Young Horse and Equipe Saddle

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

I am currently on the fence about purchasing a new saddle for my 3yr old. I currently have an Icon Flight from my previous horse that does not fit him. It was used on a senior Friesian and Dutch WB. Current horse is stocky young OTTB with an almost WB build. He’s still butt high, so the saddle requires a halfpad and a lot of shimming to lift in the front and adjust to his shoulders. yet still leaves significant dry spots behind the withers.

I’ve tried a Black Country on him, and though it fit a little better, with halfpad and shims, there were still dry spots behind the withers. Last night, a friend tried an Equipe Emporio on him that she’s selling. It fit incredibly well with room behind the shoulders for growth. We used a thinline halfpad with front shims and at the end of the ride, not a single dry spot. It fit him so well, that I am seriously considering purchasing from my friend.

I have not sat in the saddle myself yet, as I am recovering from injury, and haven’t been cleared from my doc yet. The friend rode him in it and he went really lovely. HOWEVER, if this saddle works for me, would it be a mistake to purchase an Equipe for such a young horse knowing he has so much growing left to do and these saddles cannot be adjusted except for the tree? I don’t have experience with this saddle brand, but have talked to a few friends that loved the way their horses went in them.

Edited to add that I also have an independent fitter coming out in a couple weeks that can give me a better evaluation of the fit.

Pics of baby for reference.

[netg]

I would not order a brand new saddle for a 3 year old. I would (and have) buy a nice quality used saddle which fits just right, however. It sounds like you’re really pleased with the fit, and by buying used you should be able to re-sell for a similar price to what you pay if you pay market value. I’d do it.

[mvp]

Hmm. If I had ridden in it and loved it, I wouldn’t be quite so unhappy about about buying a used, high-end saddle for a growing baby. I rationalize this as “I’ll have a saddle I love… that will fit the next one.” As so it has come to pass that I have a huge Saddle Library, LOL. I’d do this sooner with a used one than I would with a brand new one. And my rule of thumb for buying saddles is that I won’t order one, but only buy the actual saddle I have ridden in. I would not buy this saddle from your friend until I had ridden in it… unless you are one of those old-school good rider who can ride well enough to get the job done in any saddle. I grew up in the Prix Des Nations era, so I can kind of do this.

It’s not fiscally responsible, but it’s how I roll.

[beowulf]

I would not at all assess the fit based on dry spots/sweat patterns . I’ve found that has about the same accuracy as reading tea leaves.

So much influences sweat patterns in the horse besides the fit of the saddle: the material touching the horse’s back, the material between the pad and the saddle, the type of half-pad… you can get two completely different sweat patterns from the same saddle + pad depending on how you layer the pads… IE sheepskin directly on back, followed by baby pad, followed by saddle can/will have a different sweat pattern than baby pad/sheepskin/saddle…

As you pointed out, you used three (?) different types of half-pads… those will certainly impact the sweat pattern in a saddle.

I would get wither tracings first, and find a fitter to assess the fit before you commit to anything – preferably find a fitter that has been a long-time fitter for someone you trust the opinion of… fitters tend to come and go and some are knowledgeable but most are not and are paddling a product…

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

@beowulf

I would not at all assess the fit based on dry spots/sweat patterns . I’ve found that has about the same accuracy as reading tea leaves.

So much influences sweat patterns in the horse besides the fit of the saddle: the material touching the horse’s back, the material between the pad and the saddle, the type of half-pad… you can get two completely different sweat patterns from the same saddle + pad depending on how you layer the pads… IE sheepskin directly on back, followed by baby pad, followed by saddle can/will have a different sweat pattern than baby pad/sheepskin/saddle…

As you pointed out, you used three (?) different types of half-pads… those will certainly impact the sweat pattern in a saddle.

I would get wither tracings first, and find a fitter to assess the fit before you commit to anything – preferably find a fitter that has been a long-time fitter for someone you trust the opinion of… fitters tend to come and go and some are knowledgeable but most are not and are paddling a product…

No, I actually used same halfpad and shims with first 2. They needed more lift in the front. With the Equipe,. we used slightly thinner shims, but same halfpad. Sorry if I misconstrued that. Also checked shoulder room and width. Dry spots were the biggest concern.

