Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Saddle Woes

You guys get 2 posts today since I was behind in posting from yesterday!

We've all been there.  The agonizing search for a saddle to fit our beloved ponykins.  One that fits them better than Cinderella's glass slipper and is more comfy than an entire couch made out of that stuff in the Ogilvy pads.  Oh yeah, and it would be nice if I could still actually AFFORD said pampered pony after the purchase of what is essentially a very expensive chair.

A few words before I dive in.  I am not fussy about saddle brands.  It's not to say that I don't like CWD, Antares, Devocuox, Beval, etc, but I know that it will be a few years before even a used saddle in these brands will be in my budget.  I understand that whatever saddle I end up purchasing that falls in my budget may not have the same lifespan as one of the high end saddles.  The most important thing to me is that the saddle is comfortable for and fits my horse, and that it makes me ride like Margie Engle at least sort of fits me.

*steps off soapbox*

Here is what we are working with:

I promise she doesn't look this weird in person.  I cannot promise that she does not Derp face in person.



I was originally recommended a Prestige Roma Jump based on photos of my mare.  To be honest, this saddle is just not in my budget right now.  So I've been stalking researching the Internet to find a used Prestige in my budget.  They are out there, but it terrifies me to try to buy a used saddle from Facebook or Ebay without having already ridden in or at least tried on something similar.  I've heard too many horror stories about returns so unless I absolutely know that it is going to fit, I think I will shy away from potentially putting myself in a bad position.  

My Precious!!!

I did try a Pessoa Legacy XP3 that I liked, but appears to be too wide for Miss Jumper Princess' TB withers and dip behind them, even with the narrowest gullet installed.  It also has a little bit of damage where the leather has split on both sides of the pommel.  Not a huge deal as it can be fixed, but probably not going to do a lot for resale value down the road either.  So the Pessoa will be going back. Interesting side note, I'm 99% sure that this Pessoa is the same saddle that her previous owner was riding her in and seemed to fit her so I'm not sure why it doesn't seem to be working now.  I was allowed to ride in it for a few weeks and with a half pad, doesn't seem to be hurting her back, but I want the best fit I can find.  I'm so sad that it is not going to work for us right now because it is SO DANG COMFY!

Panels in contact with the back all the way down, good start!

Daylight all the way through the channel, seems to sit on either side of  the spine

Low over the wither and not even girthed up yet!  Drats!


I found Classic Saddlery after browsing several saddle search blogs on COTH and several people said that their fitter Linda was great to work with.  SHE IS!!!  I just put a deposit down on an brand new M. Toulouse Joelle with a Genesis tree.  It looks a little weird in the photo but I when I found a photo of the saddle on a horse, it looks normal.  Linda said she will put some extra flocking in it where she thinks we might need it and send it out.  Plus, it includes free leathers and irons.  Who doesn't love free schwag???  Anyway, it will be shipped out on Thursday and I should have it in my hot little hands by Monday!  

Please don't break my heart, Toulouse Saddle!!!


I did my due diligence on COTH and noted that a lot of people don't like the M. Toulouse saddles.  It makes me nervous that there are a lot of naysayers about the Toulouse brand, but I also don't want to make my decision based solely on other people's opinions.  I have 2 days to try the saddle and send Linda photos of the saddle so she can evaluate the fit.  And I can send it back for additional flocking or fit adjustments if needed!  There is also a boarder out at my barn that has a Toulouse with the Genesis tree and though I haven't seen her to ask if I can try it on Chloe, I did look at it and the leather and quality doesn't look as bad to me as people have said.  I think her saddle may still be less than a year old so perhaps it doesn't have a lot of wear yet.

I'm excited for next week to get here and nervous that it won't fit and I'll either end up having to ride in a bareback pad or give up eating and heat to afford a higher end saddle for Miss Chloe.  Keep your fingers crossed for us, I like eating and being warm!

4 comments:

  1. I'm crossing my fingers for you! I like the look of that saddle. I dream of a CWD myself one day....maybe in like 20 years. :P

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    1. Thank you! That's about where I am at in terms of a CWD or the like. Maybe someday....

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  2. I love my Prestige -- but they are pricey! My BFF had a Toulouse for a long time and rode 3-4 horses 5x a week in it, and it held up great! I hope you like yours :D

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    1. I think you responded to one of my posts on the COTH Forums about Prestige Saddles. I'm still drooling over them and hope that maybe someday I will be able to have a Pretty Pretty Prestige! Glad to hear a positive story about a Toulouse saddle too! Gives me some hope that I won't be saddle shopping again in the next year (unless I win the lottery, and then its Prestige time!) :-)

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