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The dreaded english saddle package...

6K views 47 replies 15 participants last post by  freia 
#1 ·
So I am saddle cruising right now. I am only leasing the horse I have right now and there is a chance she will sell before I am ready to buy her. That said she is NOT in shape at all so I know she is going to change and therefor her saddle fit will change.

I don't have lots of extra coin kicking around and the first priority is fixing the horrible shoeing job she has. The saddles they have at the barn(no horse has any assigned saddle which I hate) are horrible fits for her.

Sooooo.... I am considering coughing up the coin for one of those super cheap saddle packages on ebay. I am well aware that they are poorly made and have no quality to them at all. That is fine. I just want something to tie her over until she fits up or I buy her, whichever comes first. Am I crazy? Just how bad are these saddles? I know they are far from ideal but would it be okay enough to get miles on her and getting her fit?
 
#3 ·
See thats what I wanted to know. Is if they are crappy for the horses back. I've never used one before so I didn't know about the fit. I figured if they had a good gullet width and cleared the right areas it wouldn't be to bad. But like I said, I don't know how they fit which is why I am asking. I thought they were cheap because they didn't hold up well and the dye would run when wet, that kind of deal.

I have always been lucky enough to find nice saddles at a good bargin. Sadly I can't seem to stumble across a nice bargin saddle in my price range. There is one and the girl is willing to take payments. But I kind of wanted something now as the ones the barn provide are a horrible fit for her as they are meant for little school ponies. So they sit tight on her. And yes, this is what they have been using on her the whole time. I just went to this barn for the first time last night and tried her out and am taking her on a lease. My saddle was stolen from me so I have nothing to use other then theirs.
 
#4 ·
I bought a new one of those 'DIY fitted saddles (against my better judgement) when we bought our gypsy as she was only 3 and we knew she would mature to be a lot stockier. She wore it twice, we could never get any of the things that were supposed to adjust it to work properly and its sat in the mechanicals area of our basement ever since. Total waste of money
I found a really good second hand leather saddle that a good saddler was able to re-flock to sit well on her and as she grew we were able to have it adjusted to make room for extra 'her'. 7 years on its still in good condition and I can't profess to being that enthusiastic about tack cleaning.
I have friends who own them and swear by them but they also seem to be constantly fiddling with them and have all sorts of pads and risers underneath them.
I would always buy from a real saddler who will come out to you and 'fit the saddle and make changes if needed not unseen off the internet
 
#5 ·
Okay so I made this thread then went back to ebay... and I don't know why but for whatever reason there is 10 more pages of saddles then there was when I looked earlier. There are actually decent ones on there that are in my price range. So I can rule out those nasty packages!!

I don't know what I did wrong earlier lol.

As for getting a saddler... there is only Schleese in my area and she only comes once a year. I can not fork out $1000+ for a Scleese right now as much as I would love to. I don't even own the horse, that is just not happening. Even though they can be adjusted but its a year wait until she comes back.

Anyway ignore my craptastic thread now :)
 
#7 ·
What's the general consensus on the cheapie saddle packages sold by Stateline Tack?

For what it's worth, I've been riding in a cheapie eBay treeless saddle for over a year and a half with zero problems.
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#8 ·
I purchased a beginner English saddle package from Action for my daughter (was 8...now 10) two years ago. We went for the $150 package because Kitten wasn't sure which discipline she wanted to focus on and the barn we board at only had Western saddles (English students provided their own).

Other than needing a riser and a better girth, the saddle has worked well for us. Kitten rides in it 3 days each week and we also show once a month. The saddle has held up pretty well. It has also been used on 4 different horses without any problems with fit.

Now that she's settled on English as her discipline and we own her horse, we plan to buy a better quality saddle for her.
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#9 · (Edited)
Other than needing a riser...
Without wishing to sound over-critical, this really means the saddle is a poor fit...

It has also been used on 4 different horses without any problems with fit.
...and unless they were all identical siblings, this can't be true either, if you think about it - like saying a particular brand of kid's shoe fits all feet the same age.

