saddle company saddles

[Nookster]

Really looking for some reviews of the saddle company saddles please? Just wanting some honest and forthright opinions even if it goes against the grain. Feel free to pm me if you do not feel happy to post up.

Thanks

[Wally]

We have had lots, and the horses like them and we have never had any bother with them.

[eml]

I personally do not feel comfortable in them, but I am an odd shape with a long body and short arms and legs :D

[Nookster]

Could we also assume they are not suitable for every horse?

[chickyd444]

i had a nightmare with saddles before i had a scs, my old saddle, that cost nearly a grand new :eek:- had killed all the muscle in jasper's back, my scs cost me 250 second hand and can be altered when ever muscles of looses weight, really chuffed with it. not sure whether its the new saddle or not but my horse is now letting me do more with him - we had our first solo hack the other month - still nappy but much more sensible and did finally allow me to push him on (he seems happier to listen) that doesnt make sense, but i know that he is easier to work with now.
Every one on our yard has converted to scs, 6 people in total, soon to be 7 :) i have to say that i am not always as comfy as i was in my old saddle but the fact that jasper is, makes a bit a pain worth it, even if i do eventually end up with leather like bum skin ;):D

[BBE]

I've got two and they are both really nice saddle to ride in and the horses seem to be going better. However I won't rush back out and buy another one much prefer Jefferies and Barnsby. I have just bought the Mark Todd Calvari Saddle and that is lovely to ride in. You can really feel your horse move underneath you.

Thing with all saddles is they are not worth anything unless you can get them to fit your horse, hence the saddle fitter. I have tried various up here and I don't trust either of them, thats why my saddle fitter comes up from England.

[stephanie bay]

good and bad - I have 2 for my horse and think they are great - went and bought one for my daughhters pony and it never fitted, lots of adjusting/re-flocking(£££££) and the thing never fitted nicely.

Sadly it seems fitters are hard to come by and they appear to be quite high maintence!

[BBE]

As well with the saddle fitters Stephaine, I've found they haven't fitted the saddle correctly so they need to come back again and again and again. But then this can happen with any saddle

[Thistle]

I don't have one but have friends who do and one who is a fitter for them. My main concern with the part synthetic ones is how they will stand up to continued use over many years. The leather seems quite thin. I have seen a few on ebay that are 2/3 years old and look quite tatty. I appreciate a lot depends on how they are looked after though!

[horseygal90]

Could we also assume they are not suitable for every horse?

I might be going out on a limb here but I don't think there'll ever be a saddle that will suit every single horse.

[eventerbabe]

Could we also assume they are not suitable for every horse?

oh absolutely! i don't think any saddle is a "one size fits all". even the wows, because some horses don't like the air flocking. i'm a firm believer in trying a good range and seeing what suits both horse and rider best. Lady i purchased my Jeffries off of was great, we tried ideals, GFS, jeffries, KN, bates, albion....

I do agree, i don't trust fitters hence why i've learnt a bit about saddle fitting myself by doing a foundation course. It's not rocket science and i actually get quite annoyed with fitters who seem to think owners are stupid and hence try to rip them off, like the 16 inch narrow KN saddle i saw fitted to a 17hh draft cross built like a brick outhouse. owner had put all her faith (and almost £2000) in a fitter who ripped her off good and proper.

[chickyd444]

like the 16 inch narrow KN saddle i saw fitted to a 17hh draft cross built like a brick outhouse. owner had put all her faith (and almost £2000) in a fitter who ripped her off good and proper.


pretty much what happened to me and my horse - makes you wonder whether saddle fitter give a damn in the slightest about the welfare of our animals ?

[Red Devil]

I have one & it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned - no problems with it moving/slipping etc etc. Would definitely get another.

[Nookster]

I have one & it is the most comfortable saddle I've ever owned - no problems with it moving/slipping etc etc. Would definitely get another.

who do you get to fit red devil ?

[BabyBear]

5 of us on our yard have them.

No problems so far - on one of the saddles the leather has started to wrinkle and it may be faulty but if it is she'll get it changed for a new one as its still under warranty.

I do think they look a bit cheaper that some others - my GFS VSD was a much nicer looking saddle.

[Lucyad]

I am enjoying riding in mine - it gives you a good secure position, though is a little bony on the bum! I have the half synthetic, and the quality doesnt look great - it was good value for the price though, and if it is comfortable for my horse I am happy. I like how light it is as well!

