Which do you like better!!!

I want to be a showjumper so, I have me and my horse in training, and i want to know what brand is the most affordable, the best looking, and something I don't have to wash a lot!!! Would a wintec close contact or a wintec pro jump be good!!! I like the idea of the CAIR panel system!!! I only like their saddles though, nothing else they have!!! I was also looking at the thornhill protrainer monoflap saddle! It would take me a year or more to save it up but I love the look!!!

personally i hate wintecs, esp as jumping saddles, but i know a lot of people like them.

my advice to you is find a saddle like you like a lot [thats fits you & your horse] & then try to find it on ebay. this way you can get a nice good quality saddle for cheaper

my favorite brand is m toulouse, im not sure your price range, but i think you can get pretty much any of them new for under $1,000. & of course much cheaper on ebay !

I love Crosby saddles. My trainer has one and it's amazing. It was $4,000, but it's 20 years old and still in great shape. They're very good quality, they're comfortable, and I'm getting one if and when I can afford it.

I have a Derby Originals AP saddle and I really like it. I got it on clearance for $100 (original price was $900) and so far it's been working out really well. You can find a lot of nice ones for good prices at tackwholesale.com.

are you a long-legged rider or a short-legged rider? that can make a difference in saddle fit for you.

I have a Courbette Vision that i absolutely love. it's the older model which I think is best.

Prestige saddles are all very nice too. But they are usually for tiny riders (size-wise)

i am short and my torso takes up much of my body, and my legs are a little shorter than average

I hate wintecs. I used to take lessons in them, they were so uncomfortable, like I was sitting on a rock. How about a used saddle? You can get a nicer saddle and pay less for it. I dont like getting saddles off ebay, unless its a well known brand, that if need be I can resell at my local tack shop. I have a thornhill dressage saddle with the fish system. I love it. I have a c/c HRD, I hope I never need to replace. Its a really good saddle at a pretty reasonable price.

I have a County and Crosby. They're both nice saddles, but I just have to say, I LOVE my County. It's really well balanced and the tree and flocking are really, really good. The leather and stitching have held up really, really well, and the stirrup bars are set exactly in the right spot, so my leg ends up right underneath me instead of way behind or way in front. Plus, it helps that the seat is really soft. It was WAY worth the money I paid ($1900), and I think you could probably get one for cheaper than I got mine for, if you happen to have a horse that doesn't have the back of an obese baby elephant (not that my horse is fat, but she's flat and wide). Anyway, best of luck finding a saddle!

PS. One to avoid is Eldonian. It's not well known, but if you come across one, DON'T buy it. I had one for a bit and the leather sucked and it forced me into a chair seat. Plus the flocking was all lumpy.

Although I no longer jump (unless I have no choice, anyway)
I still have my Stubben from nearly 30 years ago
Boy!, do you want to talk about worn in (to my butt..) Of all the saddles I have had other than the stubben, none have the balance for my seat that it does..I ride a fairly long stirrup, only because I am over 6'3'' tall. talk about looking silly sitting atop of a shorter horse? my irons are a foot off the ground...and that is with heels good and down too...
It was only this year had the billet straps for the girth replaced, and I had them hand made and sown..Ahh the benefits of knowing a true saddle maker!

I'm a short legged rider too. And although ideally the Courbette Vision is made for a longer rider, it has worked wonders for my position. And it fits almost every horse I put it on.

here's the new one: http://www.southerntrails.us/images/S353V.JPG

here's the old one that I have: Old courbette vision image by imjustjoking22 on Photobucket

county saddles are great ! i have really short legs too & i rode in my friends county the other day, it was so easy, & put me in a great position