Dressage Saddles For Sale

Your #1 source for the best prices on all of your dressage saddle needs. Whether you are a beginning rider looking for an economical but high quality dressage saddle, or if you are a seasoned equestrian rider looking for competitive dressage saddles of the highest caliber, we have the right saddle for the best price - period!

We have a dressage saddle to suit your every need, whether you are looking for a youth saddle, a saddle for the show ring, cross country competition, a therapeutic saddle or simply hobby trail riding, we have the dressage saddle to fit you and your budget. Bookmark & Share

Devoucoux Dressage Saddles

Max Gerdes specializes in fitting Devoucoux Dressage Saddles in the Sacramento Valley. We offer made to measure Devoucoux Saddlery and Fittings for both horse and rider.The Devoucoux name is synonymous with Master Craftsmanship, Comfort and Superior Quality. It is one of the few saddles that can and does increase in value over time. Contact Max for a Demonstration of our New and Used Devoucoux Monoflap Dressage Saddles and Fittings. We specialize in fitting Dressage Saddles for both Horses and Ponies.

"My new devoucoux Mendia dressage saddle is quite simply the most amazing saddle i have ever sat on. Immediately comfortable, it allowed my big moving warmblood instant additional freedom through his shoulders allowing him to really express himself through all his paces. He was also more willing to try new 'fancy footwork'. In fact he feels like he's got extra gears. Fortunately the superb design of the Media totally supports me too"!

http://www.devoucouxdressagesaddles.com/

Dressage Saddle Fitting

Measure your horse with a wither tracing to get the proper fit for a new used dressage saddle.

To keep you horse healthy and happy he or she needs a saddle that fits properly. The best way to measure your horse for a new saddle is with a wither tracing. The ideal person to take this measurement is a certified saddle fitter. You can make a wither tracing on your own if you want to save a couple of dollars, or if a saddle fitter is not available in your area.

Even if you have to take your horse to a saddle fitting some distance away, it could very well be worth the trip to get a good fit.

Many dealers of new and used dressage saddles will ask a used dressage saddle buyer for a few things to see if the saddle they have for sale will fit their horse. They will often ask for

A wither tracing
Photos of the horse's profile
Rider stats such as height, weight, and riding level.
Horse stats such as age, training level, etc.

The Wither Tracing
To trace the withers on your horse, you will need a few simple supplies.

Flexible ruler or wire
Pencil or pen
11x14 paper
Camera

You will first begin by standing horse your horse on level ground. First, you will locate your horse's shoulder blade or scapula. From the back of the should blade you will measure back about an inch- the equivalent of about 3 fingers in width. Place the flexible ruler behind your fingers, over the withers.

Wither tracing

The yellow line represents the shoulder blade.

The important thing to remember about placing your flexible ruler is that you do not want it too far forward. Where the ruler rests on the horse, represents the place where the saddle will rest on the horses body. If the saddle rests too far forward, it will impede the movement of the horses shoulder. Since you are on one side of the horse, walk around and inspect the other side too.

Three fingers
When placing the ruler over the withers, you also will want to rest the flexible ruler on the horses wither but not apply pressure, which can yield inaccurate results.

It's not a bad idea to repeat this process a few times just to be sure you are getting a consistent measurement. After all, paper is a lot cheaper than a poor fitting saddle and an unhappy horse.

Wither tracing
Use 8.5" x 14" paper and a felt tip pen

You can also check for the levelness of the saddle to see if the tree is too wide or too narrow. The pommel and the cantle will be even unless you have a deep seat. As you can see from this photo of an Albion SLK Ultima with deap seat, the cantle is higher than the pommel, suggesting a saddle that is too wide. However, if you look at the seat itself, you will see that it is pretty even horizontally. Inversely, if the pommel is higher than the cantel, the saddle is too narrow.

Saddle placement
Other measurements to check for saddle fit are the distance between the pommel and withers- three fingers is a good gauge. This should done after the rider is mounted.

Pommel clearance
Check the position of the girth. One hand with between armpit and girth is recommended.

proper girth position

Place three or four fingers between the pommel and the withers. You can also check the saddle fit by pushing down on the pommel and the cantle and checking for movement. Also check to make sure the channel is complete off of the horse's spine.

Push Saddle
Wither tracing is not an exact science but merely a close estimation. For example, a client of mine recently hired a local well respected saddle fitter to come make a wither tracing for her. She then shipped the tracing off to a top saddler who adjusted the tree (adjustable tree saddle) to the horse's dimensions. When the saddle came back from the saddler, the saddle fit fine at first. However, after a couple of months with the flocking settling, the saddle began to slide forward. As a result of the horse having very little withers, the saddle must be refitted.

The moral of the story is that not only is saddle fitting not exact and perfect, but even less so when done remotely, because the saddle fitter really needs to see the horses complete dimensions and body type to be able to make a better assessment of saddle adjustment. They will make the initial measurement, but then check the saddle on the horse, adjusting flocking if necessary.