It was in great condition when I bought it second hand from e-bay, but obviously hasn't been used much, as it looks decidedly shabbier in 1 month of me using it!!! My GFS looks a lot nicer, and is more comfortable, but doesnt fit as well and isnt as good for my position.

[Nookster]

Anyone wanting Saddle co saddle can contact me - 2x GPS and one Dressage up for sale

[Kerpug]

I've just bought one and so far it feels really comfy. Mine is a cob saddle. But i have had it a few weeks so its not really been used loads. I did loads of research into it and hoped this was the right choice in saddle as i can't afford to get it wrong so time will see :eek:

[Monty]

I've got a half synthetic one for Rubi. I only got it that way because it was lighter than their all-leather one, :) (difficult for me to carry and lift onto a horse in confined spaces like trailer etc......). It's a very comfy saddle for me to ride in, but I did pay extra for the memory foam in the seat and to have suede seat and knee rolls. Not sure about the fitting for Rubi though.

It's not personal to Rubi, she has very good/normal conformation for a horse of her type. But I think I would hesitate before getting another for a broad, flat backed cob. Wouldn't hesitate to get one for MY bum though!:D

I thought the part synthetic one was quite expensive for what it was . Hope this helps.

[MelanieD]

I had one for my extra wide coblet for a while but found that while the tree could be adjusted to fit her width the rest of the saddle was nowhere near the right shape, panels were built for a narrower horse and more curved than coblet needed. But I did buy off ebay rather than get a brand new one made to fit.

[Fizz]

not overly happy with mine tbh and jay is not either judging by him biting me when i girthed him up and the refusal to walk out, then the 20 mins of rearing:mad:

[Carmen]

I've had one and loved it. My old mare went for 3 months without a saddle as ever saddle i tried she hated. She went cold backed etc. Then i called the saddle company up, someone came out and measured her, then did one for me with a plastic tree inside so when she changes shape they can reshape the tree by heating it up. Also my old hores had a sensitive back so i had synthetic underneath and leather on top. She loved it and i never had a back problem again.

Unfortunatly she sadly passed away. The saddle is the only thing i kept and i am never getting rid of it. My new horse came with his own Jefferies saddle, but i do prefer the saddle company saddle.

[fjordlady]

I recently tried one on my daughter's table top pony who has virtually no wither and it was a no go on him. Asked saddler if he could reflock or fit to him and he reckoned that the tree was not a suitable shape?? Also tried a Griffin Thorowgood cob on him - pony was happier in that one but saddler still not happy with the fit. So its back to the drawing board :rolleyes:

[chickflick1066]

I've never had any problems with mine...it's really useful when you have a pony with a fluctuating waistline like the Stumpster ;)

[Iron Maiden]

I'm happy with mine too :) And I have two, shortly 3! I'm sort of trying to sell my WH saddle but only because I'm getting a SC dressage saddle & it's a bit extravagant to have three saddles for one horse :cool:

[Nik-n-Kia]

I am torn now between the SC GP and a TG T6.

I have to say I will get sho down but I didnt get a fitter to my saddle when I got Kia was just kinda DIY :o

Essentailly it fits it just needs flocked at the mo.

I like the look of the SC saddles but as people have said I am not sure if I could get one to fit Kia the way his TG does.

Nikki xxxxx

[chickflick1066]

My old TG was more comfy then my SC ;)

[Joyscarer]

I am torn now between the SC GP and a TG T6.


So was I. I went for a chap with the saddle fitter before she came out to visit to discuss my needs and I really wanted to go down the SC route because of the good reports I'd had on here. Luckilly she had a SC GP and the new T6 on the shelf and they have a plastic horse so you can pop the saddle on to see if it is comfortable for you.

I was really disappointed that I didn't like the SC GP. I was so sure that if it fitted Joy then it would be 'the one' and had done so much research when making my decision about what I thought would suit.

I much prefered the T6 but she still bought both out with her when she came to see Joy. As it was the T6 was better for us.

[BlueWicked]

i havent any experience of them.

one thing I wanted when I got my new saddle though was a saddle fitter who wasnt affiliated to any one make ;)

the saddler fitter I got let me try umpteen differnt makes and styles of saddles... Im a fussy bugger and it was only at the very end I found one I was happy with. Its a Hastilow GP ranger, http://hastilowsaddles.com/ and is quite close contact.

She was happy for me spend as long as i wanted riding round trying different saddles, and did a very thourgh fitting assessment first as well. I was very impressed. I have heard good and bad things about the person i used, but in my opinion , she is a qualified master saddler and yes, I had to pay £60 for fitting, and £15 for travel (which is what ive heard some gripes about) but if you get a professional service from a properly qualified, non biased person, it's worth it IMHO.

