Worth it to get a new saddle?

[Renn_aissance]

As a buyer, you have much better protection to buy off of eBay. If the saddle is not as described you are protected through eBay and through PayPal.

But you do need to know exactly what you’re looking for unless there is a trial option. Are the panels the same as the one you tried? (If not it will fit your horse differently and affect your position as well.) If the saddle is listed by a tack shop they often offer a trial if you purchase through their website.

Another place to look for private sellers is Facebook Marketplace- High End Used Saddles and other groups. Again, you have to know what you’re looking for.

I’m also looking for a CWD right now- actually two, one for my mother and one for me (we’re nuts.) I think I just found mine. eBay led me to the tack shop, so I was able to get it on trial. CWD and Devoucoux also offer free shipping and returns on 30-day trials of used saddles. Equitack, which I think is the used saddle arm of Voltaire, and FrenchUsedSaddles.com, the used saddle arm of Antares, also have trial policies, though I think shipping is $50 outbound and your responsibility inbound with either of them.

Incidentally, my mother has been riding in my current saddle for the last year and a half, and it’s only recently that I’ve been able to talk her into getting one of her own. It doesn’t fit her at all. It was not until she sat in a saddle that fit her, on my horse, that she understood why she needed equipment that suited her. All of a sudden her leg was in proper alignment and she could use her position. It makes a huge difference, doesn’t it?

[AAHunterGal]

@centaursam

Problem is I’ve never bought something that large off eBay and I don’t know of any risks of buying a used saddle off the Bay.

Thoughts?

I’ve bought and sold several saddles on eBay, it’s generally safe as long as you follow a few common sense guidelines:

1. Don’t purchase from someone who has never sold before on eBay. They don’t need a lot, but they need relevant horse products. If someone has a positive rating of 20 but has only bought/sold kitchen items up to that point, I would pass. I would also pass if someone has purchased quite a bit but never sold anything.

2. Ask if trials are available. If you’re buying from an online saddle dealer who also has it listed on eBay, then trials might be available if you purchase the saddle via their website. Most reasonable people allow trials as well via eBay, just ask BEFORE you purchase.

3. Check to see if the same saddle is also for sale on Facebook and/or check there as well if you feel like it’s risky to purchase from someone you can’t easily vet, which is easier to do on Facebook since you can see their profiles/make sure they are riders. You can look in the Marketplace, and there are also several High End Used Saddle groups that have good inventory.

4. Only pay via paypal, which has added protections for you as a buyer.

Good luck!

[Bristol_Bay]

@centaursam

So I had originally decided not to purchase the saddle as I won’t be sticking with just one horse.

But the CWD sales rep recently brought a demo saddle with her when she was dropping off other saddles at the barn and left it there for me to try out. I tried it out on different horses and I definitely felt a difference in my riding. It’s an amazing saddle and it made me realize that I’m doing myself a disservice by riding in “lesser” saddles.

I was going to buy it on the contingency that I could put down a deposit and then pay off the rest over the course of the year. Sadly, they don’t take any payment plans other than larger, short-term payments and they have an abysmal financing option complete with 14-20% interest :eek:

So I went online to see if I could find something used from someone else and found the same saddle being sold on eBay. Just from the photos it looks to be in great condition, same year as the one I tried (2017) and I can make an offer so I might be able to save a few hundred bucks compared to the one directly for CWD.

Problem is I’ve never bought something that large off eBay and I don’t know of any risks of buying a used saddle off the Bay.

Thoughts?

I don’t get it. You want to finance a demo, but would only save a couple of hundred bucks buying from eBay? Wouldn’t you have to finance that?

Maybe the CWD rep will work with you on the price. They have a lot of leeway on prices.

Saddle trials are not cheap. Shipping has gone up so much. I recently sold two saddles on eBay and shipping was over $100. To pay shipping to try and then return a saddle is a couple of hundred bucks right there.

[Ponyplusaninch]

@Bristol Bay

I don’t get it. You want to finance a demo, but would only save a couple of hundred bucks buying from eBay? Wouldn’t you have to finance that?

Maybe the CWD rep will work with you on the price. They have a lot of leeway on prices.

Saddle trials are not cheap. Shipping has gone up so much. I recently sold two saddles on eBay and shipping was over $100. To pay shipping to try and then return a saddle is a couple of hundred bucks right there.

Ebay has special 0% financing via paypal that can be awfully handy.

I recently had the experience, too, where I didn’t think I was going to get a new saddle until I sat in a used CWD at the tack store that had the most forward, long flap possible. For years I’ve heard trainers say “your leg is too far back.” Switched to this saddle, and not a peep. For the first time ever I don’t feel the need to twist around or “adjust” myself to the saddle. I can just get down to business and ride.

OP, I would also check the FB tack groups. Many of them do sell CWD’s on trial for a range of prices–you just need to know what specific saddle you’re looking that will fit you and your horse.

[Scribbler]

As far as cost, a good used saddle should be about 50% of retail. Maybe very recent as new models will be more. But you should get a significant discount because buying new includes the fact the saddle is adjusted to be semi custom to you and your horse. A second hand saddle has been adjusted to be semi custom to someone else’s horse. Also there are warranty and services that come with a new saddle.

So the eBay saddle should be significantly cheaper than a new saddle from the rep.

[GraceLikeRain]

@centaursam

So I had originally decided not to purchase the saddle as I won’t be sticking with just one horse.

But the CWD sales rep recently brought a demo saddle with her when she was dropping off other saddles at the barn and left it there for me to try out. I tried it out on different horses and I definitely felt a difference in my riding. It’s an amazing saddle and it made me realize that I’m doing myself a disservice by riding in “lesser” saddles.

I was going to buy it on the contingency that I could put down a deposit and then pay off the rest over the course of the year. Sadly, they don’t take any payment plans other than larger, short-term payments and they have an abysmal financing option complete with 14-20% interest :eek:

So I went online to see if I could find something used from someone else and found the same saddle being sold on eBay. Just from the photos it looks to be in great condition, same year as the one I tried (2017) and I can make an offer so I might be able to save a few hundred bucks compared to the one directly for CWD.

Problem is I’ve never bought something that large off eBay and I don’t know of any risks of buying a used saddle off the Bay.

Thoughts?

Are you willing to invest that much in a saddle that may not fit the majority of the horses you ride? I get that it’s a bit of a “thing” in the hunter world to buy foam “pro panel” saddles and use the same saddle on every horse with a half pad but it really is no substitute for a properly fitted wool flocked saddle IMO. The amount of a used CWD is an insane amount of lessons. To me CWD is an on-trend brand but doesn’t really have anything to justify $6-8k for a foam panel saddle. The amount popping up almost new is telling. A ton of “obsessed with this saddle but didn’t fit my horse” type of posts.

If you do commit to going the used route keep in mind that buying used there is no guarantee you aren’t dealing with a twisted tree, cracked head plate, or other issue that could render the saddle useless. Even an ethical seller may have no idea their saddle is damaged. If I was going used for a saddle that expensive, I’d go local and only buy something that’d been thoroughly evaluated by a fitter I trusted.

[IPEsq]

One thing to consider is that buying used from CWD comes with a warranty, but you don’t get that from buying privately. For a few hundred (on a $$$$ saddle), that wouldn’t be enough to make me buy elsewhere. Some thousands off, yes. Would you be financing on the eBay purchase? You might be able to find a used saddle from a consignment source that is more reliable if you have any hesitations on the eBay seller or if you want to do a trial.

[Bristol_Bay]

Look, many posters seem to be under the impression that this is the only saddle OP will ever have. Riding in school saddles, or saddles made for other body types is really awful. It’s not a crime to want a decent saddle to ride in while you’re learning and waiting for the right time to buy a horse.

OP, I say go for it, just be aware that all those letters and numbers on the saddle flap mean that saddle was custom made to fit a particular horse and rider combination. A nice saddle with pro panels is fine, but you’ll want to get a new saddle when you get your own horse. What’s nice about buying a CWD or whichever saddle you like, is that you can always trade it in when the time comes.

I had a CWD for my high-withered TB, but it never had enough wither clearance. I can’t fault CWD. They tried twice, but they just don’t make the panels my horse needed. I got a Voltaire that did, and tried for over a year to sell the CWD, but the panels were “insane,” to quote one consigner. Finally, I contacted the rep (probably your rep, OP, because I’m in LA too) and I sent the saddle in to have pro panels put on. I took a $500 hit, but sold it for a fair price within two weeks to a teenager in the next barn who rode a few different horses. She had the same feeling you did, of finally feeling balanced and secure.

[Renn_aissance]

@Bristol Bay

Look, many posters seem to be under the impression that this is the only saddle OP will ever have. Riding in school saddles, or saddles made for other body types is really awful. It’s not a crime to want a decent saddle to ride in while you’re learning and waiting for the right time to buy a horse.

OP, I say go for it, just be aware that all those letters and numbers on the saddle flap mean that saddle was custom made to fit a particular horse and rider combination. A nice saddle with pro panels is fine, but you’ll want to get a new saddle when you get your own horse. What’s nice about buying a CWD or whichever saddle you like, is that you can always trade it in when the time comes.

