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What are the best English close contact saddles Besides fitting the horse and rider2007-11-24 21:21:12

what else do I need to know to purchase a good quality (not necessarily TOP) saddle for my daughter who wants to do hunter/jumper and some combined training in dressage? Will she need a separate dressage saddle for combined training shows?

Answers:

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.

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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.