What are the best English close contact saddles? Besides fitting the horse and rider?

I have a Bates Caprilli Close Contact saddle with the Cair underpanels and the interchangeable gullet system. It was pricey ($1800) but I feel it was a worthwhile investment. It is well made and extremely comfortable. If you daughter does not own her own horse the interchangeable gullet system is great because she can adjust the tree to fit whatever horse she is riding. I was between the Bates and the Collegiate close contact saddles with the interchangeable gullet but ultimately settled on the Bates because it was more comfortable (I sat in it at the tack store and fell in love with it - that's how comfortable it is!) and because I had spoken with two different tack shop owners and they both told me that the Bates has a high resale value used. A close contact saddle is perfect for hunter-jumpers and for the cross-country and stadium aspects of combined training. She'll probably do fine in the beginner levels in dressage (especially if she is starting out with walk-trot tests) with a close contact but she will eventually need to invest in a separate dressage saddle. My advice would be to invest in just the close contact to start, she may end up preferring hunter jumpers over combined training and she may never really need a dressage saddle. If she sticks with combined training you can always invest in a dressage saddle sometime in the future.

I have a Collegiate, and my husband rides a Courbette. I LOVE his Courbette. It is so comfortable it feels almost spring loaded. They are pretty dear though (expensive!)... I would suggest the Courbette Alpina. They are the lower end Courbette saddle, but they fit most horses and riders well and are priced to move at around $600-$800.

I like my Collegiate though, and it is a good starting level saddle for a beginner. Just not as cushy. If my husband's saddle were a Porsche (all luxury), mine would be a dependable SUV, comfort where you need it, but no frills.

Things to look for: Check the leather edges, any good quality saddle will have rolled and stitched edges, not raw edges. A good entry level saddle should cost you somewhere around $500-$600. Anything less, and you are getting a cheapie that might compromise your horse's back and your daughter's posture in the saddle. (Unless you can find one that is gently used of course!) Your daughter's trainer should be able to help you pick one out.

As far as the dressage question, yes she will need a separate dressage saddle. Even the All Purpose saddles look weird in the dressage ring. Dressage saddles are designed to make the rider sit deeper in the saddle, so a close contact will put you in totally the wrong position (too far forward) for dressage.

Depends on how much you have to spend.

Deavoucoux, Antares, Prestige, Hermes and Tad Coffin are some of the best close contact saddles on the market and they are expensive. So this is the $2500 plus category. If you can find one used for $1000 you are getting an amazing deal.

Pessoa, Collegiate, County, Albion, and HDR all have their expensive model but they also have many affordable new options. They also vary in quality but the used saddles of these brands hold up really well and you should be able to find some under $1000.

Crosby is a great saddle as is Courbette and you can find those two brands used (much older models) for a decent price.

The style of flap (knee rolls or no knee rolls) should depend on how high your daughter is jumping. I can ride in a flat flap saddle ( no knee rolls ) up to about 3'9" then I need the extra support that the knee roll offers. So if she's jumping little fences right now you don't need the knee rolls but they are mighty comfortable!

Personally I ride in a Pessoa and I have for years, they are great saddles and they have a 100 year tree warranty.

Dressage saddles will have to purchased separately. The brands I like that have varying price ranges are Windsor, County, and Albion. Again, look for a used saddle because you can get a great deal.

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Throughout the years, I've had Crosbys, Crumps and various other makes of English saddle, however the saddle that is STILL with me after 37 years is my old Stubben Siegfried. Stubbens hold their value, besides having a deeper seat that keeps you IN it! Especially when you're going over larger fences. IF you've got the money and you're showing A shows and hunters, go for the Hermes. It's a prestige thing because Hermes were the innovators of the close contact saddles. There's always Kieffer, Passier and Courbette which are also European brands and hold their value. Saddles like Wintecs, don't hold up over time, because of their materials used and the fact that the trees have no give to them you're limited to what type of horse your saddle will fit, whereas something with the old style spring tree will fit a wider range of horses. My old Siegfried is made on a WIDE spring tree and I'd had it on everything from mutton withered QHs to Arabs and even narrower TBs without issue. Henri de Rivels, Pessoas and such are cheaper versions of the Crosbys, Crumps and other close contact saddles and are made in Argentina/India. Some use French leather, but the craftsmanship is lacking and they don't hold up over time. I hope that this helps in your selection.

The best saddle always depends on the horse and the rider. Personally, I prefer the griffith/thorogood saddles (roughly $600 or so) for my dressage and jumping saddle. I have tried 8 different saddles, and the rest of them all fit my horse incorrectly, which ended up fitting me incorrectly as well.

I know a lot of people who love the Wintec saddles (can get them for about $300 or so), but they do not fit my horse at all.

Yes, you do need separate saddles. Dressage has a whole different seat than a jumping or allpurpose saddle. You need to stretch your legs down and sit back- hard to do with a saddle that tries to make you sit forward for jumping.

If your wondering witch brand is the best, it's Wintec. They have CAIR changeble gullet system in it so all you have to do is fit the rider. They have gullet plates that you can change out. There's small, medium, average, lage and some other sizes, but the changeble gullets fit the horse at the withers. Eg: if your horse has large withers and you uy a Wintec saddle w/ small gullet plates, just buy the large plates and swap them out.

pessoa or butet are the great for hunter and equitation. The judge looks at the type of saddle in the hunters to see how it is fitting the horse and rider they prefer these types. i personal like the butet California flap but this type is rarely normally only seen in the equitation classes or at "A" rated shows.

OMG i have the perfect saddle for you i have it and its great its an all propose saddle and it can go in any shows at all its a wintec saddle and all you have to do it take a damp cloth over it and its fine it can go in water an everything and fits all sizes of horses its a great saddle!http://www.wintec.net.au/products/index.html

If you want the best and I mean THE BEST, you want a Butet. You can find them new at Beval.com. Big bucks, new from about $3,500 to $4,500.

I bought a used Butet and will never ever buy anything else. It's the Rolls-Royce of saddles.

http://www.beval.com/mainstreet/forms/ms_item_imag...

collegiate or bruno del grange