# Beginner Saddle



## ilikehorses2 (Sep 24, 2012)

What is a good beginner English saddle. Not a real expensive one, but one that will not fall apart on the first ride. 

Is this a good one?

Coventry Stratford Model Saddle and Fittings 16 5 17 Wide Tree | eBay


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

There is no such a thing as "good beginner saddle". It's either good or not. If you are tight on money look into used one but a good brand (MT, Stubben, Collegiate, Pessoa, etc.). Cheap new one will be waste of money, and most likely not a good fit for your horse. 

BTW, horse fit is very important, so make sure it fits him!


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## flowerbarrels (Dec 9, 2013)

European brands are the best. They are way expensive but last longer than any other brands out there! Your only going to have to make 1 large purchase every 5-10 years! Devacou is my personal favorite, they are sturdy and comfortable. Even if you can't afford an expensive saddle, you can always find a way! But European saddles are best and higher quality.


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## TrailDustMelody (Jun 23, 2013)

Definitely look for used saddles. Just make sure the billets are in good condition, no major tears or cracking in the leather, tree is not broken, and panels are still cushy. Reflocking is a few hundred dollars. I have friends with Wintecs and they love them. You can usually find them for $200 used, and most have adjustable gullets so you can fit it to your horse. Of course any saddle needs to fit your horse and be comfortable for you.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

darn it! that link doesn't work, just brings me back to HF!

I agree on the saddle thing. a used, good condition , good name saddle is ALWAYS a better choice than a cheap now one. Remember, if that cheap new one doesn't fit, and you want to sell it on, who will buy it? how much resale value will it have? consider resale value, especially when you are taking a gamble on an online purchase and not having the chance to test the saddle fit before buying.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

kitten_Val said:


> There is no such a thing as "good beginner saddle". It's either good or not. If you are tight on money look into used one but a good brand (MT, Stubben, Collegiate, Pessoa, etc.). Cheap new one will be waste of money, and most likely not a good fit for your horse.
> 
> BTW, horse fit is very important, so make sure it fits him!


Agreed- when you hear "beginner saddle" you think cheap. There really isn't anything out there that I would define as cheap of any quality that you can buy new. Definitely look for used saddles- ebay is a great place to start. Look up the value of the saddle new, look up reviews for that saddle, and make sure it fits the horse! That's what I would recommend for a beginner looking to buy a saddle for a low price. Also, I would never buy a no-brand saddle online. If you do then you will usually get a cruddy, poorly fitting saddle with poor leather and manufacturing. 

You can easily find a good saddle (Stubben, Collegiate, Crosby, etc) in the $300 range, or even less, if you look. Keep in mind that plain flap saddles (no knee blocks or padded knee rolls) are out of style right now. If you look at those you'll often times notice that they are going considerably cheaper than those with knee blocks and rolls. If you decide that you want something fancier later then you can invest in a more expensive or newer saddle, but I'd go with something in reasonably good used condition before new cheap. 

For example, here is a Collegiate that seems to have little wear, but a bit of cosmetic damage:
Collegiate English Saddle 17" | eBay


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

There is a recent post with a lot of pictures on the horse grooming supplies board where you can see a few of those cheap saddles dissected. Very scarey stuff.
can't link it, against the rules and most links here don't seem to work anyways but it's well worth the look inside one of those things.

*The dangers of cheap saddles in photos! Discount Saddles*


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

No need to go to another forum, we have our own scare thread here:wink:

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/so-you-want-buy-cheap-saddle-152113/


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

I'm amazed after years of poor reviews at least some of these Asian companies don't try to improve their product. I've watched some of them sell the same garbage now year after year with no improvement. Seems to be no pride in their product.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

They're only out to make a buck, not provide a decent piece of tack. If they had to use quality material and took pride in their work, the saddle would have to be priced a lot higher or they'd lose money.

These are not saddle makers, they're just random sweat shop owners looking to bilk the gullible and uninformed.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

SueNH said:


> I'm amazed after years of poor reviews at least some of these Asian companies don't try to improve their product. I've watched some of them sell the same garbage now year after year with no improvement. Seems to be no pride in their product.


Unfortunately, people buy them because they're ill informed or don't care, and the saddles are cheap. There is always a market for dirt cheap goods, and if they improved the quality of their products then they would have to charge more. It's unfortunate for the poor horses that have to have these things on their backs, but apparently the market is decent for cheap imports. The lack of pride in their work is evidenced in the fact that many of these cheap imports don't even leave a brand mark on their saddles.

The average person off the streets that may be going into horses has no clue about quality saddles. They just see "Complete saddle, bridle, girth, and pad for $200" and think that they're getting a heck of a deal. They don't realize until they have an irritable horse or it falls apart within the year that something may be wrong with their tack.


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