buying a saddle - Advice needed please

jfh

Hi All,
I'm in the market for a saddle, could do with some advice from some of the more knowledgeable posters here, know little to nothing about saddles.
got a budget of 300, looking for a 18" saddle to fit a wide 15.1 cob.
basically what can i get for 300? saw some synthetic saddles on ebay for sale in england, they look good, see below;
http://http://www.ebay.ie/itm/GFS-genesis-ap-saddle-al-sizes-gorgeous-/270803767242?pt=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&var=&hash=item84b8622106#ht_560wt_905
http://http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Flexi-tree-MULTI-fit-synthetic-ALL-PURPOSE-SADDLE-/220752876777?pt=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&var=&hash=item7914610af3#ht_3299wt_1037
also came across a zaldi saddle on donedeal. http://http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/horses/2688088
berney saddlehttp://http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/equestrian/2462198
what are your opinions on those saddles.
i'll be using it mainly for hacking out, small bit of jumping in local show.
thanks for any advice given.

elusiveguy

On a 15.1 cob, unless it has an EXCEPTIONALLY long back, you will not find an 18 saddle to fit...

A Bernies saddle will not suit a traditional flat backed cob, they only suit a very very small range of types and flexi tree saddles are really awful...

My 2c, get a fitter out, find out what suits the horse and then if that also suits you, go looking online!

doctor evil

There are some goog books or videos on youtube.

Also try larger forums like horseandhound.

Avoid cheap, imported indian leather ones, you sometimes see these on ebay. Joust is one of these. Stick with known brands.

If buying over the internet get a courier to deliver it and use insurance, the tree can get damaged in transit all too easily. It is cheaper to buy a brand new saddle than to fix a broken tree.

jfh

any idea of a fitter around clare/limerick, thanks

silverfox88

Try and see if you can get a decent brand second hand saddle, you can usually get them reflocked to suit your horse's shape too. Obviously they cant completely alter the shape of the saddle but there's a certain amount of tweaking that can be done. have a look on "used a bit", im not sure but i think theyre only on facebook, they run theyre business through there as far as im aware? But I've seen a couple of decent Stubben saddles on it for between 300-500 euro which is pretty good for those saddles as they are fantastic. personally i'd avoid flexi-tree saddles, and be careful about the synthetics, I've had a few, and they were all complete crap. they dont mold to the horse or to you and i just find them so uncomfortable. Berneys saddles are nice, and they'll fit the saddle to the horse. However for a new saddle you're talking about 600 at least as far as i know? they do seem to be fairly one size fits all though so you shouldnt just get one horse out of it!
Joust saddles - someone i know bought one recently and it didnt work out, not sure if it was due to a back issue with the horse but they turned out to be really difficult to deal with when she had to return it, had to go through small claims court in the end...
anyway, main thing is never ever scrimp on a saddle - it'll work out badly for you and your horse - i once bought a cheap saddle based on colour (dont ask, dopey moment, and it WAS a really nice shade of brown... ) and paid for it every.single.time. i rode - bum was black and blue from the thing!!!

pmason

If you live near any good tack shop they should be able to sort you out. Im sure they would change it again if it didn't fit the horse properly. In my opinion a second hand saddle is great if tree is sound. Its already broken in and confortable. They is alot of info regarding fitting a saddle on the net.

mixyfyn

Hi, I really like wintec saddles. I have fitted five different ones to many different horses. You can change the width of the gullet and alter the way the saddle sits by using front and back risers. You can get a gullet gauge measuring tool which you use like a caliper over the withers. I have just upgraded to Bates( the leather version of Wintec) but in my opinion they are brilliant, particularily because horses change shape depending if they are fat or fit. I don't know about you, but I can't be buying a new saddle every time my horse changes! <snip>. Above all, don't get set on a particular saddle as they all fit differently and trust your own opinion as you have to be comfortable too. Good luck.

convert

While we can't permit adveritising of items for sale here, if you wish to sell anything, you can advertise it on www.adverts.ie

Chicken Run

jfh wrote: »

any idea of a fitter around clare/limerick, thanks

I found an ad on Done Deal for used English saddles - the lady was lovely and took the time to drive out to me, brought a selection and helped me try them on the pony to find the one that fitted him best.

I'll PM you her number, she may be able to help you.

2012paddy2012

Hi could you pm me re saddles looking for one for kid thks

convert

Hi paddy, given that this thread is almost 3 years old, I'm not sure that Chicken Run will see your post or request for PM. In general, it's not a good idea to drag up old threads on boards.ie.

2012paddy2012

convert wrote: »

Hi paddy, given that this thread is almost 3 years old, I'm not sure that Chicken Run will see your post or request for PM. In general, it's not a good idea to drag up old threads on boards.ie.

Yap sorry bout that- i couldn't find an option to pm c.run I did eventually \ apologies