a decent CHEAP saddle :0

[helenhorse]

does any one on here know where i can get a comfortable, good conditioned (not neccaseraly brand new) WH saddle or a GP saddle or a straight cut show saddle for under 100 pounds? or is it just impossible????
please reply:):)
xxta:confused:

[No_Angel]

I very much doubt it would be possible, and even if it were it would be awful quality.

[JOJOBA]

Impossible really.... unless it were VERY second hand or extremely poor quality....
I would usually say ebay but for what you are looking for I think there's too much risk of getting a seriously dodgy saddle... :(

xxx

[wildspirit]

Have a look on ebay. I have had some very good bargains from there. You would still need to get a saddle fitter to check it though. If it isn't any good just pop it back on ebay

[helenhorse]

yeah ok thanks, i was thinking of e bay however i needed opinions. il have s look now thanks!!

[No_Angel]

there is actually on on ebay, don't know what size your horse is tho:)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Havana-Leather-saddle_W0QQitemZ150213891722QQihZ005QQcategoryZ72594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[i must be mad]

I think you need to be very careful with e bay as i once tried a new saddle by gallop i think for £90. It did not fit my horse despite supposedly being the right size but just out of interest we tried it on loads of horses on our yard and it didnt fit one!!! Luckily the seller gave a money back guarantee but it cost me £25 which was £15 postage from her to me and £10 from me to her.Oh and it was a pig to carry to the post office to send it back as the box was just huge.

[Joyscarer]

I would have a saddle fitter out to recommend what could be made to fit and then hunt round to source one.

No point in buying something that isn't going to be able to be made into a good fit for your horse ;)

[Showjumper]

Ditto Joyscarer. Find out what'll fit then source that secondhand if you don't want to buy through your saddle fitter.

[helenhorse]

there is actually on on ebay, don't know what size your horse is tho:)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Havana-Leather-saddle_W0QQitemZ150213891722QQihZ005QQcategoryZ72594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
o thank you that is an excellent deal!!

[rtk]

I've seen some decent saddles go through the second hand tack auctions at a few of our local horse sales.

There is a lot of rubbish but there are some bargains to be had.

[Pink's lady]

If you are going to get a cheap second hand saddle of somewhere like ebay (or from an auction for that matter) you really need to know what you're looking for and what you're doing.

I buy a lot of second hand saddles of ebay but the saddle No-Angel posted isn't something I would buy - the make is unknown so there is no indication of quality. The tree also looks to be twisted:eek:

You will be very hard pushed to find a GOOD cheap saddle for so little money. If you are going to try you need to find what type of saddle suits,what width she is, what type or panels she needs and have a good idea of what brands are what and how they differ.

[Wally]

£100 will only buy you a bad back!

[Nookster]

Agree with the other here not sure you can get a saddle that will do your horses back any good for a £100 unless a second hand and then you hit other problems.

I am currently selling all my saddles but one on ebay. Wintec VSD, Wintec Close contact, Wintec 500 GP and a Wintec 500 Dressage. All perfect second hand but what guarantee does a buyer have when they don't know me from adam. You also don't get a saddle fitter when buying from ebay saddle - so you have to know what your doing or risk your horses back. Not worth it.

Then i have my gorgeous leather show saddle which only used 3 times and just had flair fitted too up at way below what it cost me. I had 2 saddle fitters fit it and it cost me over £1k - it actually has never fitted correctly. Now its up for half what i paid and i haven't even used it properly to be classed as second hand - but its the only way second hand will sell as theres just too much uncertainty when buying seocnd hand. I may know they are in great condition but why trust the person thats selling if that makes sense. Its a mine field.

I would personally not buy a un named saddle.

All mine were all above £300 when purchased and all do not fit my boys back. Really does not depend on price all depends on the 'fit'. You will get no were without it fitting correctly.

[wildponies]

For the sake of an extra £100 why not get a saddler out to fit one of theirs. For £200 you should get a half decent second hand saddle which has been fitted correctly and is sound.

If you end up riding in a saddle with a knackered tree and poor fit/flocking you will end up with more than £100 worth of damage on your neddy's back. Not to mention the fact he wont be rideable for a few months whilst he recovers.

Also, different makes of saddles fit different horses.

