Who makes the best quality saddles these days?

[endlessclimb]

I’m riding in a custom Black Country, and so far it’s a really nice saddle. I mixed the Dante and the Wexford - Dante seat and tree, Wexford flaps. The Dante twist/rider feel is incredible. The Weford was too deep for my taste, but if you ride a lot of green beans or don’t mind a glued-in feeling, that saddle would be great. I loved the layout of the Wexford flap though, just not how deep it was. Hence the mix of the two.

Maresy got K panels etc, which made the difference in how she goes in it.

If you’re riding lots of different horses, I would not be sold on wool flocking - you’re going to have to shim for some horses anyways.

[Momateur]

@beowulf

Are you asking who has the best brand new saddles? Or just in general?

As far as brand new + quality… I really think that the quality has shifted to something butter-soft & comfortable vs something enduring. Unfortunately those two things don’t seem to mix well when it comes to leather. Of brand new saddles I’d say Passier, Stackhouse and Black Country are up there. I won’t touch most brand new french brands because I’ve seen very poor craftmanship and sore horses from several of the more popular brands like Devoucoux and CWD. In general if you get a saddle buttersoft and feeling “broken in” you’re paying for it down the line - those leathers cannot withstand the same kind of use that those hard-skinned german brands can.

This is exaaaaactly the reason for my post. I’m pretty wary of a new, trendy French saddle because I doubt the craftsmanship can hold up the way I’ll need it to. Hmm…never really thought about Passier or Black Country. Thanks for the suggestions.

[gertie06]

@beowulf

Are you asking who has the best brand new saddles? Or just in general?

As far as brand new + quality… I really think that the quality has shifted to something butter-soft & comfortable vs something enduring. Unfortunately those two things don’t seem to mix well when it comes to leather. Of brand new saddles I’d say Passier, Stackhouse and Black Country are up there. I won’t touch most brand new french brands because I’ve seen very poor craftmanship and sore horses from several of the more popular brands like Devoucoux and CWD. In general if you get a saddle buttersoft and feeling “broken in” you’re paying for it down the line - those leathers cannot withstand the same kind of use that those hard-skinned german brands can.

This is exaaaactly the reason for my post. I am wary of a new, trendy French saddle. Based on what I have seen, heard, and read, the ones made today just won’t last. They’re popular alright, but that doesn’t always mean they’re the best…

Hmm…never even considered a Passier or Black Country. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Jealoushe]

@Willesdon

The trendy French close contact saddles are designed for the specific task of jumping at speed rather than for everyday use. The leather is soft. They generally use memory foam rather than wool flocking. The foam will compress with extended use, and as it then has to be removed, re-flocking to fit can be difficult. The traditional saddles use robust leather and wool flocking. They are designed to last for years and, as re-flocking is easy, they are easy to adjust.

tell that to my Butet who is a 1998 model

[Natalie]

I have a Delgrange (PJ) that sadly doesn’t fit my horse so I’ve been trying to resell. It’s a 2001 model and it still looks beautiful, I’m sad to let it go. Granted, it’s grain leather, not soft calf…reminds me more of the leather you see on old Stubbens that on say, a new Devoucoux. So that’s at least one French brand that seems to wear really well.

[EVneo]

@gertie06

The Stackhouse is a great saddle, but I’m not inclined to buy custom. I ride different horses frequently, and so I need something that can be versatile. Interesting to hear people mention County. Seems they’re coming back into vogue.

I think you’ll find County and most British-made brands hold up quite well - I have both county and black country saddles and love them - some are 20 years old and are in great shape! I will say, definitely get your hands on the leather before you make any decision. I recently bought a brand new dressage saddle and some of the british brands are trying to play catch-up with the buttery soft calfskin trend and offering that as an upgrade now.