Am sure she would come out your way, PM me if you'd like the details.

[Bobbin]

I had two and eventually gave up on the second one after 12 months. Brys confirmation and other issues did not help either. The only thing I miss about my SC saddle is the knee rolls for jumping, I fall off alot more now;)

[Jenni]

i really like mine and my instructor loves it too.

My horses did have a saddle that didnt fit him and we had issues to overcome with that, we put the SC saddle on and he was changed from that very minute. No head in the air 'this is going to hurt', he was very happy and has been going very well in it since then. I do find it comfy and the leg position is great.
Also seems to give them more freedom in the shoulder.

I do find though that my girth needs checked twice as when the horse warms up and the saddle moulds it must bed in a bit, so i need to check it before any faster work.
But as we discovered today you can do some canter and jumpies and the saddle doesnt move (even when the girth was loose :o:o oops!) not that i recommend this i might add.

[Nookster]

Both horses have taken reactions to them - be it rearing or bucking and I haven’t been able to use the saddles for more then one sitting for voltan since feb and Skyla thankfully had 3 sittings. Its now been 4 months and after 3 fittings for sky and 4 for vol still not able to use them. I can't spend this kind of money all the time.

Voltan just coils up and refuses to move if not rear. Has a wild eye and looks very scared. He is normally a very forward going horse eager to work. Bit by bit this has stopped with the saddle to now he just refuses point blank to work.

Skyla has resorted to bucking and reversing upon mounting. Just not my horses anymore. The worst i have ever seen them since owning them both. So the saddles must go.

[joshes mum]

Im really pleased with mine got it in febuary and my horse is so much better.

[crazyhorse97]

I do quite like my WH, its fits king well and he works well in it. I have however sat in more comfortable saddles - the best being probably a Stubben straight cut GP (strange but yeh) with a gel seat - mega comfort!!!

sorry to hear about your 2 Nookster!

xxx

[eventerbabe]

She was happy for me spend as long as i wanted riding round trying different saddles, and did a very thourgh fitting assessment first as well. I was very impressed. I have heard good and bad things about the person i used, but in my opinion , she is a qualified master saddler and yes, I had to pay £60 for fitting, and £15 for travel (which is what ive heard some gripes about) but if you get a professional service from a properly qualified, non biased person, it's worth it IMHO.


wasn't my experience of her i'm afraid! i won't use her :o

I've heard good things about the chap at nimrod saddlery, perth but getting hold of him is a nightmare! my eventer friend swears by Louise at Stirlingshire, don't know if you've tried her? Lady i got my last saddle from is excellent but i don't think she'll travel down as far as you guys :( I hope you manage to shift the saddles quickly, what an awful waste of money for you :(

[lor]

I am happy with mine so far. I found it 'firm' but then I had been using a freeform which is devine on the bum. I use a heather moffet seat bone saver on my SCS now so its very comfy :)
I think the wool underside is quite forgiving and therefore kinder to pones back.

[mikh]

Only thing I find about it is the pommel seems high on mine could be because of my hi-withered warmblood... like it thought but havent had a huge amount of use to be honest.

[NoviceNic]

I find my very uncomfortable. I have to sit out of the saddle 45 mins into a hack. I have serious bruising and rubbing in both areas....:o

Mine slips a lot too....:confused: I got non stretch stirrups but still it slips. Ive also padded out the area that is wasted from a badly fitting saddle. But the area is still not good a year on. So Ive gone back to long lining to see if I can help Captain more. I will also get a Chiro out to look at his back as he doesnt seem to be very forward going at the moment. :confused:

[jaydevon]

NN did you not have it fitted properley??? ive been researching them and they seem easy in the idea of them but not so in reality!

[Pink's lady]

I don't think they can be made to fit any horse - they are little different from wintecs. They have a metal bar in the front, like a wintec gullet, which is adjusted to give different widths. And like wintecs, they can ONLY be changed at the front - the back cannot be altered. The only real difference is a better designed tree (suits most horses, unlike wintecs, who suit few horses) and better shaped, more mouldable panels. They therefore can't be adjusted to fit any horse.

Nookster - did you ride with yours directly against their back, with no numnah? Serge feels a bit odd to the horse so they may not like the feeling. Kalli doesn't like hers without a numnah on.

[Mike]

I've closed and rolled back this thread as it was getting into areas that are best resolved between the parties in private and not in public where the seemingly inevitable bandwagon jumping is not fair or considered for those involved.