E.g. my saddler came out and my wintect (which i'd bought myself) didnt go anywhere near him (despite the measuring guide!), the stubbens weren't anywhere near right for him and the only one that did fit and could be adjusted properly was the thorowgood High wither. (Thoroughbreds eh!)

[helenhorse]

For the sake of an extra £100 why not get a saddler out to fit one of theirs. For £200 you should get a half decent second hand saddle which has been fitted correctly and is sound.

If you end up riding in a saddle with a knackered tree and poor fit/flocking you will end up with more than £100 worth of damage on your neddy's back. Not to mention the fact he wont be rideable for a few months whilst he recovers.

Also, different makes of saddles fit different horses.

E.g. my saddler came out and my wintect (which i'd bought myself) didnt go anywhere near him (despite the measuring guide!), the stubbens weren't anywhere near right for him and the only one that did fit and could be adjusted properly was the thorowgood High wither. (Thoroughbreds eh!)
hahahha when i mean decent and second hand i really mean workable lol, not torn and worn hehe;)im willing to go a tad over 100 if its worth it. I know here sizes. im looking for a WH, showing and GP saddles for competing and schooling at home, breaking.

[Joyscarer]

So you want something that looks ok but you're not bothered about quality or fit?

[eml]

We seem to be luck (or have very rich friends?) daughter resued a Passier dressage saddle friend was all for throwing skip, unmarked and fitted horse as if made to measure. I have also had good bargains in small tack shops.

Secret unfortunately is to have narrow horses as like children they all seem bigger these days.

[helenhorse]

We seem to be luck (or have very rich friends?) daughter resued a Passier dressage saddle friend was all for throwing skip, unmarked and fitted horse as if made to measure. I have also had good bargains in small tack shops.

Secret unfortunately is to have narrow horses as like children they all seem bigger these days.
You jammy sod you..lol (joking):) x

[helenhorse]

So you want something that looks ok but you're not bothered about quality or fit?
no, i want something that fits and looks ok but not bothered about the age because thats irrelivant in my case:)

[*Sez*]

When I bought my horse, I paid an extra £160 for his wintec adjustable saddle. I will never ever do it again.
I had almost a full year of serious issues with my horse, which resulted from back pain. Every saddle fitter that I had out kept trying to fit this saddle to my horse, and it was obviously just not going to work as he was in-between sizes. Eventually, after he reared with my RI and spent an entire lesson trying to scrape her off on walls, I called one of the fitters back and said that it seemed obvious that this saddle was just causing my horse further pain. I ended up with a twenty-year old wool flocked Sabre saddle, in very good condition, but it FITTED. I still had to fork out almost £500 in physiotherapy before my horse could have the saddle properly fitted.

The new saddle cost me £350, and was worth every penny. I was able to pay it off over several months so that it wasn't a large outlay for me all at once. I would never buy a "cheap" saddle again - usually they are cheap for a reason. Your best bet, IMHO, is to get out a qualified saddle fitter and see what they have in stock. Loads of saddlers around here let people part exchange old saddles, which they clean up and fix if necessary before selling them on. You might find that they have something suitable for less than £200, but I think you would have to be lucky to find something that fits and will last any amount of time for £100 or less.

[helenhorse]

When I bought my horse, I paid an extra £160 for his wintec adjustable saddle. I will never ever do it again.
I had almost a full year of serious issues with my horse, which resulted from back pain. Every saddle fitter that I had out kept trying to fit this saddle to my horse, and it was obviously just not going to work as he was in-between sizes. Eventually, after he reared with my RI and spent an entire lesson trying to scrape her off on walls, I called one of the fitters back and said that it seemed obvious that this saddle was just causing my horse further pain. I ended up with a twenty-year old wool flocked Sabre saddle, in very good condition, but it FITTED. I still had to fork out almost £500 in physiotherapy before my horse could have the saddle properly fitted.

The new saddle cost me £350, and was worth every penny. I was able to pay it off over several months so that it wasn't a large outlay for me all at once. I would never buy a "cheap" saddle again - usually they are cheap for a reason. Your best bet, IMHO, is to get out a qualified saddle fitter and see what they have in stock. Loads of saddlers around here let people part exchange old saddles, which they clean up and fix if necessary before selling them on. You might find that they have something suitable for less than £200, but I think you would have to be lucky to find something that fits and will last any amount of time for £100 or less.
ive been very, very lucky in the past but not now:(
so are you saying that a saddle fitter would do part exchange??

