So this has been talked to death...but....saddles.

So thanks to my super hard work, we sold our house for more than it was listed at when we took it off of the market last year.  SO was also very against the pricing I came up with when it was relisted because he thought we needed to go lower than last year, not higher, despite having entirely new carpet, paint and repair throughout.  I told him that if the pricing didn't work, I would simply lower the price but I was pretty confident I was at the right price point.  Low and behold, the price was spot on, if not too low, as we had 3 showings scheduled with 24 hours and an offer with 48 hours.  So yeah.  I was right on.

It has been decided that I deserve something special for all of my work and get-it-done of this whole process.  No complaining about moving despite not wanting to, getting the house and farm kept up by myself, taking care of both properties alone plus working full time.  We went to California for a short trip last December but I really deserve something special.  So it was decided I will get....a BRAND NEW SADDLE. I have a very liberal budget to get a saddle, hell I can get two of them within my budget!  If I was going to get a new saddle, I would get a new jump saddle. My dressage saddle is less than 10 years old and I think it fits me well.  I mean, I will replace/add a dressage saddle if I have the budget, but if I was going to replace one, it would be my jump saddle.

So what now?  Well, I have heard/read the saddle shopping process can be both invigorating and horrible, saddle fitters who sell for a brand can be really, truly bad and pushy but independents can be very inconsistent and very wrong.  Ugh.  At one point I had a Stubben rep out to fit App and nothing she said made sense and her only repsonse to my questions were "this needs reflocked" and "well, it's an older saddle.  It is from the 90's and they are much better now".  Uh.... okay?  How she was checking the fit went against everything I knew about saddle fitting, I felt I wasted my money.  So anyway, let me break it down, here are my issues.

1.  This is the biggest one.  I have only really known one saddle.  When I started riding english, as I rode western for about 8 years, I bought a no-name all purpose/no purpose for $100 off of a boarder at the barn I was at.  I had no idea of saddle fit and it didn't fit App and sure in hell didn't fit me but we managed because I didn't know better.  Over the course of about 2 years, I made a friend who had a older Stubben VSS and she let me borrow it when she wasn't using it.  It was much easier to ride in and I leared about english saddle fit.  When I finally scraped up my $400,  I found and then bought a Stubben VSS as well as it is what I knew and it is the only jump saddle I have ridden in since.  That was 2003, (I just calculated that in years, yikes I am getting old lol).  So I don't know any other saddles to know if I would like them and have no one to borrow a saddle from to try out.  I am hoping that changes when I start boarding again but am not super hopeful.  I don't know what I would like or not because I only know a Stubben VSS.

2.  Where the heck do I find qualified saddle fitters?  I have to hope that when I move, the boarders will be knowledgeable and helpful.  The rushed, incomplete and bias information is not what I want to deal with.

3.  This is embarrassing.  Don't judge me.  You know what?  Just don't read this one.  Just skip it.  Come on....  Fine, I will admit it.  I don't really want a NEW saddle.  There, I said it.  I know right?  What kind of Tack Ho freak am I not?  See, I am not sure I can convince my penny pinching self to buy a brand new saddle.  And I am great at caring for saddles but the first time I damage it??  I can't handle that kind of responsibility.  You should see me with my truck!  I am hopeful I can find something and look for a used equivilent.  And then maybe buy 2 saddles lol!  Maybe these saddle fitters will do used saddles? Argh!

So tell me peoples....what jump saddles do you have?  Which ones do you love?  Hate?  I am not super concerned about fit because Mia seems to be a pretty standard MW without real issues and I don't seem to have any super weird leg issues and am pretty proportional.  So...any suggestions?  Share your opinions!