I always try to see the horse's point of view, because he can't see mine - Me :)
 
#10 ·
Criticize all you want, but considering none of the horses showed any signs of discomfort or saddle sores, I don't think they were harmed by us using this saddle on them. The riser was requested by our trainer not due to fit, but because she wanted Kitten to sit a little more forward due to the shape of the seat. Once again, not perfect, but it worked for us.

Honestly, expecting people to purchase a new saddle specific to each horse is unreasonable and unrealistic. If every horse needs his/her own saddle, than all horses sold should come with their own tack.
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#19 ·
Honestly, expecting people to purchase a new saddle specific to each horse is unreasonable and unrealistic. If every horse needs his/her own saddle, than all horses sold should come with their own tack.
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Within the English riding discipline, this is exactly what does happen a fair bit - and if the saddle is not sold with the horse then the buyer has to factor the cost of a saddle into the purchase costs.

Good luck with your search by the way.
 
#11 ·
HM, riding is expensive. Horses are stoic animals and we as humans with the power of forethought are trusted to do what is best for them.
99.999999999% of the time, cheapie saddles will not fit and aren't in the horse's best interest. I bet dollars to donuts that the saddle doesn't fit (needing a riser pad indicates that, and makes me wince - that rotates the saddle and changes pressure points) and hasn't fit any horse correctly.
There are decent brands of saddles for sale for a few hundred dollars. They may not look the best but they will be a ton better for the horse. Older Pessoas, Stubbens, and Crosbys may have a lower price tag, if you look.

OP, thank you for coming to your senses - haha.
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#12 ·
Our trainer, who has ridden and shown English for over 20 years, checked the fit herself and pronounced everything good. Forgive me if I trust someone who has actually seen the saddle ON the horse over a bunch of people on the web who judge the fit based solely on the price of the equipment.

Trust me, I KNOW from first hand experience how "expensive" horses are. I write the checks every month and go above and beyond the basics to give our horse the best care we can.

I looked at used saddles when we were trying to make our purchase. I would send pictures/links to knowledgable horse people and they would usually tell me to pass. When I did find a decent used saddle, I was often outbid at the last minute OR the saddle was the wrong size (it was hard to find a 14" used saddle...much less one within budget). We set our budget low because we were not sure if Kitten would continue in English and could not see the point in spending $$$$ on a saddle that we may not need or would have to resell in an area where English is not common and more people are selling rather than buying.

The "starter" saddle package has its place....it was exactly what we needed at the time.
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#14 ·
One of the joys of forums is everyone has an opinion and no one will ever completely agree on everything. I learned long ago to stop taking it personal and just take what I need out of each post. Don't let it get to you. One persons idea of perfect is another persons idea of abuse and vice versa.

Just smile and nod and move on.
 
#13 ·
Thank you everyone for your input. As I said I didn't know that the make of them in terms of fit to the horse was cruddy. I thought it was just the fake leather and dye and things in terms of cosmetic issues were the cheapness. I refuse to do anything to hurt her back even more.

Thankfully I have an awesome friend who isn't using her Schleese dressage saddle right now and the last horse it was adjusted for was built like my gal so we are going to try it and that will work until I can buy a quality saddle.

In the mean time I am going to work on massages and soaks on her back and getting her feet done properly. I make her sound like shes in horrible condition lol. She's not. She just has been treated as another number in a school barn and where she wasn't good for the school she got the short end of the deal. The farrier who did her feet is a standarbred farrier so he leaves a longer toe. And her back just feels owie from a poor saddle fit. So with some massage and a proper saddle and good farrier job she will be good as gold. I am going to do some before and after shots :)
 
#15 ·
HorseMom, no need to get fired up. As said above, it's a forum. People have differing opinions, that is how a forum works. Don't take a differing opinion as a personal attack.

