In search of... jump saddle edition

When we last left off, Riley was recovering from new shoes and body work. While my life got extremely busy with moving and NO RIDING, Riley got training rides, a new set of hinds and a trim all around and he's feeling very good about life. We signed up for our first event this Sunday where we're going to give BN a try at the ever-forgiving venue of Olde Hope. The intro division is really too easy for us now and I think it's time to start putting a little pressure on both of us.

In the meantime, I've been assessing the saddle fit issue that was brought up with the vet. Our current saddle does not fit at all anymore, so although a shimmable pad would get us through the search time to find a replacement it was not a great long term solution... and the last thing I need is him getting sore or sour about his saddle. We took a little trip down to Maryland Saddlery to see if they had any good options and much to my surprise they had at least three for us to try.


The contenders:

M. Toulouse Jennine (adjustable gullet -- wool flocked)

Prestige Nona Garson (foam)

Kent & Masters S-Series Jump (adjustable gullet -- wool flocked)

Despite bringing all three to try, I have sort of ruled out the Toulouse without even riding in it. The leather quality is so-so and I am not crazy about it overall. The remaining contenders couldn't be more different. The Prestige has beautiful leather (that is just a reference photo above) but the saddle I have on trial is well-used, but also well-cared for. It fits Riley reasonably well with no half-pad. It felt WAYYYYY different that the kinds of saddles I'm used to sitting in. The tree is more of a narrow twist which made Riley feel like a completely different horse! I actually felt like I could wrap my legs around him (usually he feels like such a tank). My leg felt very tight and solid, but the balance of the saddle made me feel a little behind his motion. We set up some small jumps to hop over and I did the same warm up evaluation with both saddles (w-t-c and a little hand gallop).

For scale:)

I was definitely a fan of where this saddle kept my leg (underneath me)

Jumping the new baby coop

I think it's really helpful to try to jump the fence FOR Riley:/

But my leg stayed LOCKED in place

Cantering away after a jump

Big boy canter

The true test of this saddle happened unexpectedly, when upon landing after a little in and out, Riley stumbled and almost face-planted. I was able to slip my reins and sit back to let him figure out his shit, but I nearly peed myself.

Moves like Jagger

Get your life together dude.

In case you want to see the whole thing :)

The saddle might have sold itself at that point, but it's SUCH a different feel than I'm used to, I need to ride in it a bunch more to make any real decision. Ultimately, I know doing flat work in it will be tough as it's truly a jump saddle that isn't meant for a lot of in-the-saddle use.

We didn't get a still shot of me in the Kent & Masters, but it fits me really well.  I felt more at home in this saddle and I liked it's aggressive, forward flap which will make it a great saddle as the jumps get bigger.

Cute dude

I like my position in this saddle quite a bit more

Leg locked in place

Don't look at my release:/ Not a baby jump + good leg

Trying to figure out the balance of this one!

Overall, I liked the K & M more but it's also MUCH more expensive than the Prestige. Given that I liked them both quite a bit and their price points are so different, I figured I would need to ride in both several times to try to sort out which one is truly a contender.

So tomorrow I'll flat in both (and practice my dressage test) and Thursday or Friday I'll take one to XC school in. Saturday I'll probably fat and jump in one or both and if I really like one more than my current saddle, I'll ride in it Sunday at Olde Hope. Probably no better litmus test for a potential saddle than all three phases right? Right.

I know the timing is a bit questionable with an event just around the corner, but I need to make the dude happy and comfortable if we are to continue moving forward. His well-being trumps everything else.