General purpose (GP) saddles – sometimes called all-purpose saddles – are a popular choice as they’re designed for riders who like to do a bit of everything and don’t want or need a specific dressage saddle or jump saddle. They are forward cut enough for low-level jumping, while still being suitable for flatwork and hacking. If you’re looking for a new GP saddle, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite models from a selection of the best English saddle brands to give you somewhere to start.
Sorting through the best GP saddles to find one that fits and works for both you and your horse isn’t something you can do solely online, but it’s a good place to begin your search. Unlike most horsey purchases you make, this purchasing decision really has to strike the balance between getting the right saddle for you and the best fit for your horse. You can, however, spend as much time as you like before this stage browsing the best English saddle brands, their latest releases and the returning favourite models. With a range of colours, leathers, shapes and personalisation options, there’s plenty to consider.
Your new saddle won’t come with a saddle pad, long girth, stirrups or stirrup leathers as standard so, while you’re at it, it’s a good idea to check them out, too.
H&H recommends consulting a qualified saddle fitter prior to purchase and following up with regular checks to tailor the fit to your horse’s changing shape. The links below should help direct you to local stockists.
GP saddles from some of the best English saddle brands
Bates All Purpose +
Colours: Classic black or classic brown | Seat sizes: 16–18in | RRP: £1,549 |
Described as a high performance general purpose saddle that features cutting edge design and technology not previously seen in general purpose saddles. It offers comfort, security and balance, ensuring a comfortable deep seat for leisure riding, flatwork and some jumping.
More info and stockists at batessaddles.co.uk
In the US? View now at ebay.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Whitaker Bedale GP
Colours: Black or Havana | Seat sizes: 17–18in, N–XXW | RRP: From £950 |
This leather and synthetic combination saddle is leather on the outside but made synthetic under the panels. It has a more forward cut than the standard GP, manoeuvrable knee and thigh blocks and an additional point strap to fix it in place. The Whitaker Interchangeable Size Bar system gives you the option of six widths that you can change yourself.
More info and stockists at johnwhitaker.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Wintec 2000 All Purpose SC
Colours: Black or brown | Sizes: 16½–18in | RRP: £779 |
This synthetic saddle is designed for riders who want to do a little bit of everything – especially jumping. It has a soft, open seat with a low, square cantle. The soft panels that are designed to mould in and around your horse’s muscles hugging their unique conformation.
More info and stockists at wintec-saddles.co.uk
In the UK? View now at ebay.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Collegiate Scholar All Purpose Saddle
Colours: Black or brown | Sizes: 16–18in | RRP: £949 |
This full leather all-purpose saddle featuring a round cantle on a semi deep seat and a long front gusset. It has four girth points that allow saddle fitters to adjust the saddle for your horse at any given time, while the changeable gullet allows you to alter the width of your saddle as your horse’s level of fitness and shape changes. Also available with a square cantle.
More info and stockists at collegiatesaddlery.co.uk
In the UK? View now at ebay.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.com
Arena Cob General Purpose
Colours: Black or brown | Sizes: 15–18in | RRP: £999 |
The Arena Cob General Purpose saddle is purposefully crafted with this conformation in mind, allowing cobs to move comfortably with added bonus of adjustable features.
More info and stockists at arenasaddles.co.uk
In the UK? View now at ebay.co.uk
Albion K2 GP
Colours: Black or brown | Seat sizes: 16½–18½in, N–XW | RRP: £1,860 |
Designed for riders looking for a comfortable, high quality, all-round saddle, suitable for jumping and showing, this saddle offers a supportive seat and leg position. It has a wide panel bearing surface and an adjustable tree.
More info and stockists at albionengland.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Jeffries Sport GP
Colours: Black or Havana | Seat sizes: 17–18in, M–XW | RRP: From £1,932 |
This saddle is described as an ideal choice for riders with a varied routine. It has an open head, flatter rails and a low stitch line, which makes it ideal for sports horse types, including thoroughbreds. The Sport GP features a soft dual density seat, stitched knee pads and substantial knee and thigh blocks for added security.
More info and stockists at ejeffries.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Fairfax Classic GP
Colours: Black or brown | Seat sizes: 17–18in | RRP: £1,590 |
This high-comfort saddle is ideal if you want a little extra luxury and support from your saddle, while your horse will benefit from all the research and development that has gone into the company’s Performance range. The stitched-on knee block provides leg support, while cushioning over the knee rolls accommodates for a variety of leg length, which is useful for those who intend to ride with different stirrup lengths – for example, when hacking or jumping.
More info and stockists at fairfaxsaddles.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Amerigo Vega General Purpose Dressage Special VSD
Colours: Black or brown | Sizes: 16–18in | RRP: £3,707 |
Made from top quality Italian leather, this saddle offers a dressage cut with more of a forward cut, which makes it really versatile. The flaps have a slightly wider depth than a traditional Vega dressage model and the knee rolls give support for low level jumping or for riding with shorter stirrups when out hacking. The seat is between a close contact and a deep seat dressage saddle and there are various options available for flap lengths and tree widths.
More info and stockists at amerigo-saddles.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
GFS Monarch Cob GP
Colours: Black or brown | Seat sizes: 16–18in, up to 4XW | RRP: £1,150 |
This saddle is designed for the wider horse and features the GFS Flexi Block system, which means it can be adjusted to suit your perfect leg position. I has multiple removable girth straps to aid balance and a wider, flatter panel for an improved load-bearing surface. It has a flexible carbon fibre webbed tree and is flocked with siliconised wool.
