SADDLE!!! FOR TALL RIDER!!!

[Eventcrazy]

I am 5' 11" and looking for a new jump saddle. I ride in a crosby centennial but now that I am riding shorter I am out of my flap. So I ordered a custom Crosby cenntennial and the quality was aweful!!! So shipping it back and not getting another. So now I don't know what to look at and not really close to any tack shops.

So I am going to take advantage of Dovers saddle trial. I like a saddle that is narrow in the twist with not a big restriction on my knee. I really love my crosby because it is a close contact and only has a small block (high).

To my question what do you recommend I try! I like these so far:

Vega Monoflaphttp://www.doversaddlery.com/test-ride---vega-monoflap-event-saddle-by-amerigo/p/X1-TR014/cn/2116/

Pessoa Legacy (http://www.doversaddlery.com/test-ride---pessoa-legacy-xp-saddle/p/X1-TR082/cn/2116/)

Any help would be great.

[gahawkeye]

I had a similar problem (5'9" & very long hip to knee). I tried several jump saddles, made mistakes buying two (then had to deal with selling them) and finally gave up and bought a custom Stackhouse. Might have been a bit pricey, but pretty sure it will likely be the last jump saddle I will have to buy - I love to ride in it, had it built with a med/narrow tree (I tend to ride OTTBs) and I am in the 'adult amatuer' stage of my riding career -- so it gets ridden in 2 maybe 3x per week! It should last me a good twenty years!

[Eventcrazy]

I had a similar problem (5'9" & very long hip to knee). I tried several jump saddles, made mistakes buying two (then had to deal with selling them) and finally gave up and bought a custom Stackhouse. Might have been a bit pricey, but pretty sure it will likely be the last jump saddle I will have to buy - I love to ride in it, had it built with a med/narrow tree (I tend to ride OTTBs) and I am in the 'adult amatuer' stage of my riding career -- so it gets ridden in 2 maybe 3x per week! It should last me a good twenty years!

Thanks gahawkeye I am also an adult amature (go adult amature riders)ride welsh cobs and cob crosses. So wide tree is a requirement! Stackhouse have not checked there.

[lwk]

I am also a 5'11" adult amateur.
I tried a bunch of saddles a couple of years ago for my wide draft cross - the best one for both of us was the County Conquest. And the stock flaps were the right size and forward enough.

[Bogie]

Several threads on these in the past . . . here's what works for me (I'm 6' and about 21 inches from hip to knee).

- County Extreme
- Wintec Pro XC
- Ainsley Chester (old version, before Toklat changed the manufacturer)
- Ideal (I believe they are the original manufacturer of the Chester and they make a nice saddle, some of which have very forward flaps)
- Berney Brothers Dublin

Personally, I stay away from saddles with foam panels. In my experience, my horses change shape too often and I like the fact that my saddle fitter can adjust it. The Saddle Dr. just came to my barn last week and the saddle that fit my hunt horse perfectly last year needed to be adjusted!

[TexasTB]

I've sat in the Vega monoflap and the flap wasn't near forward enough for me.

My suggestions from experience:

-Barnsby Milton Pro Seat
-Ainsley ProNational
-Pessoa Blyth Tait
-Trilogy Talisman
-Black Country Tex Eventer

[Mary in Area 1]

After searching for at least the last 5 years for a saddle to truly fit my daughter's long legs, we finally found the Barnsby Diablo (XC43 or something that denotes XC saddle.) It is VERY forward, and lovely quality. I really don't know why there aren't more of these saddles around.

[MattMan]

Another vote for the Blackcountry Tex Eventer.... I am 6'3" and about 23" from hip to knee and the stock size I tried out almost fit..which out of the 10 brands I've tried none came close and you can have them custom made for no extra cost.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I had a similar problem (5'9" & very long hip to knee). I tried several jump saddles, made mistakes buying two (then had to deal with selling them) and finally gave up and bought a custom Stackhouse. Might have been a bit pricey, but pretty sure it will likely be the last jump saddle I will have to buy - I love to ride in it, had it built with a med/narrow tree (I tend to ride OTTBs) and I am in the 'adult amatuer' stage of my riding career -- so it gets ridden in 2 maybe 3x per week! It should last me a good twenty years!

You could be me:D except I ride two horses a day just about every day. I now have two stackhouses. They fit my TBs and my TB cross...and they fit me! I've had one of them for over 6 years and it still looks great and my new one is just as nice..it is even more forward then my first one since I ride even shorter now. They are expensive but worth it. I tried to buy stock saddles but once you have sat in such a nice one built for you....hard to go back to anything else. I also perfer a more narrow twist without a lot of blocks....

David changed the tree in my old saddle (was originally built for a narrow TB) and adjusted the gullet....it now fits all my horses easily.

