My horse is ridiculously hard to fit and I have extremely long femurs. This seems like the way to go, but I could conceivably buy 1) a not terrible used vehicle 2) a couple nice young prospects 3) plastic surgery :lol: for what it will cost. Worth the $6-7k outlay?
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You should look into StĆĀ¼bben. They can handle almost any extremely hard to fit horse and are built and designed by Germans who all seem to be 6ā2"+ so they have long legs and femurs covered 
You can also expect to get a nice, new one for less than $5k, which is still a lot, but youād save some.
I also personally wouldnāt spend that much money on a custom saddle that wasnāt alterable. Stackhouse uses felt, so it cannot be reflocked should your horse change some.
I have 3 Stackhouse saddles, you would have to pry them out of my cold dead hands. Unfortunately, off the shelf saddles are built to average measurements and do not cater to the ānon-averageā. All 3 of mine are flocked with lambs wool and have leather panels.
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The 1 I have seen built for the horse less than a year prior had issues. Also it had to be sent back because it molded from the inside. When I saw it, I thought it was a 5+ year old saddle, not less than a year old.
Thank you for your reply. Iām looking for opinions from people whoāve personally purchased from them, so this is valuable feedback.
So I do not own one but if I ever need a new saddle for hunting they would be my first choice.
I borrowed one from a friend to use on a horse I was trying, didnāt like the horse but loved the saddle!
My friend has 2 of them and she said she would sell her husband before either of those saddles.
Thing is she really likes her husband!
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I have a friend that bought a custom, brand new Stackhouse. It fits her, but not the horse. It was rubbing large bald spots in the horses coat, and pinching him. They looked at pictures of the fit and said that it was fine and that rubbing large spots of hair off the horses back was normal. To my knowledge, they did not come out and examine the fit on the horse (the horse and saddle are in central KY, so itās not like its in the middle of no where).
I bought one - this was probably 10 years ago - for a hard to fit horse and loved it. It fit both of us well, was super comfy, and was gorgeous to boot. Unfortunately, it doesnāt fit my current horse, so itās off on consignment.
So, would I do it again? Iām not sure I would. When I bought it, there werenāt many options for long femur-ed riders other than a couple that put me in a chair seat. Since then, Iāve found several that Iāve loved, including the Antares I have now and a Beval Natural I recently sold, both of which I bought used for a lot less than a new Stackhouse.
Do sit in one before you buy one. As much as I loved mine, a friend hated it when we swapped horses. When I first sat in one, I was instantly in love because the balance was just right. And it didnāt fit me - Iām 5ā7" with long legs, and it was a 16 1/2". 
Good luck!
I have several Stackhouse saddles. The saddles are beautifully made with very good leather. Leslie at Stackhouse is very nice to deal with while I canāt say the same for David. One note that I would point out is that resale can be very difficult as the brand is quite boutique.
Overall saddles score a ā10ā and the service can be a ā5ā. I would definitely think trying out used ones could be a great plan. Good luck!
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It is pretty pointless to ātry outā saddles that are custom made to fit another person/horse.
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@ACMEeventing has one.
Totally get what @Equibrit is saying. I can look at @ACMEeventing 's saddle and acknowledge that it is nice, but I do not enjoy riding in it. Whereas she cannot stand my dressage saddle because the blocks are wrong for her.
Which highlights one of the problem with these saddles is resale- you take a total bath on them if you change horses and your saddle doesnāt fit you new horse.
I would think that if you can find somebody that is a similar height, leg length and build that has a Stackhouse trying one would be a decent starting point.
I looked into them at one point for a really hard to fit horse. But ultimately decided to not go that route
Agreed in theory, Equibrit, and thatās certainly been Davidās position, but it wasnāt my experience. The used saddle I tried - and loved so much that I arranged for a custom one and bought the used one to ride in while I was waiting - had exactly the balance and feel of the saddle he made for me, even though it was the wrong size for me and I had to use a Mattes pad for it to fit the horse. Wouldnāt have taken the leap to a custom one otherwise.
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My feelings exactly. I have 5. One for sale. And just ordered 2 more. (Sets of jumping and dressage saddles with different treesā¦I have a lot of horses).
Iāve tried most brandsā¦and they just donāt fit me well (long thigh). I can make dueā¦but balance not being right really started to impact my confidence over bigger fences. Once I was in a Stackhouseā¦I realized how much I had been fighting with my other tack.
Not everyone can afford these saddles. They are not a large company spending tons on marketing for a product produced in mass quantities. These are two master craftsmen who come (not just sales people)ā¦they fit you/your horse and they build your saddle. Iām only selling one (and not trying that hard) because I bought more and this one is an extra not used as much.
it is important that you know what you like and communicate thatā¦same as custom anything.
ETA: Iām not only hard to fit but I have horses with short backsā¦to get other saddles (like the Antares) to fit me, they are too long on my horses. So Iāve not found any good alternative.
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@SeeSpotEvent has two and theyāre drool worthy stunning - Iāve never been in one but Iāve talked to her about hers before and she has nothing but great things to say.
I bought a used Stackhouse at our local tack consignment really cheap - like IIRC $400. It had a bit of damage from a rat chewing on it which Iām sure is why it was affordable for me. I donāt mind and I adore this saddle. It fits me and my horse beautifully and is very comfortable.
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Itās probably easier to sell a used ālong femur-no assā saddle than a āshort legs-round assā model !
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David and Leslie are local to me, so I admit I have a home field advantage, but I have found their knowledge and service exceptional. I canāt imagine David saying that rubbed off hair was normal (would have to hear the rest of that story from both parties).
I have had a lot of saddles and enjoyed them. Nothing compares to my Stackhouse. In fact, I just sucked it up and ordered one for my new mare who is a surprisingly odd fit for a Tb. Cottonās saddle is more standard Tb tree and has fit quite a few other horses.
But, as has been said, the saddles are 100% custom to horse and rider. It makes sense that not every other rider would be comfortable in it (though many are).
Their one at a time craftsmanship is unparalleled
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I have never had a saddle from them but that sounds fishy. I thought hey ALWAYS saw and fitted the horse.
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Yes that can happen (same with custom boots if you change). That said, itās not been my experience. Iāve not had trouble selling ones when I went to sell them. I also had a new tree put in one once (canāt always do that).
Itās also why I tend to have mine fitted to work with several horsesā¦and have been lucky to have that work. It means they are not perfectly fitted for one horse but more of a āproāĀ fit. I donāt like saddles that have to be reflocked every few months. As my horses change muscling, I adjust with half pads. What you cannot change is tree shape and length of the saddle. So if the tree doesnāt fitā¦no amount of changes to the panels will make the saddle fit. So I make sure the tree shape is working for the horse. And for me with these short coupled horsesā¦I have to make sure they fit. Unlike WFPā¦I am NOT comfortable riding in a 16.5āĀ saddle (I had a conversation with him about this). But my horses backs donāt fit the 18āĀ saddles that I needā¦my Stackhouse saddles are now built to keep both my short backed horses and me comfortableā¦and my monster sized horses donāt care that the saddle is meant for a short backed horse!
