[HollysHobbies]

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[CelticRiverDance]

There are a ton of the SLK & SLK Ultimas for sale. I have the SLK smooth leather and love it. I think that there are a lot of them for sale because people are switching to the SLK Platinum Genises, which has a tree that can be swaped out by an Albion rep. This allows you to buy one saddle and then simply swap the tree out if it can not be adjusted to your horse. You can also change out the panels or reflock them. I would love to have one, but they are not as easy to find and they are $3,500 new. Fine Used Tack has a lot of Albions and you can take one of those on trial if you want to try one.

[paintlady]

You can probably find tons of used saddles in any of the more popular brands. It doesn't mean there is anything "wrong" with the saddle. People sell or change horses and the saddle is no longer needed.

I bought a used Ablion SLK (not Ultima) and love it. I also have an Albion Ultima GP saddle - love it too. If I could have afforded the Ultima dressage I would have gotten it.

[rothmpp]

It's so funny that you say that - I am looking for a SLK Ultima right now. Yes, there is a lot for sale, but of course nothing in the size/tree/configuration that I need for horsie and myself.

[narcisco]

What it may mean is that these were great saddles and therefore a lot of people bought them. Now, with the economy in the tank, they are selling, either getting out of horses, got a different horse, getting a cheaper saddle, or are just trying to make some money.

[dressageluv]

nothing wrong with the Albions...everyone loves them...super comfortable, puts your leg where it belongs, I have a wide treee and it fits a large spectrum of horses and you can also adjust with a sheapskin....bigger is better and more versatile if riding various horses.
The only ptoblem i have with Albion is i can never get their reps. to call me back in the North East Florida rep. Diane however is great Good Luck!!

[tempichange]

Could you point towards a website? I've been looking around.

[mzm farm]

OMG, I LOVE mine! And my super sensitive mare does too. It puts me where I need to be and lets me be there comfortably.

I would get another in a heartbeat!

[quietann]

I have an Albion Style, which is a forerunner of the SLK. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, and it's super comfy; I trail ride in it. Don't know exactly how the SLK compares, but they are common, and popular, and I've not heard anyone complain about the quality.

Mine's a MW tree and fits both the horses I ride, a 15 hand 850 pound Morgan and a 16.1 hand, 1250 pound TB/"something heavy" cross. In fact, it's slightly wide on both of them, so the Morgan gets a half-pad and the TB cross gets a gel pad. Both these horses have substantial withers and the bigger one has a swayback in his old age.

[YankeeLawyer]

I have an Albion SLK ultima and love it. I tried 18 different saddles on my Sandro Hit mare but the Albion was the best fit by far and I really like the Albion rep in our area.

[preferred]

a saddle fitter told me the old Albions are great but newer ones (last 5 years or so) have been farmed out to countries like Vietnam to be assembled and sticthed and she is finding they are not symmetrical or balanced as well as they used to be.

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

I've ridden in old Albions and loved them, tried a newer model and decided against it.

[quietann]

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

Assuming you're directing this at me... I know. My Albion sits stably on both horses' backs but is a tiny bit wide.

Both the horses have "special needs" backs and I'd likely be using some sort of pad regardless. I was advised that "a little too wide" was preferable to "a little too narrow" in this case.

[cllane1]

How weird...this is exactly the saddle I'm looking for! I wouldn't sayI've seen a "ton" of them out there, but there are some.

[tempichange]

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

Yes and no, a horse's back isn't a saw horse's back. It's not a static thing, it changes, sometimes daily. The saddle also changes too, the flocking compacts, it shifts, it pills, it does a number of things over time.

So, just as we wear items of clothing to help alleviate soreness; to ride a horse that changes, and experiences soreness from the development process (with a purposely fitted saddle) without some sort of help (sheepskin, thinline, and a regular massage program), is a little unfair.

Personally, I would love nothing more to ride in a baby pad all the time, but, sometimes, they need the extra help.

[meupatdoes]

a saddle fitter told me the old Albions are great but newer ones (last 5 years or so) have been farmed out to countries like Vietnam to be assembled and sticthed and she is finding they are not symmetrical or balanced as well as they used to be.

Um, in a word, no.
They are made in Walsall, England.

I can't imagine why your saddle fitter would make that up; it would be nice if you would politely correct her next time so that she isn't spreading such falsehoods around.

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

That is ideal, but for customers with more than one horse, pads can be used to tweak the fit. For example, I was fortunate to have three horses with similar backs; the saddle fit two of them with no pads, but the third horse is a little narrower and he goes in a prolite pad to fill in the space.


Obviously if one of the three had a big shark fin that would not work, but pads can be used to some extent to make one saddle fit more horses.

[YankeeLawyer]

a saddle fitter told me the old Albions are great but newer ones (last 5 years or so) have been farmed out to countries like Vietnam to be assembled and sticthed and she is finding they are not symmetrical or balanced as well as they used to be.

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

That is incorrect - they are made in England as I just got a custom one made there.

Regarding fit - sometimes with a young horse I do order the saddle slightly large, to be used with pads, as the horse will otherwise be too large for it within a matter of months as they develop. So, for example, my 3 year olds generally do have a Mattes pad or the like.

[rothmpp]

she also advised that a proper saddle fit should not require any pads underneath other than a cloth against their back.

I'm also going to politely disagree slightly. I've seen more than one horse with a expertly fitted saddle that just does not like the rider that close to their back. I used to have one, my trainer's FEI horse is one. She has regular chiro, gets her custom saddle refitted every 6 months, but he just goes so much better and freer through the back with a small gel pad than with just a cloth saddle pad.

[bossmare18]

I LOVE my Albion SLK! Apparently, they recently made some changes to the saddle. My saddle fitter was not aware that they were making changes. I had ridden the older model (well a 2 year old saddle) and I loved it. So when the new version came in (about a month ago), the saddle fitter was a little concerned. But it rides like the old version, just looks a little different, flaps look shorter and angled a little different. I will mention that the new ones come with blank name plate on the back. My saddle fitter said she will ask for them not to be put them on the next one she ordered (it will make it very obvious from the back if you are not sitting straight). I don't mind, it will make me ride better, hehe.

[jazzrider]

Funny, I'm selling my SLK Ultima and I had a hard time finding others for sale in our area so I could figure out the right price. I love, love, love my saddle. It really just fit both of us perfectly. But Jazz got injured and just won't come back enough to make it worth keeping an almost new saddle around. I think a lot of folks are looking at their tack rooms and selling the unused/unnecessary tack they have right now.
Folks also know spring is a good time to sell -- particularly given this little bout of nice weather we've had!