Independent fitter scheduled will do tracings, pics, and evaluate me in the saddle as well as movement.

My concern, more or less, was purchasing for a horse that has yet so much growing to do and a saddle that can’t be re-flocked to adjust to the changes. I’ve never dealt with foam saddles and how that works in those situations. But, the saddle is in demo condition and for a great price, as well as seeming to fit him nicely.

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

@mvp

Hmm. If I had ridden in it and loved it, I wouldn’t be quite so unhappy about about buying a used, high-end saddle for a growing baby. I rationalize this as “I’ll have a saddle I love… that will fit the next one.” As so it has come to pass that I have a huge Saddle Library, LOL. I’d do this sooner with a used one than I would with a brand new one. And my rule of thumb for buying saddles is that I won’t order one, but only buy the actual saddle I have ridden in. I would not buy this saddle from your friend until I had ridden in it… unless you are one of those old-school good rider who can ride well enough to get the job done in any saddle. I grew up in the Prix Des Nations era, so I can kind of do this.

It’s not fiscally responsible, but it’s how I roll.

Old, but not good enough to buy a saddle without riding in it first! Lol. Going to sit in it tonight, though my friend will pony me as a safety precaution for my back injury. Not sure how well it work for me because I normally ride in a 17.5 and it’s a 17 and I’m about 5 inches taller than her.

[outerbanks77]

It really just depends on your pocketbook. A youngster can change a lot, and quickly, so I would be thinking about whether I could afford to buy another saddle in six months if he outgrows this one, or if I’d be stuck waiting for it to sell before buying another.

Personally, I’d probably look for a similar fit in a cheaper saddle knowing baby probably won’t be in it for the long haul.

[JLR1]

Several people at my barn, myself included went from a Custom to an Equipe. The feeling in the Equipe is a lot different…the seat is more open and there isn’t the same feeling of security of being plugged/locked in that Customs have. I would strongly suggest not buying it unless you have a chance to ride your horse in all 3 gaits.

[kiwichick]

my understanding is that the equipe saddles are not very adjustible, and I was advised not to look at one for a young growing horse.
That said they are highly recommended as a saddle, a lot of people love them, their horses go better and so on, however a lot are up for saddle second hand due to horses growing out of them.

[Pembroke]

@Smthn_Like_Olivia

Old, but not good enough to buy a saddle without riding in it first! Lol. Going to sit in it tonight, though my friend will pony me as a safety precaution for my back injury. Not sure how well it work for me because I normally ride in a 17.5 and it’s a 17 and I’m about 5 inches taller than her.

I used to have an Equipe Emporio, and while it’s a LOVELY saddle, it runs a bit small. Definitely ride in all three gaits and a couple of times before buying.

[TequilaMockingbird]

They are nice saddles but I personally would never consider an Equipe (or any other foam flocked saddle) on a young horse. Maybe if I was getting it for a total steal and could make some money on resale when it stopped fitting 3 months down the line. You’ll be totally dependent on shims, half pads etc if you needed to adjust it. They claim they are perfectly symmetrical from left to right on the panels but the 4 Equipe saddles I saw in person did not have identically shaped panels.

[BigMama1]

@Smthn_Like_Olivia

I am currently on the fence about purchasing a new saddle for my 3yr old. I currently have an Icon Flight from my previous horse that does not fit him. It was used on a senior Friesian and Dutch WB. Current horse is stocky young OTTB with an almost WB build. He’s still butt high, so the saddle requires a halfpad and a lot of shimming to lift in the front and adjust to his shoulders. yet still leaves significant dry spots behind the withers.

I’ve tried a Black Country on him, and though it fit a little better, with halfpad and shims, there were still dry spots behind the withers. Last night, a friend tried an Equipe Emporio on him that she’s selling. It fit incredibly well with room behind the shoulders for growth. We used a thinline halfpad with front shims and at the end of the ride, not a single dry spot. It fit him so well, that I am seriously considering purchasing from my friend.

I have not sat in the saddle myself yet, as I am recovering from injury, and haven’t been cleared from my doc yet. The friend rode him in it and he went really lovely. HOWEVER, if this saddle works for me, would it be a mistake to purchase an Equipe for such a young horse knowing he has so much growing left to do and these saddles cannot be adjusted except for the tree? I don’t have experience with this saddle brand, but have talked to a few friends that loved the way their horses went in them.

