Your Favorite French Saddle Brand

[Pokerface]

@Scribbler

Yes OP! If you have been trying or borrowing a French saddle that really fits well, find out the brand and model and look under the flaps for serial numbers. This will help you find the same configuration whether you shop second hand or order new.

I second this. I have begged, borrowed, and all but stolen saddles from all of my friends to find the right saddle for my horse. I’ve tried everything in the barn, shipped my horse over to a friend’s barn to try literally all of the saddles there, and then shipped to my breeder friends barn to try saddles there. My horse is currently using his own father’s old dressage saddle hahahahaha.

Just sit in everything you possibly can. Then, you can find a used version of what you like, or you can order a fancy new one and really treat yourself.

[Tha_Ridge]

Yes! The rep came out and was absolutely wonderful. I test-rode in the Atlas, their semi-custom option, which is very affordably priced at $3,500, and their standard jump saddle. I preferred the latter (just due to the seat depth option—the Atlas only comes in half-deep), so I ended up at $6k for full custom in calf leather with grain reinforcement. My trainer and barn manager both ordered Atlases. (This is my first truly custom saddle EVER, so I’m very excited!)

[wanderlust]

@Pokerface

OP, all French saddles are not made the same! The shape, balance, and fit will vary from brand to brand.

So much this! Butet and Antares work better on horses with “curvy” backs, pro panel Voltaire works really well on horses with less wither and broader backs/bigger shoulders, and CWD fits everything equally badly given the narrowness of their standard tree. I have fairly standard Delgrange, Butet and Voltaire saddles, and they all fit differently.

[Cabaret_SK]

If they fit the horse, I love the ride of a Childeric or an Amerigo DJ.

[HorseEnthusiat44]

Personally I like Butet as those saddles are very refined and sophisticated

[modifiedequitation]

My barn is sponsored by them(or they’re ambassadors-not sure which) and we have saddles, saddlepads, and bonnets coming soon. Someone came out to fit our horses for saddles and we ordered custom ones.

[FLeventer]

Love my childeric. Have a dressage monoflap and a jump monoflap. Used to have a double flap one for years. Have a butet that is older but wont get rid of it. Have ridden in a few other butets and liked them all. I enjoy my antares for my thicker boy. He has the monoflap jump and dressage saddle both fitted for him.

Not a huge fan of devoucoux. Tried a lot, had one for a time. Just don’t like the balance they put me in. Tried numerous flap combos and it’s just not a go for me.

Amerigo makes a comfy saddle. My lease horse had a jump saddle and it was comfy and stable.

You need to ride in a tonne of saddles to figure out what you like and what fits your horse.

[HJdaydream]

I have owned an Anatares and currently have a Voltaire Palm Beach. I have ridden in quite a few CWDs and Butets. For my body shape (tall, long legs, long femur) I feel most comfortable in my Voltaire, followed by Butet. The Antares always put me in a bit of a chair seat and I felt like I was fighting it. I do not find CWDs comfortable- they feel super wide and bulky under my leg.

As for a longevity my Antares was probably 5-6 yrs old and in great condition when I Bought it (some slight fading on parts of the leather but no holes/stitching issues). It was standard grain leather. it looked just as good 3 yrs later when I sold it.

I got my calfskin Voltaire new in 2017. It is justtttt now starting to show some slight wear (like on the seat), but with a good conditioning it’s barely noticeable. The saddle is in gorgeous condition and it’s 5 years at this point. I took good care of my things and am an ammy who only rides 3-4 days a week. I am very very happy with the durability and how good it still looks. I would 100% buy another if it fit whatever horse I needed it for. Ps I agree they are good for flatter backed horses.

[foursocks]

Try everything and if you are worried about durability get buffalo leather, not calfskin. My Voltaire Stuttgart was a demo that was ready to go off and be sold. My rep was going to hang on to it for a few more months, but it fit me and my boy perfectly so he just sold it to me then. I was able to save some money buying that one instead of ordering the same thing new.

We have a wide variety of saddles in our barn, including dressage since everyone else but me events, and while a ton of us have Voltaires, there are many other brands. You also want to be sure you are comfortable with what the fitter/rep is saying to you as you are trying different saddles. Our Voltaire rep is great- he really knows his stuff- but we’ve had lots of other reps and independent fitters out and it’s sometimes hit or miss. If it doesn’t feel right or you think the horse isn’t going as well in one that the fitter says is perfect don’t be bulldozed!

