Hello everyone! I haven't ridden English in several years, but I was flipping through Dovers and noticed that one can buy a Hermes "ready to wear" English saddle-I was under the impression that they only made saddles to measure. When did this off -the-rack business with saddles start?
Saddle Question
- Thread starter lizavet8
- Start date
here i am! (busy day today)
i would think they've been doing non-custom at least since the early '60's, when they introduced the 'steinkraus' -- a model that was designed with jumper super-star bill steinkraus and that i believe was the first 'close-contact' saddle. it was a revolution in saddlery and hermes saddles have been huge in the hunter/jumper world ever since. given that, it's unlikely it was a custom-only.
you CAN still order custsom, at about 3x the price. or you can send courtney a withers tracing and she'll pull saddles that she thinks will fit best and send them for you to try.
interestingly, i had custom saddles of another brand for two of my horses, and a couple off-the rack saddles to fit the others. then i got my non-custom hermes corlandus, and it fits all five of them.
i would think they've been doing non-custom at least since the early '60's, when they introduced the 'steinkraus' -- a model that was designed with jumper super-star bill steinkraus and that i believe was the first 'close-contact' saddle. it was a revolution in saddlery and hermes saddles have been huge in the hunter/jumper world ever since. given that, it's unlikely it was a custom-only.
you CAN still order custsom, at about 3x the price. or you can send courtney a withers tracing and she'll pull saddles that she thinks will fit best and send them for you to try.
interestingly, i had custom saddles of another brand for two of my horses, and a couple off-the rack saddles to fit the others. then i got my non-custom hermes corlandus, and it fits all five of them.
Thank You! Dressage Queen, do you think there's really a difference in an Hermes saddle? I retained my old Courbette, which I love, but I've never had anything custom. We have a lovely young bay with a fused fetlock-I think he can handle me and an English saddle-but not one of those boat anchor westerns. Light riding only! I've always coveted an Hermes, and always wondered how they rode.....
I have drooled over Hermes saddles since I was a wee little thing on a pony. Perhaps I should focus on getting a custom Hermes saddle instead of the seemingly unattainable Birkin! HaHa! Just kidding, I'll need to get BOTH!
If you seriously into dressage use a Passier Grand Gilbert, also expensive but cheaper then a Hermes
Hmmm...a roundabout way to get to a birkin, but boy, what a way to establish a relationship with a SA!!
I wish I knew more about horses- they're not too fond of me though....
That's what all the great saddle makers say, isn't it, that (in relation to the horse) their 'RTW' saddles fit most, if not all kinds of horses. That the art of the saddle making is such that the saddle accomodates the different stages of back musculature from the young to the trained horse.
I 'only' have Passier GG as a dressage saddle and find this to be true. The saddle fits ME (i.e. my big butt
) and I can use it on any horse I ride. Since I don't ride ponies or small, wiry TBs, this saddle works great on all horses that are big enough to fit me. I have the withers part cut high because most of the horses that I ride have high withers, so that works great too.
I always thought that the 'custom-made' aspect relates to the horse - but was told that this is counter-productive as the horse changes his back muscles with the different stages of training and work he is in. I now understand a 'custom-made' aspect to relate to the rider, i.e. if you are very slim and have very long legs, or the opposite, how you want your knee blocks placed, etc.
Liza, I think your Courbette should be A-OK, given that it has enough stuffing and that the tree isn't broken or anything.
I 'only' have Passier GG as a dressage saddle and find this to be true. The saddle fits ME (i.e. my big butt
) and I can use it on any horse I ride. Since I don't ride ponies or small, wiry TBs, this saddle works great on all horses that are big enough to fit me. I have the withers part cut high because most of the horses that I ride have high withers, so that works great too.I always thought that the 'custom-made' aspect relates to the horse - but was told that this is counter-productive as the horse changes his back muscles with the different stages of training and work he is in. I now understand a 'custom-made' aspect to relate to the rider, i.e. if you are very slim and have very long legs, or the opposite, how you want your knee blocks placed, etc.
Liza, I think your Courbette should be A-OK, given that it has enough stuffing and that the tree isn't broken or anything.
Thank you! Since moving west, we have those big'ol muscular quarter horses. Being vets, though, we "inherited" this bay, and he's so elegant, and smart. Even with the fetlock, I think I can break and train him to carry me at 110# with an english saddle. No jumping, mind you! Poor fetlock.
I lost my old racehorse this winter (broken leg) and need to replace him with something!
I lost my old racehorse this winter (broken leg) and need to replace him with something!