Sometimes you can get lucky with one of these cheap 'package' saddles, and maybe your daughter's horse is one of those one in a million types that has a shape to fit those saddles.
Unfortunately the majority aren't that lucky. Cheap and nasty is a common turn of phrase that is very accurate when it comes to horse gear unfortunately.
I would much rather save the money and buy a second hand but good quality saddle, than put a cheap, poorly made one on my horse's back. For the ride once in a while it's no problem, but when you're schooling seriously, 6 days/week you'll end up with a very sore horse.
It's not just the fact that the dye might run a bit, or they're not overly comfortable - it can be a safety concern as well. Fittings are poorly made and the materials are cheap and of poor quality. It takes only a small mishap, and you may wind up with a broken girth, stirrup or tree.
A friend of mine was nearly killed when she was riding a client's horse in a cheap, old saddle and the tree was broken (they were not aware of this at the time - it can be difficult to determine if a tree is broken, especially if it just has a small fracture through it). The horse went ballistic and through the rider straight onto her head.
I personally, don't want to take that sort of risk.
 
#16 ·
My own personal experience and thoughts..

I started off with a low budget and was very tempted by one of the cheapy packages, but I was totally talked out of it by online friends and thank goodness for it.

MAYBE you can get away with one if you are a light rider, on a fit horse, not riding very often or asking very much of your horse.

BUT

I'm a fat rider, who wants my horse to move freely despite having to carry me, so I have to buy the best I can, and that means I shop for quality makes that are older, or a little damaged, I can put up with some dents and dings, as long as the saddle is sound and comfortable for the horse.
 
#21 ·
I think the cheapie saddles have come a ways from what people think they are. It's it fair to say that a cheap English saddle will cause damage to a horse because it wont fit. A big price tag on a saddle doesn't guarantee fit, and the price tag doesn't mean that the bad fit won't cause damage. A bad fit is a bad fit -- PERIOD.

That being said, yes one does have to question the quality of the craftsmanship, but really, let's really think this over. If people ran into problems, they complain and get refunds. Enough complaints, a company stops carrying it. The people leave bad reviews. I really doubt anyone would receive something poorly stitched or crooked or what have you and not send it back - cheap or not.

Or maybe I've just had good luck? The cheapie saddles I've come across look like they were made with the pattern of a fancier saddle but without the super high quality materials.
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#22 ·
I think the cheapie saddles have come a ways from what people think they are. It's it fair to say that a cheap English saddle will cause damage to a horse because it wont fit. A big price tag on a saddle doesn't guarantee fit, and the price tag doesn't mean that the bad fit won't cause damage. A bad fit is a bad fit -- PERIOD.

That being said, yes one does have to question the quality of the craftsmanship, but really, let's really think this over. If people ran into problems, they complain and get refunds. Enough complaints, a company stops carrying it. The people leave bad reviews. I really doubt anyone would receive something poorly stitched or crooked or what have you and not send it back - cheap or not.

Or maybe I've just had good luck? The cheapie saddles I've come across look like they were made with the pattern of a fancier saddle but without the super high quality materials.
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That is kind of what I was wondering really. I mean lets face it. They are no where near the quality of a big price tag saddle. The $200 saddle package will never hold a light to the $1000+ saddles. But is it really THAT bad? I have never really used one except for the odd spin on a school horse at one of the "mass production" barns that pump out school kids like Michelle Duggar.

And these packages seem to be on ebay 24/7. If they were truly crudtastic would they still be selling like crazy?

This does not mean I am going to run out and buy one. But it is something I do wonder about. I am lucky enough though to have a great friend to lend me her saddle so I can save to get a nice one. But that doesn't stop me from wondering what they are really like if they were cared for properly as in cleaned after every use and stored in a dry area.
 
#25 ·
I'm not a huge wintec fan... I liked the older wintecs that were made dressage style but the newer plastic ones drive me crazy. But a pair of full seats with those fabric like saddles were a great stick for cross country and stuck you like glue so you could sit the most bouncey of trots lol.

I've been thinking about thorowgood. My friend has one and its not to bad. I might go that direction. Since I am not in a rush I can sit back and watch and wait for the right saddle with the right deal :)
 
#27 ·
I've been thinking about thorowgood.
Personally I prefer this brand over Wintec.

Bareback pad would be a good option too (if she's quiet haha!).
 
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#26 ·
A part of me is kind of tempted to throw the saddle aside and ride bareback for the next few months. Work on my balance and position and get back to the basics. If only she wasn't 16 hands and so solid... its a long ways to the ground. Wonder if I can throw her in the dryer and shrink her down to 13 hands... :think:
 
#29 ·
And yet, I've had professionals look at the saddle fit and pronounce it good. All indicaors from the horses that have ridden with this saddle show no signs of "abuse" or huge open sores. So, explain to me again how I'm abusing my horse?