[*Sez*]

Well, I know mine does, and most of the ones I have dealt with do as well. If you were interested in a part exchange, you could probably do with calling around your local saddlers and seeing what they offer. The saddler I got mine from even did my initial fittings for free.

I envy anyone who can get away without a regular saddle fitting! Salsa needs doing every six months as a minimum now. My friend used to have hers fitted once every eighteen months, and her horse never seemed to change shape between fittings, so it hardly cost her anything!

[jenmac_85]

Saddle fitter took my old one away to sell it and will send me the cheque when she does.

The new one cost me £300 plus £50 fitting charge. It was a brand new Thorowgood and it has made a world of difference. Definately better going for a good, if slightly dearer saddle rather than a cheap saddle with high vets and physio bills.

[eventerbabe]

if you know what you want, what make, model and style/size your horse needs (as assessed by a qualified fitter), then use that info to search ebay and the sales for that saddle. I sold my Ideals to a lady who'd had a fitter out and 'fit' brand new versions of my saddles to her horses. Mine were significantly cheaper than the new saddles but were correct width/seat size. So she saved herself a bundle. I've done that with a dressage saddle for my cob, and a GP for my youngster.

[kaytenherponies]

ive been very, very lucky in the past but not now:(
so are you saying that a saddle fitter would do part exchange??

Yeah helen most saddlers part ex and most also do second hand. Just tell them that you want second hand and would like to p/ex before they come. You can get some very good deals. I also know a lot who will take and sell saddles on your behalf!

Good luck

[helenhorse]

Yeah helen most saddlers part ex and most also do second hand. Just tell them that you want second hand and would like to p/ex before they come. You can get some very good deals. I also know a lot who will take and sell saddles on your behalf!

Good luck
oh great thanks alot kayten xxx

[Jillybean]

If I was you I'd ride bareback and save up another £300. Saddles are not something you should EVER scrimp on.

[helenhorse]

If I was you I'd ride bareback and save up another £300. Saddles are not something you should EVER scrimp on.
bareback?!?!?!
you must be jokin!! not on this one lol!

[Pink's lady]

Beleive me - it'll be 100x worse if the saddle is crap!:eek:

I thought you bought and sold saddles on ebay? Won't one of them do?

[Jillybean]

bareback?!?!?!
you must be jokin!! not on this one lol!


I wouldn't ride til I had saved up enough then - if your horse is a bit "lively" a bdaly fitting saddle will probably send you in to orbit....

Stay away from brand new £90 saddles on eBay, they are cheap for a reason!!!

[helenhorse]

Lol, i wudnt ride often bareback with this one, shes a bit hot headed at the mo lol! Shes in heat!

[Wally]

If she's a hot mare the last thing you want is a dodgy saddle, sensetive sould tend to let you know big time when a saddle is not 100%

[helenhorse]

shes not sensitive! shes just a happy horse!! a bit of a loopy baby hehe:)

[Denbenj]

I agree, I bought Kai a Cheaper Saddle as he was only being ridden once or twice a month.. ( spent cash on driving gear!)

However now he will be ridden more, I'm going to have to GULP, Sweat and put some Cash out for a decent saddle..

I agree its the only way forward, and I would certainly not ride in a cheap saddle on a daily or even weekly basis, I think it puts to much at stake :cool:

[helenhorse]

iv got a 24 year old saddle thats in excellant condition passed down from my grand mother and it is excellent so its not age that im concerend about, its quality and fit but i think iv got a deal with my friend, got to hagle a bit but i think iv bagged this one lol!!!iv stolen it once and fell in love with it hehe!!:)shhhh

[Denbenj]

Ohh good luck!!

Out of interest ( and sorry to hijack a tad!!) Could anyone give me any good styles/brands that suit a Wider Cob, Kai is difficult to fit sometimes as he has a short Body,and ones I have tried on his back in the past often interfear with his Shoulders.

[Jillybean]

If his big shoulders get in the way, you might find a WH cut saddle will sit better on him. I can't ride Comet in anything other than a straight cut saddle as his shoulders are too big.

