# Prestige saddles



## JoSutton (20 January 2009)

Hi,

I was wondering whether anybody on here owns and rides in a prestige saddle?
I bought a brand new prestige meridith jump saddle about 3 months ago, which was fitted.
Since then her topline has reduced quite considerably, especially where the panels of the saddle sit.

I spoke to a master saddler today and as soon as I mentioned my prestige saddle he told me almost every horse he has seen after using a prestige saddle has suffered some kind of muscle wastage along the back due to pressure points along the spine that cant be rectified by pads etc. (To do with the way plastic tree is moulded....?)

I am dreading the thought of getting rid of my saddle as  I saved up for a long time, but I am more than prepared to get rid of it if it means my horses health and condition will improve.

So the reason I am posting this is to hear from owners of prestige saddles, jumping or dressage, to see if they have had any similar problems before I make any decisions.

Thankyou, I look forward to hearing from you.


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## madhector (20 January 2009)

There is a post on the next page about prestige dressage saddles if thats any help


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## JoSutton (20 January 2009)

Thanks! I will have a look!


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## Jimb7 (20 January 2009)

Sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, if it has been correctly fitted and is the appropriate tree shape for your horse it should not be causing a problem.  Bear in mind saddle fitting is multidimensional and not about width alone, the front to back shape of the tree should mirror that of the horses spine from behind the scapula .


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## ihatework (20 January 2009)

Saddle fitting and opinions are a nightmare. You could ask 5 different saddlers about a particular make of saddle and quite possibly get a different answer from each! And the cynic in me will say that sometimes there answer will be swayed by what brands they stock and how well the company have sold the saddle to the saddler ....

In your position I would get the saddler that sold you the saddle out first to get their assessment on it and then go from there

FWIW a friend of mine runs an event yard, and like many yards has a few saddles shared between a number of horses. All their jump saddles are prestige and their horses don't have any issues with muscle wastage or any major back problems.


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## StaceyTanglewood (20 January 2009)

I have both a prestige jump (meredith) and dressage (optimax) !! both are fab saddles and i love them !! 

and yes the jump saddle doesnt help with the back build up - he is ridden in a wintec most days with just the prestige to jump in to be honest - he never really built fantastic muscle up in anything though so cant really say its the saddle he defiantely jumps better in it though x!! 

my dressage is fab but this is for a complete different horse !!


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## LEC (20 January 2009)

I had a Prestige and sold it. Prestige's have is very small surface bearing area and so pressure can build up if not fitted correctly. Prestige did really badly in pliance testing as well which measures the pressure applied to the horses back when ridden and jumped. 
With my Prestige I always rode in a prolite as prolites can make a huge difference to pressure loads. Last year my horse had a really bad back so I have decided to get a wool flocked saddle instead.


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## oofadoofa (21 January 2009)

I have  a prestige Paris and ride my horse daily in it without any problems, he certainly isn't lacking any muscle!


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## JoSutton (21 January 2009)

Thankyou all for your replies, they have been really helpful, any more info would be great!


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## ljm (22 January 2009)

Where did this info about pliance testing actually come from???

Its all to do with how the saddle's fitted. Get yourself a decent fitter like mine, who will give you an honest opinion. I have a Prestige Meredith, I have no issues whatsoever. My mare is very sensitive and it took a long time to find a saddle to suit her. 

L


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