More info and stockists at gfsriding.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Harry Dabbs Avant GP
Colours: Black or Havana | Seat sizes: 16–18½in | RRP: From £1,800 |
This saddle helps to put you in the correct position and the semi-deep seat and soft knee pads will ensure a comfortable ride. It features the popular wool-flocked performance panel that curves away from the back sooner to offer greater freedom of movement and aid hind quarter engagement.
More info and stockists at harrydabbs.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Solution Saddles Smart Native GP
Colours: Black or Havana | Seat sizes: Available in 4 seat sizes | RRP: From £2,650 |
This saddle is ideal for wide horses with flat backs – the low-profile, flexible base panel accommodates the rounder back shape, ensuring saddle security and eliminating any rocking, twisting or slipping typically associated with traditional native breeds and cobs. Weight fluctuations and changes in back shape throughout the season can be easily thanks to the FlexTech technology and balance pad system.
More info and stockists at solutionsaddles.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Stübben All Purpose Roxanne VSS
Colours: Black, Havana, ebony or tobacco | Seat sizes: 16½–19in, N–XW | RRP: £2,700 |
This all-purpose saddle of the Roxanne series has a slight emphasis on jumping – the banana-shaped knee roll and a flat calf block stabilise your leg over the fence, without wedging it during dressage lessons. There are also plenty of customisation options available.
More info and stockists at stuebben.co.uk
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.com
Pessoa GP
Colours: Black or brown | Sizes: 16½–18in | RRP: From £3,000 |
This saddle features a comfortable and balanced seat with a generous flap that supports the rider when jumping or on the flat. It has an open head and front gusset in the panel, making it suitable for a horse with an average height wither, while the large weight bearing panels suit a wide range of horses. The interchangeable gullet plates allow you to change the width of the saddle if your horse changes shape.
More info and stockists at pessoa-saddlesuk.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
WOW Competitor GP
Colours: Wide range of combinations and customisation options | Seat sizes: 16–19in, N–XXW | RRP: From £3,050 |
This saddle can be designed to suit the riding you do – for example, choose flaps with fixed or moveable blocks to go with a flat seat if you hunt or event, or opt for a deeper seat if you focus on flatwork. The unique shape of the tree enables the front of the saddle to move with the shoulders, while the option of Flair air flocking encourages your horse to lift through his back. D-rings and other fittings can be added to accommodate everything from an air jacket lanyard to a hip flask.
More info and stockists at wowsaddles.com
Find this saddle second hand on ebay.co.uk
Bliss Loxley AP Monoflap
Colours: Black, cocoa, claret or cognac | Sizes: 14–19in | RRP: £2,400 |
This is a universal monoflap saddle with a medium depth seat that is suitable to be used for leisure riding and a mix of disciplines. It’s wool flocked and built on a wide choice of wooden and polymer adjustable tree options with interchangeable bars to suit all types of profiles.
More info and stockists at bliss-of-london.com
Cuomo Salerno GP Saddle
Colours: Black, brown or tan | Sizes: 16½–18½in | RRP: £1,870 |
This GP is great on the flatter backed, broad horse, with wide panels to distribute riders weight over the back. This saddle is built with an extra foam layer in the seat for comfort of the rider, moveable blocks to enable altering stirrup length for any discipline and saddle flap lengths made bespoke to rider needs.
More info and stockists at louisamariacuomosaddles.com
The Native Pony Saddle Company Mountain & Moorland
Colours: Rich dark brown or black | Seat sizes: 16½–18in | RRP: £1,795 |
This saddle is a great option for those who prefer a slightly straighter GP saddle or have horses who require one for the correct fit. It has a flatter seat, supportive knee rolls and a thigh pad, and it comes in close contact flock, which is ideal for flat-backed cobs and native breeds, with tree and panel options to suit other breeds of horses.
More info and stockists at thenativeponysaddlecompany.com
Tech 1 General Purpose Saddle
Colours: Black or dark Havana | Sizes: 17–18in | RRP: £2,539 |
Developed by the founder of Erreplus to meet the needs of customers looking for a less expensive but good quality saddle. It uses the Erreplus heat-adjustable fibre tree guaranteed for life and the panels are hand-flocked with British wool. It has front-adjustable Velcro blocks and is made from a soft and grippy double cow leather.
More info and stockists at tech-1.be/en
Smart GP Saddle
Colours: Black or Havana | Seat sizes: Available in 5 seat sizes | RRP: From £2,300 |
This saddle has an ergonomically designed seat shape that ensures comfort and security in the saddle, while the flap design provides versatility between flatwork, hacking and jumping. It features a dual purpose, soft padded knee flap that offers supports with either a long leg or shorter jump position, as well as customised knee block and thigh block options that can be adjusted as required by the rider according to discipline.
There are also lots of customisation options including an interchangeable cantle design – choose from coloured piping, patent leather or even crystals, and choose between a premium suede or classic calfskin seat and knee finish.
More info and stockists at smartsaddles.com
You might also like:
12 great GP saddle pads for everyday riding
A selection of the best stirrup leathers to complement your saddle
Looking for some new stirrup leathers? Here’s a selection of different types we think are worth a look at...
Technical stirrups — what’s on the market?
11 long girths to cast your eye over
Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round
Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.
