What do you think about this saddle?

[Hampton_Bay]

Tree size will depend on the brand though. Can you post pics of your horse? One from the side on level ground, head about wither height, and one from a still behind him, pointed down at his withers if he’s safe to do that with. You can also take a wither tracing and photograph that too. I find it very helpful to have that wither tracing to compare to a photo of the saddle straight on the front. I can pretty much find something to fit my Arab based off of 2 or 3 pics at this point just from lots of practice. Same with the mare, but the Arab is a difficult fit and she isn’t.

Some horses will also need a wide twist. Arab boy is a medium and he cannot use a narrow twist. He bucks violently if asked to canter in anything with a narrow twist.

[smilesthepony]

I have a 38" duette allegro which I love! I posted here last year looking for saddle advice, with very similar questions which you have. I ruled out the wintec immediately, I love leather, hate cair, and really dislike the interchangeable gullets which inevitably don’t fit any horse. Since I catch ride a lot of horses in the area, I wanted a saddle which would be able to fit a lot of different backs well enough for a one time ride. I looked at treeless, and coming from an event background I just did not feel secure enough. One of my very experienced friends finally told me to look at duette, and helped me pick out a perfectly balanced model. The leather is great, it fits most horses, especially with an extra pad thrown underneath, and it is super comfortable and secure. I have completed almost 1000 competition and training miles last year, and have yet to have a sore back.
The tree is definitely an interesting shape, and needs to be balanced out to fit non arab horses, usually using a riser to level out the front and back of the saddle.
Anyways, I’m done ranting, but it is a wonderful saddle and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a very light, versatile cc saddle.

[suz]

hey paula my favorite saddle is a syntack for which i paid 275 ten years ago.
it’s dressage style, wide, light and very comfortable.
plus it fits a ton of horses.

just this morning tundra and i swam in the river a bit while using it.
came home and hosed it off and left it in the sun.
if you can find one they are very well made for such a cheapie knock-off.

[paulaedwina]

Suz, I tried to google Syntack and got one hit at Buck’s County for an AP http://www.bcsaddlery.com/sadgege.img/g21608.htm

Is this what you’re talking about? For the record I think it is completely possible to find a cheap decent saddle. As I said; riding schools have been doing that forever. You know they can’t stock 20 or 30 $1000 AP saddles, and they have to last for years and years of wear, and fit many different horses. The trick is to separate the cheaply made from the merely cheap.

I’ve been diligently researching the Exmoor endurance saddle (for the straighter flap) and haven’t heard bad things yet.

Paula

[Hampton_Bay]

[QUOTE=paulaedwina;6451282]

Is this what you’re talking about? For the record I think it is completely possible to find a cheap decent saddle. As I said; riding schools have been doing that forever. You know they can’t stock 20 or 30 $1000 AP saddles, and they have to last for years and years of wear, and fit many different horses. The trick is to separate the cheaply made from the merely cheap. [/QUOTE]

They buy quality brands used, not cheap new saddles. At least all of the ones I’ve either ridden or taught at did that. For the same money, a used saddle will outlast a new one by many years, sometimes decades.

Decent leather, balanced trees, and quality workmanship don’t come cheap.