[bambam]

I feel your pain. I am 6 feet tall and have a long thigh to boot.
I have an Ainsley Pro National and it fits me nicely and works well for me (and you can often find used ones for sale)
When shopping the Steuben Roxanne S and the County Conquest with extra forward flaps both accomodated my leg well (did not work for me in terms of point of balance but that is very individual so might work for you)
I sat in the Black Country and it seemed like it might work but you never know until you put it on the horse.
I did not think the Blyth Tait was all that great for a very long leg.
I never sat it in but the Jimmy W x=c saddle looked like it would be good for a long leg

[RunForIt]

I had a similar problem (5'9" & very long hip to knee). I tried several jump saddles, made mistakes buying two (then had to deal with selling them) and finally gave up and bought a custom Stackhouse. Might have been a bit pricey, but pretty sure it will likely be the last jump saddle I will have to buy - I love to ride in it, had it built with a med/narrow tree (I tend to ride OTTBs) and I am in the 'adult amatuer' stage of my riding career -- so it gets ridden in 2 maybe 3x per week! It should last me a good twenty years!

I have the feeling that I'm going to have to do the very same - spend the extra $$$ and get a Stackhouse saddle that works for both me and the horses...fitting Rasta is no easy thing (wide shoulders, narrow through the withers, short back that slopes down into the wither, - Black Country saddles fit him to a T! BUT, those same saddles seem to put me in the back of the saddle, towards the cantle, and I can't balance myself at all. I have a GORGEOUS MW Tex Eventer, wither gussets, extra forward, beautiful grippy leather going on sale as soon as I can get the next saddle in hand that fits me and the boy. Talura can use most anything, Witchy too - flat backs.

Before I call David, how do you tell him what you want in a saddle for YOU? (I'll email or PM you gahawkeye). Do you try other models and then give him pictures? Do you get to ride in similar saddles to get a feel for what you're paying out the kazoo to buy before/while making the decision? :eek::confused: :cool:

[mckinleyblue]

Has anyone tried the Ovation 4-star saddle?

[tbmorgan]

I, too, will shortly be shopping for a new jumping saddle. I'm 5'10" and long-legged, and on a budget! Does anyone know how the Dover Circuit brand saddles fit, and how good they are in terms of quality? I believe the XC version of the Dover Circuit was developed with Denny Emerson's input...care to chime in, Denny? The saddle LOOKS nice in the catalog:D, and it's certainly in my budget! I have a TB/Morgan cross and a full Morgan, both with same build (moderate withers, fairly but not excessively broad back) and my medium-wide tree dressage saddle fits them fine. Granted, my TB/Morgan is just 3 so still going to change shape, so they might very well NOT always be able to use the same saddle but for now they can.

Katja

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I, too, will shortly be shopping for a new jumping saddle. I'm 5'10" and long-legged, and on a budget! Does anyone know how the Dover Circuit brand saddles fit, and how good they are in terms of quality? I believe the XC version of the Dover Circuit was developed with Denny Emerson's input...care to chime in, Denny? The saddle LOOKS nice in the catalog:D, and it's certainly in my budget! I have a TB/Morgan cross and a full Morgan, both with same build (moderate withers, fairly but not excessively broad back) and my medium-wide tree dressage saddle fits them fine. Granted, my TB/Morgan is just 3 so still going to change shape, so they might very well NOT always be able to use the same saddle but for now they can.

Katja

Don't know about the Dover Circuit but I sat in these and they were very nice for the price. I'm pretty long from my knee to hip and the flaps just about worked.

http://www.saddlesource.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Legano

http://www.doversaddlery.com/m.-toulouse/c/1716/c2c/sc/

[caribou]

After years of trying to find something to accommodate my freakishly long thighs, I decided to suck it up and pay for a custom Stackhouse, which I absolutely love. Unfortunately I did not have the same shopping budget for my second horse, a much wider paint/draft cross. Ended up with an extra forward Courbette Vision ... obviously not as nice as the Stackhouse and the relatively bulky knee pads take a bit of getting used to, but overall I am very happy with the quality I got for the price. The wide tree fits the fat boy very well and my saddle fitter thinks the knee pads will tamp down some with use.

[tbmorgan]

thank you, BFNE! Will definitely check into that one!

Katja

[JMarcyQuay]

Another vote for the Barnsby Diablo!

[HiJumpGrrl]

I have a really long thigh as well, and am in the market for a new jump saddle.

I recently rode in the Circuit Elite XC for about a week. I liked the saddle, thought it was well-balanced. My knee poked out beyond the knee roll just *thismuch* when my stirrups were short enough on the hony. This was not a problem on a taller horse, where I generally ride a half-hole shorter. The seat leather is nice and sticky. The leather on the flap leaves something to be desired, but i am not super picky about that. The blocks (knee and calf) are adjustable.

I also sat in the Toulouse Claudine. I'm going to go get it to take on trial because I liked it so much. The flap was more forward than the Ciruit, I thought. It also had adjustable blocks (knee and thigh in this case--liked it better). The leather was of better quality than the Circuit, and the prices are nearly identical if you look around.

