The dreaded english saddle package...

That's the thing though, the price tag value doesnt assure a good fit.

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.

The bottom line is, if a saddle fits, it works. My point is don't believe that just because the saddle is inexpensive it cannot ever fit a horse properly.
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Well that's exactly why you can't 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

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.

I don't disagree with you at all on this. That was not what I was trying to say I was saying that price does not always mean fit.

I shudder scream and pull my hair out when I walk into a barn that has no assigned saddles to their horses. Its just 'pick a saddle'. Which is why this mare has a sore back. She has not had a proper fitting saddle.

I believe every horse should have their own saddle and that fit should be top priority. However just because a saddle has a 4 figure price tag, it doesn't mean it will fit better then a saddle that might have a 3 figure price tag.

No one here is saying that fit isn't the top priority.

Yes I appreciate that and see what you are saying but my comment does support the fact that its not wise to buy a cheap unseen saddle of ebay or wherever and expect it to fit. A good quality saddle can often be re-stuffed and altered to suit if the basic size is correct but a cheap one likely can't. There is a big difference though between a cheap badly made saddle and a good second hand saddle that's a bargain - though there are fakes out there that can fall apart after a short time or be so badly made they are dangerous

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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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.

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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