English saddle?

Question

i'm looking for a good english saddle to buy, one for flatwork as well as jumping. i'm not too picky, but my price range only goes up to $2,000. what saddle (brand or actual make) is your favorite and why? thanks for your help!

Answer 1

I would suggest going to your local tack shop where you can view different brands, get a correct sizing by their saddle fitter, and take it for a test ride. Always base a saddle on how it feels, looks and performs for your discipline and how well it fits your horses needs also. Although Hermes saddles are nice, I would not recommend one unless you are going to do some serious jumping and focus less on the flat. I owned one and it keeps you in place o/f but is an uncomfortable ride as they still make them quite stiff and unpadded. Like me, comfort is key so I always look out for saddle that say "soft seat" or the like. I hope that helps and I hope you find the right one!

Answer 2

Pessoas are my favorite.  Particularly the Pessoa Gen X.  They're big and comfy and put your leg in the right position.  the seat is pretty deep too to keep you in with the horse's movement.  New, they're about $1500, but you can find some lightly used ones on ebay for less than $1000.

I just bought a new saddle... my price range was quite a bit lower than yours so I couldn't find a pessoa for that price so I got a Crosby XL...  it too is big and comfy and is designed well.  Crosbys are good quality saddles but are cheaper than the Pessoa.

Collegiate makes a very decent saddle for much cheaper.  Wintec makes ok saddles too for cheaper... same with Toulouse.

While shopping on ebay for my new saddle, I found a Jaguar saddle... those usually sell for about $3000... this particular saddle is used but it looks amazing... big and comfy with a big knee roll... it looks really nice for jumping.  There's a day left in the auction and it's only $800.  It's a 17 inch and I really wanted a 17.5 inch... if I had $800 and it was a 17.5 inch, I would have been all over this.  Here's the link to it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...

Here's a link to a 17.5 inch Pessoa Gen X that's currently $800 as well.  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...

And here's a link to a 17.5 inch Crosby XL that's currently $510.  It's a wide tree and I needed a medium for my TB, but this looks like a very nice saddle.  http://cgi.ebay.com/CROSBY-EXCEL-XL-E-17...

good luck on the saddle search!!

Answer 3

my favorite saddle would have to be a stubben. i am pretty tall, about 5'9'', and the stubben has a big knee roll and is so comfy. they're great quality too. everytime i ride, i use a stubben, and i jump too. they're great for all disciplines! :)