[Spud_amp_Saf]

I have owned a lot of saddles over the years, and these are the brands I would say were the best quality/longest wearing:

Current Saddle:

-KN (Karl Niedersuss) Jump - absolutely love

Others I have owned that were very well made, hard-wearing saddles:

-Crosby
-Exselle
-Albion
-Stubben

Other saddles I have owned but don’t recommend for fit for horse rider or longevity or both:

-M. Toulouse
-Childeric
-Prestige
-Bates

Lower-end saddles that I have owned that were surprisingly decent for the price:

-Collegiate
-HDR
-Intrepid

[bornfreenowexpensive]

@gertie06

The Stackhouse is a great saddle, but I’m not inclined to buy custom. I ride different horses frequently, and so I need something that can be versatile. Interesting to hear people mention County. Seems they’re coming back into vogue.

I have several Stackhouse saddles…they are custom for ME. We use them on several different horses. When they came out to fit me, we sat the trees on several horses to make sure it would work and what sort of padding changes I may have to make on them. He cut them in more of a “Pro” fit to work on a lot of horses…and they have. Over time, I expanded my collection so I have a couple different tree sizes…narrow, medium and wider. I’m lucky in that most of my horses have backs that are not super problematic. My issue was I have several short backed horses and I’m tall with a long leg. So I needed saddles cut to fit on my shorter backed horse (so they fit more like a 16.5-17 on the horse but give me room to fit my leg and seat more like an 18-18.5. Only a custom saddle like Stackhouse could accomplish this goal. My view was my NON-short backed horses do just fine in the smaller saddle…but put too big a saddle on my shorties…and they object and get sore backs!

Their saddles wear great…and only reason I will need any new one any time in the next decade is if I want to bling one out more

[caryledee]

I love my Black Country! I just had 2 people ride in it when they tried my horse and both raved how comfy it is. They’ve gone up in price since I got mine but still considerably less expensive than many.

[dynamite0319]

I bought a brand new Antares in 2015 and a Beval Artisan about 6 months later and I love both saddles. The Antares is calfskin so I do worry about the longevity, but it’s been fantastic so far. The Artisan is cowhide and I LOVE it. I use it for foxhunting and the Antares for my show hunter. I’ve used both saddles on 4 or 5 different horses (warmblood, thoroughbred and QH) and haven’t had any issues. I’d recommend both brands!

[Scribbler]

@gertie06

The Stackhouse is a great saddle, but I’m not inclined to buy custom. I ride different horses frequently, and so I need something that can be versatile. Interesting to hear people mention County. Seems they’re coming back into vogue.

But here is the thing.

Every quality saddle was made semi custom for a specific horse. Not full custom obviously like a handmade Western saddle. But built for a given horse and rider pair. Sometimes that works sometimes it doesn’t

The only saddles that aren’t semi custom are the cheap off the rack options in tack stores, the Wintec and Santa Cruz level. You don’t want that.

So whether you buy a quality saddle new or used it is by definition semi custom. If you buy new you get to dictate the options. If you buy second hand you need to find an existing saddle that matches your horse.

In general it is not easy to use the same saddle on multiple horses unless by chance they have very similar backs. If you need to use a saddle on multiple horses you are best going with a slightly larger fit and using shim pads as needed.

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[Denali6298]

OP also look into Smith Worthington. Their fully custom saddles are way less expensive than the popular brands.

[NeedsAdvil]

@gertie06

The Stackhouse is a great saddle, but I’m not inclined to buy custom. I ride different horses frequently, and so I need something that can be versatile. Interesting to hear people mention County. Seems they’re coming back into vogue.

Custom or not, ANY saddle is versatile to a certain degree. I bought a used Stackhouse and it was custom for someone else but fits plenty of the horses I ride just fine.

[SonnysMom]

@Scribbler

But here is the thing.

Every quality saddle was made semi custom for a specific horse. Not full custom obviously like a handmade Western saddle. But built for a given horse and rider pair. Sometimes that works sometimes it doesn’t

The only saddles that aren’t semi custom are the cheap off the rack options in tack stores, the Wintec and Santa Cruz level. You don’t want that.