Right- or you buy it with the plan that when you do something different in your riding career, if the basic tree geometry is still suitable, you can have the panels refitted. Or yank them off and have a competent person flock it with wool if that’s your jam. Whatever.

I think a person who rides a bunch of different horses but doesn’t own any of them is often well-served by owning a saddle with a pretty average geometry, a shim pad with a variety of shims, and the know-how to use both.

@IPEsq makes a good point about CWD offering a warranty on their used saddles. I wasn’t aware of a specific warranty policy but you should ask the rep for the details and decide if that’s worth the extra couple hundred dollars. I do know that they offer a 30-day trial with free returns, and that is a selling point. This goes back to my point about only buying used from a private seller, especially with no trial, if you know exactly what you want. Now, PayPal/eBay buyer protections will cover you if the saddle either isn’t what it was advertised to be (ad said it’s a 3C flap and it arrives and it’s a 2C,) or if something awful happens like “the tree broke in transit.” But unless the seller specifies, you won’t have a return policy that will cover you if you weren’t aware of the panel codes you tried, you bought a 17.5 SE01 3C because that’s what you tried, and that 3C comes to you with some panel combination that’s particularly suited to a given conformation and you don’t ride those horses. This is not buyer beware, this is buyer prepare.

[IPEsq]

I don’t know the specifics but at least for buying used CWD from CWD (versus buying used 3rd party brand from them that they got on trade in or whatever), they do inspect the saddle in the workshop and at least used to provide a warranty. A friend of mine bought a used saddle from the local rep, and the tree had a suspicious squeak when she tried it. Since it was in the local rep’s inventory, it got shipped to the US office for inspection, they signed off on it, and friend purchased the saddle. It was just a pro panel 2Gs in a pretty common size, and her decision to buy that particular saddle was based on CWD’s representations and warranty. It’s possible terms have changed in the meantime (this was a couple years ago), so check with the rep. They do offer a generous trial period now on used saddles.

Most other used saddle dealers will offer a trial of at least 3-5 days, but you usually have to pay shipping if you decide to return it and you pay a premium for a trial versus a buy it now a lot of the time. But you’d at least have a chance to return, and based on some of the used prices I’ve seen on CWD’s website lately, you might be able to get a better deal from one of these used dealers. If you send them a picture of the stamp of the one you tried, they can help you find one.

[centaursam]

Thank you all for the great advice.

The particular saddle I’m looking at is the SE03 3C in 17.5. I’ll have to go back and get the rest of the numbers on the saddle flap of the one I rode and compare it to the one on eBay. I’ll check out Facebook groups too but I’m assuming getting one off of someone on Facebook would mean I pay cash. Only way I can get something as expensive as the CWD now is if I can pay off the rest over time. It’s a 2017 but basically at half price as is the one on eBay.

I definitely would like to deviate away from school saddles; although the saddle I’m riding in right now isn’t necessarily bad, I did notice a drastic difference on the CWD on different horses which prompted me to really consider getting a saddle. I’m open to trying other saddle brands, the CWD was just convenient as my trainer is a sponsor and the company was at the barn for other riders.

[centaursam]

@Bristol Bay

These are the numbers on my CWD with pro panels.

Aside from the top numbers, I’m ignorant as to what the rest of the numbers mean

Also, if I opt to try out other brands, is one generally the same size in all saddles or can your saddle size change?

[Bristol_Bay]

@centaursam

Aside from the top numbers, I’m ignorant as to what the rest of the numbers mean

Also, if I opt to try out other brands, is one generally the same size in all saddles or can your saddle size change?

There are multiple threads on here that explain the numbers. They relate to how much foam is added or removed from each section of the panel. Just do a google search. Some consigners have guides to what the codes mean for various brands.

[Madison]

@centaursam

Also, if I opt to try out other brands, is one generally the same size in all saddles or can your saddle size change?

Your size can absolutely change, particularly if the seat of the next model is slightly deeper. For example, everyone I know who switched to a Voltaire Palm Beach (including me) went up a 1/2" in seat size. It has a slightly deeper seat than the CWD SE01 and the SE03.

It is absolutely worth it to get a better saddle that fits you and has a pro-panel type fit that you can tweak with a shimmable half pad (something like the quilted Mattes ones or the Thinline trifecta pad works well). I bought a CWD SE01 when I was leasing a horse, and I also knew that anything I was going to ride was going to be built similarly, and with my half pads it was workable on a lot of horses I rode in that time period. Of course then I bought a horse it didn’t fit and had to get something else (the repaneling solved one issue and created another so I gave up on that) – Murphy’s Law!! But the CWD had good resale value and Highline Tack sold it quickly, so it was absolutely worth having my own better quality saddle during that time period. You will not regret the purchase!! I agree with those who say saving a few hundred on ebay may not be worth it if you get warranty and other benefits buying from CWD directly. But I’ve usually seen a much larger difference in price on used saddles from the manufacturer vs. the general resale market, so definitely make sure you shop around before picking one!