Edited to add that I also have an independent fitter coming out in a couple weeks that can give me a better evaluation of the fit.

Pics of baby for reference.

Not brand specific, but having been talked into a foam saddle for a big young horse that NOTHING seemed to fit, I sure wouldn’t do it again. 18 months later he had totally changed shape (again) and $5000+ for the foam saddle translated to $3000 to sell used and buy something new.

On a brighter note, the (wool stuffed) saddle I bought when he was 6 still fits two years later with only minor flocking adjustments! My advice is never buy anything that can’t be adjusted and don’t invest a lot until the horse is mostly finished growing.

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

Just posting an update. Saddle fitter came today and clearly I know NOTHING about saddle fit. Lol. Although she said the Equipe was a MUCH better fit than my Custom Icon, it simply did not work for my baby. His shoulders are massive and MW was simply too tight for him. She said he also needs a drop K panel to give him the freedom that he needs. We tried about 6 or 7 different saddles on him, and the only thing that was remotely close was my trainer’s BC Ricochet Jump saddle that she’d just had custom made to her big shouldered TB.

She is coming back in 3 weeks to bring another load of saddles for us to try, so until then, we are without since I already sold my Custom. If anyone knows of anything that fits this description, please feel free to contact me!

[Twigster]

@Smthn_Like_Olivia

Just posting an update. Saddle fitter came today and clearly I know NOTHING about saddle fit. Lol. Although she said the Equipe was a MUCH better fit than my Custom Icon, it simply did not work for my baby. His shoulders are massive and MW was simply too tight for him. She said he also needs a drop K panel to give him the freedom that he needs. We tried about 6 or 7 different saddles on him, and the only thing that was remotely close was my trainer’s BC Ricochet Jump saddle that she’d just had custom made to her big shouldered TB.

She is coming back in 3 weeks to bring another load of saddles for us to try, so until then, we are without since I already sold my Custom. If anyone knows of anything that fits this description, please feel free to contact me!

What about looking for a used BC Eloquence or other with a dropped panel and full wither gusset? I’d look at someplace like Hastilow, who has a big selection of used saddles and allows trials. If you can work with your fitter to narrow it down to a specific model or models, and call them with your required panel configuration they may be able to find something that suits.

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

@Twigster

What about looking for a used BC Eloquence or other with a dropped panel and full wither gusset? I’d look at someplace like Hastilow, who has a big selection of used saddles and allows trials. If you can work with your fitter to narrow it down to a specific model or models, and call them with your required panel configuration they may be able to find something that suits.

Am actually talking to 2 black country reps now - on in US and one in UK searching for a used model that would work. I love the Vinici model, but not sure it will work for him.

[outerbanks77]

I have an 18" Eloquence with K panels for sale. It is about a MW, not sure if your fitter can widen it, but let me know if you want more info.

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

@outerbanks77

I have an 18" Eloquence with K panels for sale. It is about a MW, not sure if your fitter can widen it, but let me know if you want more info.

Yes please!

[scruffy_the_cat]

Just for wild giggles you should see if someone has a Stubben around and throw it on him. In Society of Master Saddlers saddles (you know, those UK saddles made in Walsall) my OTTB was a MW-W and nothing ever fit right and we were talking getting something made. But he was a bog standard stock Stubben 27 cm. Easy to find those used (or a new “1894” is $1,999- wool flocked and super quality for the money) and very inexpensive- resale isn’t great because they’re not the brand du jour. New ones are very comfortable and the Biomex seats are good for folks with back injuries.

I don’t know why SMS-trained saddle fitters never mention Stubben, though I know the SMS really wants their trained fitters to recommend SMS saddles. I wish, as “independent” fitters, they would include the brand in the discussion. It seems unfair to the consumer to not even try them on some horses.

[Smthn_Like_Olivia]

Thanks! Fitter is open to several brands and I’ve just been sending random saddles answering my ISO posts. BC was just brought up because that was my trainer’s saddle and the only one that fit him out of the 6 or 7 we tried. I’ve never ridden in a Stubben, and not sure how I’d like it, but I’m open to anything at this point.

[Manybees]

It looks like used Black Country saddles are very inexpensive in England and there are lots to choose from- does anyone have experience importing used saddles?