[kristenc812]

I was just wondering what you thought of these brands. I saw a brand new HdR a few weeks ago that I loved..the leather felt like butter. It looked and felt like a quality saddle, but like the other brands I named, the prices are pretty affordable for a seemingly high quality saddle. Of course, when I say high quality..I mean, something that will be comfortable for me and my horse and will hold up for years to come.

I'm keeping a close watch on Ebay for nice, used Pessoas as well. But, if I can get a good quality saddle for cheaper, then..that would be nice. I know Pessoas are extremely popular and high quality. I'm also worried about the fit on my horse. Tyson is a little lankier than your typical stock horse, but he still has most of that quarter horse width to his back. I'll try to get some pictures of how my Bates fits on him. It's really bad. It made him really sore, poor thing. It was bridging on his back, and the gullet NEVER fit properly.

So, anyways..my question is somewhat directed to people that have Quarter horses, Paints, or any stock horse breed. What kind of english saddle do you have, and how well does it fit your horse's back? I'm also assuming most will have a wide tree..so I'm just wondering how well the wide tree fits these types of horses. I had a "normal" english saddle a LONG time ago..but I believe it was while I was still riding ponies. Haha! I've had my Bates since when they first introduced the changeable gullet and CAIR system (which I had replaced for wool flocking, lol)..so this is the first major problem I've had with it.

Sorry for the long post..any responses are greatly appreciated. I don't have local access to many of the brands that I am considering, so I may need to go out on a whim and buy something online. Thanks in advance!

[luvs2ride79]

Ovations, IME, are better than the HDR Advantage and a LOT better than the HDR Club lins. The HDR Pro line is about the same quality as Ovations and the HDR Rivella (sp?) is better quality than Ovations.

I don't have any direct experience with M Toulouse saddles, but from what I have heard, they are about the same quality as an Ovation. Collegiate is in the same class as well.

OLDER Pessoas are great quality and worth buying used. Newer Pessoas are not as good quality as the older ones. Same for Crosby. The older ones are GREAT saddles.

Don't be afraid to look at other brands as well, like Courbette (selling really low lately, they're just not "in style"), Stubben, Passier, Whittman, Pariani, and some of the other "oldies-but-goodies" English and European made saddles.

Rick's has some nice used CC saddles listed right now. A BUNCH of plain flap Crosby's for a steal! You can always have a padded flap put on by a good saddle repair person .
http://www.saddlesource.com

[prairienights]

I was saddle shopping a few weeks ago, it's a pain! I ended up getting a used Stubben Siegfried CS for $750 (they retail for $2200). I'm very very happy with it. I'm by no means an English saddle expert, but just from reading reviews, comparing prices, etc, I'd say that out of the brands you listed, OLDER Pessoas are the highest quality. Then Ovations are good. HDR and M. Toulouse are kind of in the same category, and they're sort of middle of the road in terms of quality. HDR maybe being a little bit nicer. Of course as luvs2ride79 pointed out, quality can vary among the different models of each brands and when it was made.

http://www.middleburgtack.com/index....=All%20Purpose <-- up at the top you can choose all purpose, close contact, or dressage.

This is where I got my saddle from, and I highly reccommend them. I called, said which saddle I wanted, it was delivered in about three days, and all I had to pay for initially was shipping. If it didn't work out, I'd send it back, and just lose the cost of shipping. My saddle was in excellent shape.

[AllAroundRdr]

I own a HDR which I've had for going on 8 years. It was purchased brand new as a 'schooling saddle' so I wasn't riding hard every day in my PJ or Crosby.

Since I've owned my HDR it turned into my 'show saddle' (and my every day 'schooling saddle) -- I LOVE it. It's like riding on a cloud. I've shown 'A' Circuit Hunters in it, some jumpers, as well as AQHA HUS, HH, and WH.

This is it in its present condition after 8 years...

[kristenc812]

Wow, that's impressive after 8 years.

I was reading up even more, and I saw a HUGE amount of people that had tears in their Pessoas. This came from people who owned their Pessoas from a while ago, and they tore back then. I like some of the used Bevals that I've seen on Ebay..there are some good prices. Also, do the HdR's, Ovations, and Toulouses have foam panels? I definitely want wool panels, and I'm thinking that that is the major reason why some of these saddles are much more affordable.

Thanks for the help everyone..I'm going to be a saddle expert by the time I'm done looking!

[AllAroundRdr]

Mine have foam which I actually like. My OLD Pessoa, my PJ, and my PDN had/have wool.

As you can see, there's been no condensing of the foam. Nothing's been fixed/patched/repaired on my saddle since I've owned it.

Although I ride hard in it and have since I've had it, I wipe it down with a damp sponge after every ride and clean & condition it religiously. I also store it in a waterproof quilted saddle bag.


I can't be more happy with how it's held up.

[luvs2ride79]

Originally Posted by kristenc812

Also, do the HdR's, Ovations, and Toulouses have foam panels? I definitely want wool panels, and I'm thinking that that is the major reason why some of these saddles are much more affordable.

Thanks for the help everyone..I'm going to be a saddle expert by the time I'm done looking!

Most newer CC saddles in the mid to low price range will have foam flocking. You'll want to ask the owner of the saddle is used, and if they're not sure, then ask for the serial number on the saddle and call the manufacturer to find out.

Most European made saddles 15 years old or older will be wool flocked.

[Redfishy]

My Toulouse has foam with wool. I've been really happy with it. I have the medium for my not stocky qh gelding and it is a tad wide but he's still developing muscles/top line. Couldn't ever get a Wintec or Collegiate to fit him right either, so didn't want to fork over the money for a Bates. I've only had it since Feb so can't show you a 8yr pic but there are no marks on it after 3-4 rides per week since I got it.

I'd defiantly take a look at the Toulouse if you get the chance.

[iheartcloudnine]

I would pass on the HDR, the leather really isn't that great, they don't hold up long, and the trees are normally all out of wack. As far as Pessoa's go, the newer ones aren't that amazing, but the older ones are. The quality of the saddle has gone down, but his old ones are great.

What is your budget?

As far as your Bates, why is the saddle bridging? Is it because of the bad gullet fit? It does have a changeable gullet system, I would get the Easy-Gullet measurer and see what size your horse needs (it would be a lot cheaper than a new saddle ) If your horse doesn't fit into one of the gullet sizes, then of course a new saddle is neccessary. If you can find the correct gullet size, though, there are pads to fix saddle bridging.

[kristenc812]

I will pull my saddle out tomorrow and take another look. I didn't take pictures last time, but I went down 3 gullet sizes and it still had the same fit as the first one I had him in.

I can spend anything up to about $1400..My mom just recently said that she would pitch in a little if I could get $1000 for my Bates. So..I can get a pretty good saddle with that, especially if I keep a close eye on Ebay. Hehe. I recently found some good deals on used Bevals..any opinions on those?

Have anyone's foam panels gotten squished down over time? If they haven't, then maybe I should stay open to that possibility, because I'd rather not pay $1400 if I really don't have to, even though I know I'll get a higher quality saddle. The most important thing for me is that my horse is comfortable and that the saddle will hold up. I've ridden in some hard saddles, and it doesn't really bother me. But a nice, comfy saddle would be nice.