So whether you buy a quality saddle new or used it is by definition semi custom. If you buy new you get to dictate the options. If you buy second hand you need to find an existing saddle that matches your horse.

In general it is not easy to use the same saddle on multiple horses unless by chance they have very similar backs. If you need to use a saddle on multiple horses you are best going with a slightly larger fit and using shim pads as needed.

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I disagree with that. Plenty of quality saddles have a pro option for trainers. It is made for a specific rider but not a specific horse. An even then it may be as simple as that person rides in a basic 17.5 in saddle. Think of all the horse trainers out there that have 1 or 2 saddles that they use on a variety of horses. CWD makes pro panels. My trainer has a Voltaire dressage saddle marked as Pro.
Plenty of people buy Demo saddles that are not made for a specific rider or horse.
Every year Stubben has their big sale of in stock saddles. I am pretty sure they are not all demos.
You can buy Beval Butets off the rack. I don’t consider them cheap.

[Scribbler]

@SonnysMom

I disagree with that. Plenty of quality saddles have a pro option for trainers. It is made for a specific rider but not a specific horse. An even then it may be as simple as that person rides in a basic 17.5 in saddle. Think of all the horse trainers out there that have 1 or 2 saddles that they use on a variety of horses. CWD makes pro panels. My trainer has a Voltaire dressage saddle marked as Pro.
Plenty of people buy Demo saddles that are not made for a specific rider or horse.
Every year Stubben has their big sale of in stock saddles. I am pretty sure they are not all demos.
You can buy Beval Butets off the rack. I don’t consider them cheap.

When you shop second hand or for demos you find the saddle that is the best match for your horse. If it is wool flocked then you get it reflocked or tweaked for a perfect fit. If it’s foam you may use shims or a Thinline type pad.

I would expect a pro fit saddle to be a bit roomy and generic and to be acceptable for a range of horses within a breed type, with shims and pads as needed. If you ride primarily OTTB or primarily WB they may have similar enough backs.

You are unlikely to find any one saddle that fits an OTTB, a QH, an Arab and Lusitano.

[ladipus]

County … I’ve been riding in one of mine for 10+ years…My Voltaire is very nice and comfortable but it doesn’t fit any of my horses very well

[Doctor_sOrders]

I really like my County. I had it custom made to me and my horse and it was incredibly affordable for a brand new custom saddle compared to the quotes I’d had from CWD and Voltaire. I also think the 3 County reps I have worked with over the years were much more knowledgeable than other brand’s reps that I’ve met…

[gertie06]

@Doctor'sOrders

I really like my County. I had it custom made to me and my horse and it was incredibly affordable for a brand new custom saddle compared to the quotes I’d had from CWD and Voltaire. I also think the 3 County reps I have worked with over the years were much more knowledgeable than other brand’s reps that I’ve met…

Rude question alert…do you mind telling me the price range of a new County? Interesting that it’s significantly less than CWD/Voltaire. Wonder why.

[PonyPenny]

I have a 2003 Antares and my daughter has a 2000 Butet, both saddles have held up beautifully. My dressage saddle is also a 2011 Antares. My my saddles have the AO tree which fit me and my horse perfectly even though they were not made for him.

[streamline]

I hated my county. So uncomfortable and put me in a horrible position. I had two Voltaires, calfskin and then the regular leather. The regular leather got super beat up and the stitching at the bottom came undone. I know people have had some problems with their reps.

Sold them and quit riding, bought a barely used Beval natural, soo dang comfortable! Decided I hated horses again, sold my saddle. Starting riding again and I’m using a super old beval Devon. Just purchased a Devoucoux souca (so?) 08 model and waiting for it to come in.

I like a narrow twist and a flatter style saddle, I can’t do deep seats. Voltaire really fit that but out of my budget. I’ve never sat in a comfortable CWD in my life.