The Devoucoux rep was at Winter Series I so maybe you could try some of the demos there and get a better idea if one of these would work for you?
FWIW I bought a Beval Artisan for fox hunting and riding youngsters and I LOVE it. Great price point, durable but nice leather, comfortable for hours and I don’t worry about baby horses making bad decisions and messing up the leather or getting off in the hunt field and my horse running away (which has happened twice this season) and doing damage to the saddle by running under/by trees. Beval sent a rep with a few saddles for me to try/ride in and fit my horse.
I just got my first “big girl” saddle and it’s a Beval. I’ve only had it for a month or so, but my riding has gotten so much better according to my trainer. I used to ride in an old Pessoa at the barn, but my Beval fits me so much better. I do think, however, that it is a saddle for people who prefer a shorter stirrup length like I do. I haven’t tried changing the stirrup length from what I’ve been at since I first rode in it, but I don’t think I could go much longer and still be comfortable.
I realize that. The MD one is older … 2010, so I think the same seat size you have should be fine, if you can handle flap difference. For the newer model on the other site with the D3D panels, that’s probably going to fit size-wise more like you experienced with the 2017 biarritz s. That’s going to be made after the CWD merger.
Ah, I get it. Thanks for that info…and I guess I could try the 2010, just the leather looks meh. The newer one is a 17, so perhaps that might work for me given the bigger size. But I honestly didn’t love the ride. The CWD merger does scare me off a bit, given the bad experiences I’ve had with CWD, but I know it’s not pervasive, just the bad apple saddles in my barn.
Ha! My own experience with voltaire is a 2012 saddle whose leather feels mushy. I have no better way to put it. That saddle is ridden in by an adult lady who rides 1-2 times a week. There is no way it would hold up to my riding schedule, which although is light by pro standards, is still 3-4x per week, 2-3 horses per day.
Love my Counties. Try out other brands often because I’m convinced that I’m in a 20-year rut. But have yet to find something that I like as much AND my horses like as much.
But a lot comes down to who your saddle fitter is. I have a really fabulous County gal up here and that makes it easy for me to stay with them.
I also have a couple of Stubbens, a Devoucoux Biarritz (which has fit a grand total of 2 out of maybe 25 horses that I’ve tried it on), and a ridiculous assortment of cheaper saddles like Pessoas, Courbettes, etc.
Out of all of my saddles my County Sensations are my favorite by a mile (also have an Innovation and a Stabilizer and like them both a lot too - just not as much as my Sensations).
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I just picked up a lovely used saddle… a Philippe Fontaine Renee. It was very affordable and fits my weird to fit TB quite well. The leather is also very nice for the price point! I worked with Jen at The Saddle Geek and she had recommended the older Philippe Fontaines (the Renee, Diane, and Danielle) to keep an eye out for as I prefer french style saddles but had a smaller budget, especially as my guy is older and I don’t know how long he’ll be in work for!
Pm sent 
If you are at all interested in the Beval saddles, they are 25% off right now (President’s Day sale). I got mine on a similar sale and even though the fitter came over after the sale had ended they honored the discount.
I am in an Antares Evolution (bought new to me, barely used 2015). I absolutely love it. I was a long time Butet only person prior (almost 20 years).
My absolute favorite saddle was my Devocoux Biarritz. I finally sold it because it didn’t fit a variety of horses. It seemed to fit one specific back type, and that was it. A friend who’s a pro recommended a CWD with pro panels, which is what I’ve ended up in. The saddle does seem to fit a variety of horses well enough, and it’s certainly comfortable and well balanced, but I don’t love it. For me, it’s just a lot of saddle.
I will second the recommendation of the Prestige Meredith, which I have had since 2006. It’s a closer contact saddle, perfectly balanced, and just deep enough to be secure. And it wears like iron. It doesn’t fit as wide a variety of backs as the CWD with pro panels, however.
I also had an Amerigo Vega that I liked a lot. I foxhunted in that one because it was so secure and comfortable.
I have two horses, both Thoroughbreds, but with very different shapes. I’m not sure how, but my County Innovation fits both like a glove.
I LOVED my Beval Artisan…until one of the stirrup bars SNAPPED in half when I landed off an oxer at a show 9 months after I bought it! I jumped a whole line with my stirrup getting longer and longer and I couldn’t figure out why until I came out of the ring. It was probably a fluke but I couldn’t recommend that saddle to anyone after that. Beval also tried to fight me on the refund. Luckily I bought it locally from a great tack shop and they stepped in and worked directly with them until I got my money back.
Me too, I have a 2003 model M and love it. Fits most horses well too.
I have a semi custom bruno delgrange virtuoso, it’s awesome! really deep seat.
From my tackshop girl days, I would ask customers who were looking for saddles, what their budget was and then show them whatever we had in the store that was within their price range. I think the same holds true now. There are plenty of nice saddles out there other than the popular French saddles. I was recently in the saddle market, had a fitter come out with a bunch of saddles for me to try - new and used within the budget I had in mind. I tried a Hastilow and loved it right off the bat, felt fabulous I’ve ridden in a friend’s Antares and that was really comfy… Had I not tried the Hastilow I think I would’ve tried the Stubben Portos.
I am riding in a 2GS Mademoiselle. I will probably sell it when the horse I got it for sells. He loves it, I could go either way and for the $$ I would rather have something else - or like 2 other less expensive saddles, honestly.
Another vote for the Voltaire. I have a 2014, full Buffalo palm beach model with the second skin option. Have had it for almost a year now and it is still in wonderful condition. I’ve never sat in a saddle that makes me feel as balanced and secure as this one does.
I have a custom Bruno Delgrange Athena that I adore. Like bury-it-with-me adore. I also have a PJ lite from the tail end of their relationship. It is exactly the Athena with no customizations. I like it tons as well, the only thing holding me back from wanting to be buried with it as well is: 1) who needs to be buried with two saddles an 2) the seat is a size too big and the flap is standard rather than forward…but it was also half the price of the Athena.
This so far has been my winner. I showed this weekend in one, and was champion…but finding one used seems to be next to impossible. sigh
