of a horse that requires the fancy schmancy custom saddles. i obliged only because he let me get a puppy to fill the void)

Aiken Tack Exchange oftentimes has nice, older saddles at good prices and you can always offer less on their asking price. They have a Tolga on there for a couple hundred dollars which is a freaking steal. Love those saddles and they’re such nice quality.