Perhaps this saddle wouldn't work as well with a bigger rider, but the only one who rides in it is a small child who weighs less than 70lbs. We use a proper contour sheepskin saddle pad and purchased a very nice girth from Dover.

It's the sweeping generalization from others that if the saddle is inexpensive than:

1) the owner is abusing the horse
2) the parent is buying it just to shut their kid up
3) it will NEVER fit properly and anyone who says it does is lying

That are really bothering me. There has to be a happy medium. Expecting parents to run out and buy a custom Stubben saddle when they are not even sure their child will stick with the sport is unrealistic. I did my homework. I spent over 6 months looking at saddles and talking to other owners/trainers. We did not buy blindly, we actually looked at the saddle in person before making the purchase. The leather is not from virgin cows massaged daily with neatsfoot oil until they are humanely euthanized... but it came from a saddle maker that is known for ok saddles and the leather has held up well being used 3 days per week by a young child who takes care of her tack.

Right now, Kitten is only doing flat work in her saddle. She is not doing dressage or jumping. The horse is not showing distress or discomfort.

Yes, we are looking at new saddles. We purchased this one as our "gateway" saddle and knew it would need to be replaced if/when Kitten got serious. (If only because it isn't as pretty in the show ring). But, I would still recommend it to parents of young riders who are just starting in the sport and need a basic saddle to school in. As always, buyer beware and take a good look at ANY saddle youn plan to purchase, but don't discount a saddle just because the price is "too low".
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#32 ·
Gotta say... I can go out and by a $5000 Antares saddle(I wish) and plunk it on jo blows grade pony and it could fit like a dream then go and plunk it on the $50, 000 show jumper and it pinches in all the wrong places.

I am a Schleese person(as I have already stated) and they will even tell you not all styles of their saddles will fit every horse, even after all the adjustments they can do.
 
#34 ·
Gotta say... I can go out and by a $5000 Antares saddle(I wish) and plunk it on jo blows grade pony and it could fit like a dream then go and plunk it on the $50, 000 show jumper and it pinches in all the wrong places.

I am a Schleese person(as I have already stated) and they will even tell you not all styles of their saddles will fit every horse, even after all the adjustments they can do.
Well thats exactly why you cant just go out and nuy any saddle and expect it to fit - regardless of cost. Different horse usually = different saddle
I have 5 horses they all have their own saddles and on top of that my husband and son also have a different saddle for when they ride the two they use because they need a larger saddle than I do to suit their own height/build
My 4 15.2's may be the same height but they are different widths and shapes
 
#35 · (Edited)
I have 2 riding horses and each of them have their own saddle. The 14.2 h Arab has a different shape than the 15.3 h TB, so I certainly can't expect one saddle to fit them both.

The quality of the saddle doesn't guarantee fit, but you're more likely to find something that WILL fit your horse when it's a well made piece of tack versus some mass produced, slapped together for the masses crap.

I have an older Wintec and a vintage Stubben. Both are decently made saddles with the Stubben far outclassing the Wintec, but they're both good saddles made by respected companies.

Anyone can buy a saddle that fits 'okay', but I'd rather buy a well made saddle that fits GREAT.
 
#38 ·
It just seemed like the argument was that it a saddle was cheap then by default it's a bad fit. Assuming that the tree is even and all that (and a defective tree can happen with an expensive saddle) I don't think there's a correlation between fit and price tag.

Treed saddles are uncomfortable as heck anyway!
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#39 · (Edited)
I paid more for my Wintec than I did for my Stubben. There are bargains to be had if you know where to look.

Most of those cheapy new package deal saddles aren't even balanced. That, even more than the crappy leather that will fall apart within 6 months-1 year, is why I wouldn't buy one.

I don't find treed saddles to be uncomfortable at all, DA.
 
#40 ·
I paid more for my Wintec than I did for my Stubben. There are bargains to be had if you know where to look.
They feel like someone set a 2x4 on the horse and tried to ride like that. How do you do it?!
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