[BIrish]

You show & produce right ??

You want a saddle to compete in at County Level for £100 ??

Personally unless you get unaturally lucky (like Eml) I think it's pretty much impossible.. I am not saying that cost of tack = place but how your horse goes & presentation are all.. and a cheap possible tatty saddle wouldn't help you ..

If it's for breaking the different horses you have I would spend an extra couple of hundred and buy a Wintec then you can change the arches for fitting various horses on your yard..

Bx

[BIrish]

When I bought my horse, I paid an extra £160 for his wintec adjustable saddle. I will never ever do it again.
I had almost a full year of serious issues with my horse, which resulted from back pain. Every saddle fitter that I had out kept trying to fit this saddle to my horse, and it was obviously just not going to work as he was in-between sizes. Eventually, after he reared with my RI and spent an entire lesson trying to scrape her off on walls, I called one of the fitters back and said that it seemed obvious that this saddle was just causing my horse further pain. I ended up with a twenty-year old wool flocked Sabre saddle, in very good condition, but it FITTED. I still had to fork out almost £500 in physiotherapy before my horse could have the saddle properly fitted.


That is very unlucky Sez.. Not necessarily the fault of the Wintec though...More your various saddlers at fault ..

I highly reccomend (a properly fitted) Wintec.. I have 2 as well as my Ideal Saddle..

A close contact that I used for general riding, hacking, hunting, jumping (when he used to jump) and a Wintec dressage (not the deep one - just the 500) that I school in, show in and obviously, do dressage in..

I also have an Ideal Ramsey show saddle but I don't like it as much as my Wintecs.. And they fit G beautifully.. and hopefully will fit S.


Bx

[Joyscarer]

I don't recommend any saddles for horses and find it dangerous and misguided to do so.

I liked my wintec vsd for my comfort but although the adjustability of the wintec at the front is ok (although not gauranteed to make it fit propery), all that can be done at the back is to have minimal flocking added. This isn't enogh to be able to make this saddle fit all horses.

I would really advise against anyone recommending a wintec saddle for any particular horse as they just don't have the capacity to be adjusted enough to fit any horse.

I bookmarked this thread here (http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133648&page=2) because it went into the detail as to why the Wintecs won't fit many horses and the fallacy just just because the gullet can be changed it makes it a saddle suitable for any horse :mad:

If you don't have time to read through the whole thing then skip through and read the Pinkslady posts as she took the time to do diagrammes that can't be faulted in their logic. :)



It absolutely escapes me why anyone would buy a saddle without having a saddle fitter recommend what will/can be made to fit.

Saddles are not something to be done on the cheap for the sake of saving money. :mad:

A call out fee for a qualified fitter doesn't cost a lot so why skimp. It is the horse that will suffer and that is just not on :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Wally]

Ditto! Joyscarer.

The Wintec gullett system is not the be all and end all, neither are treeless, if your horse is not suited to a shape then that's it. In know just by looking at a wintec it is not going to suit any of my lot.

[Wally]

shes not sensitive! shes just a happy horse!! a bit of a loopy baby hehe


In my book that all boils down to the same thing.

[Pink's lady]

A close contact that I used for general riding, hacking, hunting, jumping (when he used to jump) and a Wintec dressage (not the deep one - just the 500) that I school in, show in and obviously, do dressage in..

I also have an Ideal Ramsey show saddle but I don't like it as much as my Wintecs.. And they fit G beautifully.. and hopefully will fit S.

Now that made me laugh (actually, no, it made me sad for the horse:() The close contact wintec and the dressage 500 wintec are totally different panel shapes - the close contact is build on the cob tree and has much flatter, wider panels (that's what makes it close contact!). The dressage saddle is built on the TB tree and has the stupid cambred panels. If one fits the other CANNOT fit.

I rant regularly about wintecs and I know that many proffesional saddle fitters hate them with a passion. You can make them look like they fit, fron the side (if you make it a bit too narrow to get the balance right) but very few people bother to look at them from behind.

(joyscarer - I'll have to go and correct me spelling if you're going to link that thread:o)

Helenhorse - you still never answered my question about your buying and selling on ebay - you stated you did so wiht lots of saddles, in another thread. Could you not get a saddler out for £30 to fit one of them?