I had a fitter years ago who came highly recommended and had worked for several of my friends with good results. But she fitted both my growing WB and my older TB pretty badly, as well as me, so I ended up with two saddles that were flocked to fit none of us. She really, really wanted me to order a Tad Coffin something or other for my WB but I couldn’t find one in the right size used. I was able to try that model a couple of years later because a friend happened to have the exact one she wanted us to try and it was absolutely the wrong fit. So…

Anyway, it’s a big purchase, so good luck and take your time!

[Angel_Undercover]

I have ridden in multiple brands, but I love my Butet. I did have my panels switched to wool though, which I personally prefer over foam.

[NaturallyHappy]

Who did you use to change your panels?

[mst]

I love my butet. It’s a 1993 model. I just keep repairing it. CWD bought out butet recently and the new butets just aren’t the same

[erinmeri]

I haven’t ridden in a ton of saddles since returning to the sport, but I absolutely adore my Bruno Delgrange. Most of the people in my barn who have recently been in the market for new saddles seem to be buying Arion and adore them. There are, of course, Butet fans, etc at our barn. If I didn’t love my Bruno, and hadn’t gotten it for a steal barely used, I would be looking at Arion myself. I have several of their bridles, martingales, girths, and their draw reins and have put hands on their saddles. The leather and craftsmanship is outstanding.

[LazyA1]

That’s interesting. My saddle fitter was here the other day for my new horse. He has a flatter back, she said, and my Antares was too curvy for him. She liked my Tad Coffin on him and said an alternative would be an older Butet. She said they changed the seat around 2018 or so.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

I have a 27 year old Butet that you’ll have to pry out of my dead fingers.
The seat was recovered, so it’s softer than the typical Butet seat and it’s got some padding without a ton of knee rolls/blocks, etc. Fits all the fatties… ponies, wide elephant warmbloods, etc. With a few strategic pads, it plays nice with the medium wide types too.
The CWD is more of an acquired taste. It’s about 22 years newer than the Butet, which is nicer to look at, but it’s just… ok. I got mine to fit a specific horse. I like it. Feel locked in when I’m in it, but the knee blocks still drive me nuts.

[Pokerface]

@Tini_Sea_Soldier1

Feel locked in when I’m in it, but the knee blocks still drive me nuts.

I HATE that locked in feeling. Get a seam ripper and take the blocks out. Seriously. I’ve done it with an Antares that dug in in the wrong spot. I hate blocks anyway.

[bluepece2]

I love my GBS. It’s a lesser know French brand. Not as crazy expensive as the others but super comfortable and close to the horse feeling. Both my daughter and I ride in them.

[IPEsq]

Childeric or Equipe (since you also mentioned Italian). I will never part with my Childeric although it’s a bit narrow in the gullet for the modern WBs. I have a CWD that gets a lot of use, but they changed how they make them and the price is insane. I also haven’t liked Butet since they became part of LIM group but would consider one maybe if made wool flocked. Equipe is getting expensive but not as insane as the others, they have a TON of models, and the leather is very nice. I think leather quality has gone way down on some of the other brands (while prices have gone up) in recent years. I did not find the Amerigo to have as French like of a feel for the rider even though it’s made in the same factory as Equipe. I find Voltaire to be ok but shows wear pretty quickly, and they don’t work for bigger withers in my experience, which is all I seem to get anymore.

[JMB1]

I was lucky to find a used L’Apogee (for dressage) in the U.S. that with a little tweaking really suits me and my not-so-easy to fit horse. It’s my first foray into French saddles and I love this one (CC monoflap design), for its elegance and simplicity. I’m in Canada and so grateful for someone who posted on one of the Chronicle Forums about a saddlery in Ontario, Canada that does great work on many brands of saddles including French makes, Paramount Saddlery. I took a chance and have to say it was a wonderful experience all around with superior service. The L’Apogee distributor in the U.S. was very helpful when there was no need for her to answer my questions about a saddle she designed and sold well over a decade ago!

[wanderlust]

@LazyA1

He has a flatter back, she said, and my Antares was too curvy for him.

This has been my experience with Antares too. Great on my curvy-backed ones, doesn’t work at all my my flat-backed/round ones.