Black Country Eden |
Kent & Masters |
A good saddle fit is not determined by cost, brand, or style of saddle; a high end model can cause just as much discomfort to your horse as a cheap one. A good fitting saddle allows the horse's back to function correctly while keeping the rider in a well-balanced position.
I am an INDEPENDENT SADDLE FITTER and my main goal is to make sure that the saddle is working for you and your horse no matter what model or brand it is.
Since I am not the rep for any saddle company, I like working with Trumbull Mountain Tack in Vermont which gives me access to a large variety of new and used trial saddles as a resource for saddles to try as I work with my clients. You can ride in any saddle (new or used) for a full week before making your decision.
They have an enormous supply of used saddles in many brand makes and models, while their line of new saddles consists of (click on the brand names to go to their websites for more detailed information):
Saddles in the $2300 - $3500 range
Black Country – Dressage and jumping saddles, wool panels,
Frank Baines – Dressage and jumping saddles, wool panels
Lovatt & Ricketts - Dressage saddles for the wide and baroque type horse, wool panels
Killington – Jumping saddles for broad horses, wool panels
Budget friendly saddles – around $1600
New! Kent & Masters – Dressage and jumping saddles; adjustable wither plates, wool panels
New! Fairfax – Monoflap dressage saddle, adjustable wither plates, wool panels
Thorowgood – A/P and dressage saddles, adjustable wither plate, synthetic with leather look, wool flocked
Duett – Dressage and jumping saddles for broad horses, wool panels
The Black Country saddles caught my attention when I saw that these saddles showed repeatedly very good pressure scanning results with a variety of different horses. Black Country saddles offer various custom features like a lower forward flap (for the long legged rider), shorter dressage flap for riders with short legs, velcro on knee blocks etc. to fit the rider's personal needs. All saddle come with wool flocked panels.
Kent & Masters are new and have developed a great quality saddle at an excellent value for money (around $1600). Exchangeable wither plates will change the fit to your horse’s conformation. These saddles still come in different tree shapes to fit a large variety of horses (for warmbloods or ponies/short backed horses). The panels are broad and wool flocked.