[CurlyWurlyRach]

I must admit that after all the bad press about Wintecs on here and the alarming development of muscle wastage on my girl, im well and truley put off. My Wintec currently has a nice layer of dust across it.

[joshes mum]

I must admit that after all the bad press about Wintecs on here and the alarming development of muscle wastage on my girl, im well and truley put off. My Wintec currently has a nice layer of dust across it.

So does mine i might even burn the damm thing!:eek::D

[luv2jump2!!!]

I'mnotsure onthesizingof your horse - hoeveri have 2 up for sale on ebay currently, both have reserves of 125/100 respectivly.
The first is an XXW Thorowgood cob GP, http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Thorowgood-EXTRA-EXTRA-WIDE-17-5-GP-cob-Saddle_W0QQitemZ230222298259QQihZ013QQcategoryZ72594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem, like new used for 3 months from new!!
The second, an unbranded synthetic dressage/showing saddle. Narrow/Medium. Worn but still useable, i used it for showing, checked by saddler and fine, soft panels - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dressage-Show-Job-Lot-Saddle-Bridle-Training-Aids_W0QQitemZ230222743443QQihZ013QQcategoryZ109126QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem.

[HorseManiac]

I HATE Wintecs.

Couldnt ride my TB for 4 months because of it, even though ' proffesional' fitted:mad:

[helenhorse]

In my book that all boils down to the same thing.
Nope, shes in now because of the weather and chill...Thats why shes a loon!
shes becoming better now because im doing much more hunting with her!!

[Wally]

....and if she wasn't sensetive she wouldn't be reacting to being kept in!

[helenhorse]

....and if she wasn't sensetive she wouldn't be reacting to being kept in!
thats got nothing to do with sensitivity, shes just being fed and kept in which makes her hot. Shes not a sensitive filly at all...its hard feed!

[Wally]

Why are you not adjusting her feed to being kept in?
Stop feeding a horse that's kept in hard feed. You are in for an attack of azoturia.

Why am I having this converstaion? you are a producer of top flight show horse!

[helenhorse]

lol, when i mean hard feed i generally mean feed...
am i?? do you know what i feed her then, can i ask??
Shes not a show horse, but im going to show here a little this year if i have time because we got other ponies to show, it'l be bsja for here this year mostly..and i cant wait:);)

[eml]

What do want this saddle for, what is wrong with the one you are hunting, schooling and jumping in?

[helenhorse]

its not comfy lol!!!!!
i also want a seat saver but i dont know where to get one....any1 know how much they are, like?
xxx

[eml]

Seat saver try ebay... but surely with your families number of horses you can find a saddle that fits your horse and you?

[helenhorse]

nope...shes the only TB i have invested in because we mainly breed/break/produce welsh cob A,s, C,s, D,s. So we have wide fits......iv always wanted a seat saver anyway, they cant be much and they look sooo comfy
xx

[eml]

I seem to remember yours is by Tudor Melody. If so you will probably have the usual TB nightmare combination of narrow wither and wide shoulder, try something like a Passier dressage or an older style flat seat straight flapped saddle but don't expect to jump or hunt in it.

The only real solution for these big shouldered TBs is a made to measure, you should be able to sell it with the horse anyway.

[PonyGirlAsh]

Could you not do a few side jobs and earn the extra money to pay for a fitted saddle? Or could you get your parents to help you out? It's such a gamble to buy a saddle off ebay...you just don't know what you are going to get. Unfortunately, not all trees are made equally!

Or you could always check the local tack shops for any used saddles they have going...sometimes you can get a deal, and they let you take it to see if it fits first. At least it's how they do it here.

Just another reason I love sharing...I don't have to worry about buying tack, it's already there! :)

[KateWooten]

iv stolen it once and fell in love with it hehe!!
ooh - I was just about to suggest thieving, actually, as the only way I know of to obtain property for less than it's worth ! Good thinking.

[anna15]

its not comfy lol!!!!!
i also want a seat saver but i dont know where to get one....any1 know how much they are, like?
xxx

could you not spend the £100 on getting a saddler to adjust your current saddle to fit you aswell?:confused: