# What's more important, horse or saddle?



## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

Get the saddle after you get the horse so it can be fitted and I'm sure you can find a perfectly nice one from a quality tackshop.


----------



## writer23 (Apr 6, 2010)

Arhh, I just wrote a reply and it disappeared!

You have to get a horse first. Last thing you want to do is spend that much money and have the saddle not fit your horse. And a custom saddle is a 'custom' sell and can be harder to offload. What brand is it?

Besides, from you're post it's clear you've made your choice. Just be frank with your instructor with your budget. Trainers like their students to win - it's their business. A great saddle can allow you to ride better (put you in an optimal position, etc). I ride in a Barnsby skeleton right now (about the $2500 mark) and it is okay, but I rode in my friend and coach's Antares and I honestly rode better instantly. Now to save up $3500. Saying all that I started with an used AP Barnsby for $1000 and that was a luxury for me and my family.


----------



## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Get the horse first, then find a saddle that will fit the horse. You can go and spend big bucks on a custom made saddle, but even if it fits you perfectly, it may not fit the horse you buy no matte how much altering is done. Also you can ride in a saddle on one horse and love it, then ride in the same saddle on another horse and hate it.
So it's a bit of a joint 'decision' between you and your horse when buying a saddle.

Heck, I just bit the bullet and brought a 10 year old, second hand dressage saddle of Ebay for $500. It is a Dutch brand, BEAUTIFUL thick soft leather, fantastic seat and knee rolls that I can just melt into, looks brand new, and fits my horse to the T! Had my saddle fitter out to have a look and he didn't need to adjust a thing :O

So yep, definitely worth hunting around for a saddle AFTER you get your horse


----------



## dantexeventer (Jul 11, 2009)

Exactly what Kayty said - a saddle that doesn't fit the horse is stress and misery waiting to happen!


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

The type of horse you are looking for will usually have a similar body type. I wouldn't think that you would be going from a high wither TB to a more mutton wither warmblood. If you stay with a horse of the same build, a custom saddle should be fine and you can make minor changes with pads. Truthfully, a saddle that was custom made in April for a particular horse may need adjustments after you've ridden him through the summer and then again after a layoff during the winter.

I don't believe that even the most advanced international riders use a different saddle for every horse they ride. Since they usually ride owner's horses rather then owning each horse they ride, I'm sure they have one (perhaps a couple) saddle they they use and make the minor adjustments as necessary.

If you watch show jumping, as an example, you will see riders with keyhole pads, or other "fixes". Do you think that the saddle they are riding in was made for that particular horse?


----------



## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

The most pressing issue right now is NOT which is more important the saddle or the horse... but being very very clear with your trainer what your budget is. You need to sit down with her and tell her what you can afford to spend on horse AND saddle. Sounds like she doesn't know and is just trying to get you the best. You may very well need a custom saddle, or perhaps you can contact your Antares/CWD/Devoucoux/whatever dealer and see what they have on hand used. You can be pretty sure there's someone out there selling their extra long narrow seated saddle. I'd have to agree, some of the best saddles are made in France, but if that's above your budget then it's above your budget and IMO the next most practical step is to buy that saddle used. If she's expecting you to spend more then $4,000 on a saddle, I'm going to assume she's expecting you to pay a lot more then $10,000 on a horse. You need to be clear with her so she knows what she's looking for when she helps you shop!


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

I agree. I think she only wants the best for me. thats fine if she could put down the 4k.  I just saw some pessoas on SLT that were 2k. and one other french saddle that was $396. so I'm starting to realize paying that much isn't particularly normal.


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Ok, first focus on getting the horse. Then you can get a saddle to fit. Ou may fall in love with a horse that your saddle doesn't fit and then what?

As for the saddles, both of my new saddles are custom for about $3,000 each. Both my mom and I have been saving up for years for that. I am the same height, and I had to get the custom forward flap on my jumping saddle.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Won't do you much good to have a really expensive, custom saddle if you have nothing but a saddle rack to put it on!

Another good thing about a cruddy economy is that people are parting with good quality used saddles for really good prices. A good used saddle that fits you and your horse is a good start and then you can save up for something better.


----------



## luvmyperch (Oct 5, 2009)

Find the horse first, then spend the money on a saddle fitter for the HORSE first! For that kind of money, I'd be shopping for a used Devoucoux and still save $1500!!


----------



## Hali (Jun 17, 2009)

Get the horse first before you buy a saddle!

Saddle fit is very important, but you can find well fitting saddles for a better price range - AFTER you buy your horse!


----------



## horsequeen373 (Oct 4, 2009)

Get the horse now, ride in the saddles are your barn. And save for the nice saddle. It will be a big investment but it will be worth it in my opinion. I was lucky enough to have someone from my church who use to ride but doesn't anymore give me her saddle. Crosby. Very nice. And fits me perfectly.


----------



## Cougar (Jun 11, 2009)

Horse first, saddle second. I have four horses and three English saddles as they all need something different. The one that lacks a saddle goes bareback as it's near impossible to find one that fits. In the 11 years we've had her nothing has ever fit her quite right. It's a big investment and no doubt isn't always easy on the pocket book but well worth the money.


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

Ok I'm actually finding myself eating 50% of my words after my lesson today. My trainer put me in her custom CWD. And I had a glazed look in my eyes after I got off lol. I felt like I couldn't fall off and my posture improved so I now kinda wish I had never met that saddle and remained in the dark lol.


----------



## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I would get the horse first, for all the above reasons, of fitting the horse first, rider second. As for getting the saddle, I would definately go for a used saddle save a few bucks, you can find some really nice ones. I do agree that I have ridden in some saddles that I would LOVE to buy, and I think would make a big improvement on my seat and the way I ride, but I just don't have the money to spend, and the horse I have now is currently not very easy to fit unfortunately, so I would like to wait until she's done growing and filling out first, and then at some point after that maybe think about getting a nicer custom fit saddle. Let your trainer know what your price range is, so they can better help you find what you need. If she's thinking that you are willing to spend 4k on a saddle, then she's gonna pass up some potentially great saddles in the say 1k range because you can afford better, but if she knows that you can't afford more than X amount of money, then she can find you a great saddle in that price range and not waste your time or her time looking at stuff you can't afford.


----------



## polkapiggy (Jul 30, 2009)

Like everyone else has said, horse first, then saddle. And you need to talk to your trainer, make sure she knows your budget. 

I'm lucky in that I wont ever have to worry about buying a saddle as my grandma has all the tack I could ever want


----------



## Savvy Debonair (Feb 11, 2010)

Ummm... if you get a narrow custom made saddle, chances are you ar'nt going to find a horse to fit it specifically, very easily.

Most people are comfortable in already made saddles, they can be altered to fit your horse, with the right saddle.

Horse ----> Saddle. How can you go 

Saddle ----> Horse

It's just silly? The amount of people that offered me saddles that did'nt fit my horse and made him sore, and pinched and made him mental, was amazing, we got ours fitted, which only cost us 70 bucks, ontop of a saddle that cost us $900 fits me and him perfectlly, im 5'7" ^_^.

And my horse is 15.2-3 roughly. With a wide gulleted saddle, it looks freaking enormous.


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Personally I still think everyone is over thinking this chicken or egg thing. Let's say you get your horse first then have your saddle made for him. What do you do when it's time to move up to a better horse or if that horse doesn't work or gains/looses weight/muscle? Do you get another saddle? Most likely not. 

Most people like a horse with a certain build. A custom saddle can be altered to a good extent to fit a range of horses. Will it fit all horses? Certainly not but it will fit a lot of horses (with some alteration) within a build range.


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

iridehorses said:


> Personally I still think everyone is over thinking this chicken or egg thing. Let's say you get your horse first then have your saddle made for him. What do you do when it's time to move up to a better horse or if that horse doesn't work or gains/looses weight/muscle? Do you get another saddle? Most likely not.
> 
> Most people like a horse with a certain build. A custom saddle can be altered to a good extent to fit a range of horses. Will it fit all horses? Certainly not but it will fit a lot of horses (with some alteration) within a build range.


thats what i was wondering. If your going to be riding a few other horses, you have to get a few other saddles?


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Most riders in the upper range only have one (maybe 2 saddles) that they use for all their horses. In fact most riders in that class are riding other people's horses - but in their own saddles. If you are only going to ride one horse - ever, then wait, but an advancing rider will ride many horses and you can't get a saddle for every horse you ride.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

You don't want to be limited by a custom saddle not fitting a prospective horse. If you drop $4k on a custom saddle and find the perfect horse that doesn't fit the saddle.... then what?
The problem with English saddles is that they have extremely specific pressure points. Where you might get away with padding up on a Western saddle, you can't necessarily do on an English saddle. Keep in mind that an ill-fitting saddle _can_ make a horse lame. Not to say that you can't get away with padding sometimes on a too-wide saddle, but you absolutely cannot do that with a too-narrow saddle. 
I would suggest sitting down and making a budget for yourself. If you are convinced you want a custom saddle, make adjustments to your horse budget. Please please please do not buy a custom saddle before the horse. English saddles are extremely finicky like that....


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

iridehorses said:


> 1) Let's say you get your horse first then have your saddle made for him. What do you do when it's time to move up to a better horse or if that horse doesn't work or gains/looses weight/muscle? Do you get another saddle? Most likely not.
> 
> 2) Most people like a horse with a certain build. A custom saddle can be altered to a good extent to fit a range of horses. Will it fit all horses? Certainly not but it will fit a lot of horses (with some alteration) within a build range .



1) My custom saddle sold with the mare it was built for. English saddles are so finicky to fit (I hate hate hate riser pads or any other "quick fixes" for a reason) that you do often end up buying and selling saddles when you buy/sell a horse. It is very very common for a person to sell a saddle and buy a new one for a new horse. I just take it as a given now - new horse usually = new saddle. 
Regarding the muscle loss/gain issue: many custom saddles have a gullet system now, so that when the horse's shape changes, i.e. through growth, you don't need to buy an entirely different saddle, you just get the gullet adjusted and the panels re-flocked to fit the horse's back perfectly again. When a horse is fully gown (i.e. is not going to make drastic changes) and it's just a matter of muscle, most fit problems with a custom saddle can be changed via minor reflocking or slight gullet changes. That is not to say that a custom-fit saddle will always fit - I've known a few people to go through a few custom saddles for one horse due to the horse's body shape changing. 

2) True, but again... English saddles are super finicky, and it's best to not rely on that train of thought when you're horse or saddle shopping.


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Sorry, Alli, but I just don't agree. I know two former US Equestrian team riders (one is my aunt and the other my cousin) and they rode many many horses per year - all in the two saddles they owned.


----------



## kmdstar (Nov 17, 2009)

Horse first, definately. You could ride the horse bareback if you really wanted to...and if you get a custom made saddle that doesn't fit, bareback might end up being your only option til you sell the saddle anyway. There is alot you can do with a horse that doesn't involve riding first, but not much to do with a saddle thats sitting around looking pretty and getting dusty.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Here's what I am trying to say:
If you're a professional trainer, you will need a saddle or two that will fit a broad range of horses to train and ride in, with minor adjustments. Having said that, most upper level horses will have a saddle that is theirs. 
BUT if you're not a pro, and you're just riding one horse, buy a saddle that fits you and the horse. I cannot stress how important correct saddle fit is... 

Bill, may I ask which discipline(s)?


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Alli, I'll sent you a PM - but it is in Show Jumping.


----------



## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

iridehorses said:


> Personally I still think everyone is over thinking this chicken or egg thing. Let's say you get your horse first then have your saddle made for him. What do you do when it's time to move up to a better horse or if that horse doesn't work or gains/looses weight/muscle? Do you get another saddle? Most likely not.
> 
> Most people like a horse with a certain build. A custom saddle can be altered to a good extent to fit a range of horses. Will it fit all horses? Certainly not but it will fit a lot of horses (with some alteration) within a build range.


I completely agree. I think it is insane to have a saddle custom made to fit one horse. Aside from the fact that a well made saddle will last 2-3 times longer than a horses rideable life, a horses back changes drastically over a lifetime. A 2yo horses back will not look the same as it will when the horse is 7 or when the horse is 20. If you know you are going to be riding TBs then get a saddle that will accomodate the type of TB that you are most likely to own and don't buy any that are not of that type.


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I have a custom made saddle that cost me $4,000. It is custom made to fit my current horse as he has had chronic back issues for quite a while.

My horse is an Australian Stock Horse and my saddle is on a standard stock horse tree. The only adjustments are in the flocking.

So far, my saddle has fitted every horse of the same type I have had it on. 

I need to get the flocking adjusted as my boy has built up some muscle now due to not being in pain but that is just a five minute fix with his tool - The advantages of having felt panels means there is no unstitching to move the flocking.

I also sue thinline pads under my saddles to make up for any small discrepancies.


----------



## kmacdougall (Feb 12, 2010)

My horse nor I need a custom saddle. He's an easy fit and I'm a pretty standard sized person. That being said, when I change horses, if my saddle doesn't fit it'll be for sale.
Horse first, saddle second. What if you buy a saddle with a medium tree, and buy a horse a few months down the road that's just a little too wide for it? Say you pay $4,000 for that saddle. Even lightly used, you're going to lose money. *There are no solutions for a too-small saddle*. If you're comfortable putting the money out for potential loss, go for it. But in this economy it makes little sense. 
Besides, what harm does waiting do?


----------



## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

I paid $3,060 for my dressage saddle and about $4,000 for my jump saddle, but it's absurd to say that you HAVE to buy in that range (they are not custom by the way). It's a luxury, nothing more. Trust me, you will be so much happier if you get a quality horse and a humble saddle instead of a fancy saddle that fits a wacko horse. It is also a good idea to get the horse first and find a saddle that fits the horse instead of buying a saddle and trying to fit it to a horse. Remember, you don't need custom, non-custom can fit many horses just fine.


----------



## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

I have honestly never paid more than 500 for a saddle and I have had some very nice saddles. There are a lot of gems out there on ebay or used in tack stores for around 500-1000, I honestly think spending more than that on a saddle is absurd.

I also usually buy a different saddle when I get a new horse, which has been a little trying in the past few months since I have had two different horses.


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

You guys are getting hung up on the cost of the saddle instead of the question. We do not know the financial position of the OP and it is possible that the expense of the saddle is not the issue and that although the $4,000 may seem exorbitant to most of us, it may not be with her; so to advise her that she is paying a lot for a saddle is not the point of the thread. 

Yes there are good buys out there but if you were in a position, and I'm not saying that the OP is, wouldn't you buy the best you could? Just as $1,000 is quite a bit for a saddle to some, $4,000 is reasonable to others. Keep in mind that she is considering horses in the $20,000 range.


----------



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Paying for a saddle is NOT absurd. We all pay what we can afford. Before I bought my $4,000 saddle I had only ever bought Wintecs for arund $300. My saddle is MADE for me and made for my horse - You don't get that with any off the rack saddle and for what I bought $4,000 was extremely cheap.


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

iridehorses said:


> You guys are getting hung up on the cost of the saddle instead of the question. We do not know the financial position of the OP and it is possible that the expense of the saddle is not the issue and that although the $4,000 may seem exorbitant to most of us, it may not be with her; so to advise her that she is paying a lot for a saddle is not the point of the thread.
> 
> Yes there are good buys out there but if you were in a position, and I'm not saying that the OP is, wouldn't you buy the best you could? Just as $1,000 is quite a bit for a saddle to some, $4,000 is reasonable to others. Keep in mind that she is considering horses in the $20,000 range.



Haha I just rode some 20k horses we most likely aren't considering them. Yes $4,000 is affordable only if we end up getting a horse under $10,000 .


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Ditto to what WS said. I have 2 semi customs coming and they were only 2,700 each. That's cheap for a good saddle.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

iridehorses said:


> You guys are getting hung up on the cost of the saddle instead of the question. We do not know the financial position of the OP and it is possible that the expense of the saddle is not the issue and that although the $4,000 may seem exorbitant to most of us, it may not be with her; so to advise her that she is paying a lot for a saddle is not the point of the thread.
> 
> Yes there are good buys out there but if you were in a position, and I'm not saying that the OP is, wouldn't you buy the best you could? Just as $1,000 is quite a bit for a saddle to some, $4,000 is reasonable to others. Keep in mind that she is considering horses in the $20,000 range.





Jordan S said:


> Haha I just rode some 20k horses we most likely aren't considering them. *Yes $4,000 is affordable only if we end up getting a horse under $10,000* .


This is why people were talking about saddle prices I believe.


----------



## rissaxbmth (Feb 2, 2010)

I paid $89 for my saddle. It is brand new too, never been used. It's not name brand or anything but it gets the job done and its very good quality. I'd be more worried about finding the perfect horse than a saddle at the moment. Why get a saddle when its not set in stone you are for sure getting this horse? If you get a custom made saddle for YOU it may not be right for the horse so get the horse first!!


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

Lol my mom ordered the saddle( CWD)

and that means my trainer gets to pay for the horse


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

I didn't even expect her to order it. I got in the car and we were driving home and she was like "so I ordered the saddle" and my jaw hit the floor. :shock:

I guess the good news is CWD will redo the saddle for no extra charge if it doesn't fit my horse, and the bad, the budget for what we can pay for our horse goes down.


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

CWD is not in my good graces at the moment...


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

StormyBlues said:


> CWD is not in my good graces at the moment...


what do you mean by this?


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

My friend got a full custom for her and her horse, but aperently, it's hindering ALOT of his shoulder movement. And it was FULL CUSTOM! It shouldn't have happened!


----------



## Jordan S (Jun 7, 2009)

StormyBlues said:


> My friend got a full custom for her and her horse, but aperently, it's hindering ALOT of his shoulder movement. And it was FULL CUSTOM! It shouldn't have happened!



That sucks! did she she have it remade?

The weird thing about CWD is that they have no website and no off-the-rack options for people with a standard body feature. So I don't see how people are supposed to get them without a rep. Wonder why this is....


----------



## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

They either will remake it, or give her her money back. I think she just wants her money back to get a saddle she knows will fit Gandalf(a black country)


----------



## HorseLove4ever (Apr 21, 2009)

My saddle was only $450 and i love it to death!
Then i got my horse and i thanked my rarely lucky stars that it fits him, me, and every other horse i try it on.


----------

