Collegiate Honor Saddle: Thoughts

I had this great idea. I mostly ride Bridget in her dressage saddle, and Sophie is going to be growing and changing for a few more years yet, so it seemed pretty silly to go all out on a fancy jump saddle for either one. Something adjustable and reasonably priced seemed well worth a try to get us through the next couple of years.

I ordered the Collegiate Honor saddle to try:

What I like about it:

-very grippy

-comfortable (feels like a relation to the Antares Spooner I ride in)

-puts me in a good position

-balance of saddle seems good, stitching and workmanship is decent, and far surapsses what I'd expect for the price.

-adjustable velcro blocks

-supposedly wool flocked

-range of gullets available for it

-price point (~$1000 MSRP). Even if it falls apart after in a couple of years, that will still be less than what I think the depreciation on a nicer saddle given my current baby pony and rough boarding/riding in the west coast rain all winter situation.

As nice as it's ever going to look

What I'm unsure about:

-It's made with the doubled leather. Stiff (cheap?) leather underneath the flaps, layer of calfskin on top. The potential longevity of this concerns me - it scratches VERY easily. (Reminds me a lot of a M. Toulouse saddle I had years ago. The quality seems better...but yeah, the similarities are definitely there)

-The 'wool' feels pretty firm. Like it might actually be foam or a mix? I'm feeling skeptical.

- The seat is very open and roomy. I like it, but I could have sized down to a 17" rather than the 17'5" I ordered.

-The medium gullet it came with seemed very narrow and the XW one I bought follows that trend, and IMO equates more to a MW tree in the British saddles I'm used to (County, Barnsby, Jeffries).

What I dislike:

-the flaps are very long. If you're tall you might want to try this saddle. I am not tall and the flap is a bit annoying.

-changing the gullet to an xw one was a two person job. The screw holes don't line up on the wider gullet without quite a bit of persuasion. I wouldn't want to change it often or if I was in a hurry.

-the panels seem quite flat/straight and bridge a little even on B (who isn't what I'd consider curvy back to front). If you're on a budget, you might want to try this for a more "A" shaped horse, one with a straight back.

And yet...

I'm keeping it for now. I like it well enough for myself. The price point is VERY reasonable on these and the quality is great for the price. I'm going to order a 2XW gullet and give that a try on B, and if necessary, see if my saddle fitter can adjust the flocking a little. It's worth a shot. If we can't get it close, I'll sell it and actually be a little sad about it - as a rider I really want to like this saddle. Speaking from experience, I'd have a hard time finding even a well used saddle in this price range that feels as nice to sit in. That being said, if this saddle was marketed in a higher price range, I'd probably pass and look for a nice used Fairfax or Pessoa with a changeable gullet.