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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

I am in Heaven (even though the temperatures feel more like Hell) ...

7/5/2011

 
I have a new horse.  And now, I have a new saddle.

WHAT?  This is just getting ridiculous!  Enough with the secrecy!

Here's how it happened ...

I decided that I wanted to try dressage.  I bought a new Wintec 500 dressage saddle and used it for a year.  It worked, but the seat wasn't deep enough for my endurance trained body.  I sold it.  I bought a used Wintec Isabell which also worked well, but it wasn't soft enough for my endurance butt.  I've used it for a year, but it's now for sale.  I rode Sydney at Sport Equine in the trainer's Custom Saddlery - Revolution.  Uh-oh ...  Anything with the word "custom" in its name can't be cheap.

Just like buying a new horse, this saddle thing isn't a new idea either.  I've been looking at saddles since January.  I've been asking people what they ride in, do they like it, how much does the saddle run, and so on.  The Custom saddles have been on my long list for new saddles, but they were/are just way too far out of my price range.  My short list of saddles did include the Custom Steffen Peters Advantage Saddle or the Bates Isabell.  And even though they're cheaper, they're still pricey at $2,500 - $2,700.  Ultimately, I've just been really hesitant to spend a mortgage payment on a saddle that might not fit my horse, that might fit him, but not me, or that wasn't deep enough and soft enough for my sensibilities. 

As I was trotting around on Debbie Davis's nicely deep and squishy saddle, I started thinking that I was going to have to quit riding dressage and return to my super comfy endurance saddles as there was no way in the world that I could ever afford this kind of saddle.  It fit the horse.  It fit me.  It was perfect.

Enter Cha Ching's mom - shopper extraordinaire.  As soon as were we seated in the car heading home, she whipped out her phone and began a two-day search for the perfect saddle.  How about this one, no, too big.  This one, no too wide.  We spent one entire afternoon on our phones in front of our computers searching for a used model of that saddle.

Until at last ... there it was!  Still very expensive, but it was the right sized tree and had a seat measurement that I could live with.  It had zero wear marks, was located less than a hundred miles away, and was priced just slightly below the other saddles on my short list.  I called CWD Sellier, the seller, asked a few questions about the model, pricing, return options, etc. and by the day's end, the saddle was shipped, and I had a tracking number.

The saddle arrived the next afternoon, prettier and softer than I expected.  I took a lesson on Speedy G the next morning and rode better than I ever have.  I am crediting my more balanced ride to the quality of the saddle!

As a side note, I rode Speedy G for a solid hour at walk, trot, and canter until the pad was wet through.  I pulled the saddle, no pressure points that I could see or feel, and then had the chiropractor work on him.  He didn't see any red flags either.  I've also ridden Sydney in the saddle several times and although I am too short to see the top of his back, it seems like a perfect fit for him as well.

And with that, here are some just-out-of-the-box photos (click photos for larger view):
Val
7/5/2011 01:37:06 am

Very nice! I am sure this is a relief, as saddle shopping is exceptionally stressful. When I first started dressage, I took lessons in a Custom Saddlery saddle. I do not think that I ever really sat on a horse before that, if you know what I mean. :)

Edyta
11/13/2011 12:51:10 am

I own one and LOVE it. Heheh, and I have ridden in Debbie's saddle too. You can get good deals on Ebay if you are patient enough. And most of them have adjustable trees (but it will run you $400 for the pleasure). The only downside (other than the price) is that customer service is poor (unless you are shopping 10K worth of saddles....). Great saddles! Congrats Karen!

Karen Sweaney link
11/13/2011 01:13:49 am

Edyta - yes, it's a nice saddle! I haven't needed customer service so I can't speak to that.

Yesterday Tina commented on how new it looked. I was reading a blog about saddle maintenance and was surprised to discover that you should dust and wipe your saddle clean with a damp cloth after every single ride. The blogger also stressed conditioning the saddle once or twice a week. I've followed that protocol strictly since August and am finding that my saddle does indeed look brand new.

At the price I paid, I can't afford to replace it. I has to last me forever!

Karen


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
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    Photo by Lori Ovanessian

    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    About Izzy

    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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Site Designed and Managed by: Karen Sweaney

Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
  • Home
  • About
  • My Horses
    • Horses
    • Imperioso
    • G Ima Starr FA
    • Sunshine
    • Nakota and Gideon
    • Corky
    • Sassy
    • Montoya DSA
    • Mickey Dee
    • Sydney
  • Show Results
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
    • 2010
  • Dressage Organizations
    • Dressage Organizations
    • Memberships
    • 2019 Dressage Tests
  • Local
    • Shopping List
  • Home