[IPEsq]

That isn’t an uncommon model or size. I bet there are some options out there used depending on the panel—that is the second row of numbers. If it is a newer demo, most likely it was a standard panel or standard RT. But you could look for the old “pro” panel stamp pictured above which used to be what was most common and what most of the demos were a few years ago.

With that seat shape you could also look for a used Mademoiselle (I don’t really buy their marketing of it being “made for female morphology”)—it’s a semi deep seat, and there are plenty of used ones of those out there too.

With CWD’s interest rates you could probably carry some balance on your credit card for the same amount of interest. Have you looked into any loans from your local credit union or something like that?

[centaursam]

@IPEsq

That isn’t an uncommon model or size. I bet there are some options out there used depending on the panel—that is the second row of numbers. If it is a newer demo, most likely it was a standard panel or standard RT. But you could look for the old “pro” panel stamp pictured above which used to be what was most common and what most of the demos were a few years ago.

With that seat shape you could also look for a used Mademoiselle (I don’t really buy their marketing of it being “made for female morphology”)—it’s a semi deep seat, and there are plenty of used ones of those out there too.

With CWD’s interest rates you could probably carry some balance on your credit card for the same amount of interest. Have you looked into any loans from your local credit union or something like that?

Haven’t looked into any loans from other credit places but I won’t go near credit card interest and I don’t want to have any balance on any of my credit cards. I have zero debt so I’m leery of taking on a loan with a high interest rate, especially since we’re basically at 0 rates right now.

I like ebay/Paypal because they have 0% if paid off in 6 months but as others have eluded to, it’s not necessarily ideal to purchase one off of ebay due to lack of warranty, etc.

[anon510129]

@centaursam

Haven’t looked into any loans from other credit places but I won’t go near credit card interest and I don’t want to have any balance on any of my credit cards. I have zero debt so I’m leery of taking on a loan with a high interest rate, especially since we’re basically at 0 rates right now.

I like ebay/Paypal because they have 0% if paid off in 6 months but as others have eluded to, it’s not necessarily ideal to purchase one off of ebay due to lack of warranty, etc.

I bought my Butet Premium from Blue Saddles, although I think they sold to another high-end used saddle place. I also recommend DFW Tack Exchange or Highline Tack.

I’d go with a reputable used saddle dealer, over EBay. You could possibly find these dealers on EBay if you wanted to take advantage of their payment plan?

I opened a new credit card to purchase my saddle. I had 0% interest for a year. I paid it off & my credit score went up, win-win. I also got $600 cash back for spending over $1k in the first month!

[centaursam]

@anon510129

I bought my Butet Premium from Blue Saddles, although I think they sold to another high-end used saddle place. I also recommend DFW Tack Exchange or Highline Tack.

I’d go with a reputable used saddle dealer, over EBay. You could possibly find these dealers on EBay if you wanted to take advantage of their payment plan?

I opened a new credit card to purchase my saddle. I had 0% interest for a year. I paid it off & my credit score went up, win-win. I also got $600 cash back for spending over $1k in the first month!

I’ll check to see if dealers have Paypal as an option as Papyal Credit is available as long as the dealer accepts Paypal as a payment.

I didn’t think about a new card with 0% interest, good idea I’ll start looking around!

[IPEsq]

I think both Maryland Tack Exchange and Highline Tack have eBay stores. These kinds of sellers generally won’t do trials for transactions made via eBay because of the complications of doing returns even though they’d do a trial if you order direct.

Goldfinch Fine Tack is a used saddle seller in my area that is great to deal with (pre-COVID I went and loaded up my car with various saddles to test out and the owner was super helpful). They market on Facebook. I keep an eye on their page because I’m casually looking for a certain saddle, and I am hoping not to have to have one shipped to me for trial. Anyway, they have a 2017 SE03 17.5" 3C available at the moment that looks like a decent price. They also accept PayPal but I don’t know what the terms options are for non-eBay transactions because I usually delete those kinds of marketing emails from PayPal.

[Bristol_Bay]

@IPEsq

That isn’t an uncommon model or size. I bet there are some options out there used depending on the panel—that is the second row of numbers. If it is a newer demo, most likely it was a standard panel or standard RT. But you could look for the old “pro” panel stamp pictured above which used to be what was most common and what most of the demos were a few years ago.

Are you referring to the picture I posted as being the “old” pro panels? Because I had the panels replaced three months ago, so that’s currently what CWD considers pro panels.