Compare my “couch” horse, to a bonier high withered comrade and we are looking at nothing less than an unpleasant experience. Enter… the saddle, a glorious creation made for our comfort and our horses’. I have been on a quest for the perfect saddle for a long time. I rode several different disciplines, hunt seat, combined training, and now primarily dressage, so I have meddled with many different brands and saddle styles. Let’s face it… saddles can be pretty expensive. With a limited budget, I have tried to get by with what I could find…and afford! My saddle record includes several used saddles and a couple of new saddles too.

I had a terrible time getting a saddle to fit a gelding that I had before the mare I currently ride. After about three different saddles, I finally gave in. I knew the saddle I wanted and I decided I would by a brand new one and have it custom fit to him and me. It did cost a small fortune and I had to take out a small loan to be able to afford it, however, it fit us perfectly and I’m absolutely in love with it.

Before I got my new mare, The question did run through my head. “What if my saddle doesn’t fit her?” I was really worried. I love that saddle…. “What if it doesn’t fit?! What WILL I do? Now…I love my mare and would in no way have have decided not to have her because my saddle didn’t fit her. That is crazy! No one should EVER decided to get a horse if their primary reason is their saddle fitting. I did think to myself, if my saddle happens to work for her that would be fantastic. I had a fitter out to look it over and it did! Thank goodness. Although, for those of you that enjoy shopping, a new horse could mean a new saddle. If you have the funds, saddle shopping can be great fun!

The County Competitor Dressage Saddle photo courtesy of www.countysaddlery.com

I ride in my dream saddle, a County Competitor Dressage Saddle. I love County saddles. They are super comfy to me and have leather smooth as silk. I have heard others that really don’t like County saddles because of a narrower twist to the tree making the saddle uncomfortable to sit in. I know many people that love Albion and Bates saddles. I rode in a few and they felt much to wide for me. I felt like I was sliding all over the place., however, some people love them! I guess that is why they make so many different kinds because there are many different types of people and horses.

Some of the newer saddles offer neat options. You can have air panels instead of wool to make for a smoother ride for you and your horse A trend in the professional world I have seen, is to have external knee rolls, giving riders a closer contact to their horse. Some saddles can be bought with adjusable trees that can be removed and replaced. Their are tons of dressage saddle brands out there. I sat down and made a list of the first ones that came to my mind, Bates, Stubben, Albion, County, Passier, Schleese, Michael Stokes, Klimke, Wintec, Courbette, Kieffer, and many more I can’t think of right at this moment, but you at home may be riding in right now.

Here are a few tips I have learned through my perfect saddle quest:

• You should have a saddle fitter/evaluator look at your saddle on your horse. The saddle is supposed to be making you and your horse more comfortable. If it doesn’t fit your horse correctly, it could be working against you, making your horse sore or uncomfortable. There are many things we can’t change about our horses, having a properly fitting saddle is one of those things we can fix. If you don’t want to pay to have an evaluator at your farm (it can be expensive) look and see if there are any saddle fitting clinics in your area. Sometimes setting up an appointment at a clinic can save you money, unless it is on the other side of the state, then gas could eat up the savings.
• Watch out for saddle packages that cost $199 on Ebay. They include the saddle, matching bridle and girth and GUESS WHAT… we’ll even throw in a saddle pad! Those saddles could be poorly made. What bothers me more than then fact that the leather is hard as a rock, is the how a cheaply made saddle could harm your horse’s back. In my experience, you are better off buying a used saddle from a reputable company than a brand new unnamed package jobby (yep… one of my words again). Wintec makes synthetic saddles that some people really like. One of those is probably better than the package deals and they have some neat options too.
• You can find some great deals on used saddles on Ebay. When I was looking for a used saddle I loved to peruse Ebay. The biggest drawback…no test ride. It is hard to tell if a saddle will fit you or your horse without at least a test ride in it. Maybe if you are lucky you can borrow a friend’s saddle to get an idea of if you would like that saddle.
• Check out your local tack shop! Some tack shops will have consignment saddles available. Many of them will allow you to take the saddle home and test ride. Tack shops may even let you take home a new saddle to try out. You usually need to wrap your stirrup leathers for this to prevent marks on the saddle. You will have a limited time to try the saddle. It always seems to rain that week too!!!
• Many saddle fitters are salesmen/women for saddle companies. Watch if you have a saddle fitter looking at your saddle, they may be trying to sell you another saddle from the company they are representing. That is how they make their money so I don’t hold it against them, just something to keep in the back of your mind. My saddle fitter is a County rep, I knew I wanted a county, so it wasn’t a problem for me. I just needed my County fitted and ordered correctly for my horse and me.
• Sometimes if you can.. bite the bullet and get a new saddle. I absolutely love my saddle! I got the perfect size for me and my horse. I know the saddle’s entire history and any changes that have been made to it. I also got to put my own wear marks in it. The new saddles are VERY expensive. You are looking at close to $3,000 or more for a new, name brand saddle. I know THAT is a lot of money, remember I had to get a loan!

I am hoping those of you in web land could help me with this article and tell me what kind of saddles you like to ride in. Which brands do you like? Do you buy used or new? Maybe we could learn from each other. It is also been kind of quiet out there which is starting to creep me out!