The Toulouse Premia did NOT have forward-enough flaps. I had read somewhere that the Legano was for shorter-thighed people, although I'm not sure of the veracity of that. I also have heard that the Celine is the same as the Claudine, but with different leather. I have question in to Dover about that, and will let you all know if I get an answer. Or if someone else has an answer, that'd be great ;)

[Grasshopper]

I have the same issue and ended up getting a custom monoflap from "mattymarlow" on Ebay (shop is Heritage Saddlery). I sent him wither & back tracings plus photos of my girl, specified (I think) my inseam and what I wanted in the saddle, and he made me exactly what I ordered! My mare luffs it, she is a TB with a fairly flat back but decent withers and big shoulders, so I got short points, no knee roll or pad, just a front thigh block, and a nice open seat with room to get in the "back seat" and a narrow twist. My 6'2" husband also rides in it comfortably.

I actually even prefer it to my County Competitor for flatwork/dressage, as I can close my thigh, and the balance point lets me sit up straight (but also get easily out of the saddle into 2-point or galloping position). The County front blocks hit me in the knee--I don't notice it but my instructor has noted that I cannot close my leg properly in that saddle.

It is a bit of a risk as they ship from the UK, and aren't well known, but the price was right for me and the quality is lovely. My dressage instructor says I need to get a new dressage saddle from the same guy, but I need to sell my current one first!

If you search my prior posts or "marlow" I posted a links to pics at some point a few months ago....

[bornfreenowexpensive]

The Toulouse Premia did NOT have forward-enough flaps. I had read somewhere that the Legano was for shorter-thighed people, although I'm not sure of the veracity of that.


I sat in the Legano in the store and I do not have short thighs...and I thought it fit me as well as any stock saddle has....especially for the price ($900). I do have two custom stackhouses and honestly, those are the only thing that really fit me well....my xc saddle is VERY forward for when I ride short....almost looks like a racing saddle. Was just stuck saddle shoping for a friend and sat in it for kicks. Looked well made for the cost.

Saddles are such and individual thing...but there are at least lots of good choices out there now.

[HiJumpGrrl]

BFNE, excellent to hear!! I will have to go find a Legano to sit in. The pictures sure make it look like it has a more forward flap, which made me go "huh?" when I read the part about shorter legs. Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read on the interwebs ;)

[bornfreenowexpensive]

BFNE, excellent to hear!! I will have to go find a Legano to sit in. The pictures sure make it look like it has a more forward flap, which made me go "huh?" when I read the part about shorter legs. Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read on the interwebs ;)


Perhaps people thought that because it has a shorter length in the flap from most stock saddles (not forward but top to bottom wise)...but I actually like that as it lets you get more leg on the horse. I'm interested in trying one out on a horse...my mom needs a saddle and might as well get something that I don't mind as well;) I'll let you all know if I do.

[pinball]

Have you thought of Stackhouse? You can test ride at Dover now and if that does not fit well you can have one made to fit you and you horse exactly for not much more money.

[purplnurpl]

I like a little more gingerbread on my saddle. Most of those mentioned are a little flat in the flap for my liking.

Prestige made one for me. I'd sleep in it if I could.
though I am perfectily comfortable I see in my pictures that I should have gotten an 18" instead of 17.5"

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p189/xckaboom/andy1.jpg

drops are fine:
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p189/xckaboom/horse-logo1.jpg

the saddle holds my position well. And I could probably jank my stirrups up 2 holes or so and be ok with flap.
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p189/xckaboom/waterboom.jpg

I have a Vega dressage saddle. I like the quality very much.

[spacehorse]

I have to chime in--I am 5'10", with a long thigh (inseam 34"). I couldn't find ANYTHING to fit me off the rack. I did sit in a Legano, loved it, but of course it didn't come remotely close to fitting. I ended up ordering a custom Stubben Siegfried with an extra forward flap (VSSG?) I actually kind of wish I would have gone one step further and ordered the VSSSG, cause I hover right on the edge of the flap. The Berney Dublin Jumper did fit me, but I found I really had to fight that saddle to get my leg right for flatwork, and at this point I really can't legitimize buying 2 saddles, so it was a no go.

Part of me now wants to downgrade and find a Berney, and then get a synthetic dressage saddle.

But we will talk about this more once the horse is out of the stall in two months. :(

[silver2]

It will probably help filter the recommendations if people let you know if they have relatively long upper leg or equally long upper and lower leg when they recommend a saddle. I am super-tall but have exactly the same amount of leg above and below the knee and the Ainsley, an example of a saddle everyone says will fit tall people, sits me right on the pommel and I can't get in a galloping position to save my life They seem to fit people with relatively shorter calves and longer thighs much better. In contrast the Courbette XL models fit me great.

Just $.02 from a former tack store employee.