If I had to go back and do everything over again, I would have bought the Zaria Optimum a long time ago for Champ as well. Now I know it’s because the saddles did not fit the horses it was supposed to, nor were they balanced correctly on the horse. Looking back, I was very uncomfortable in many of the French saddles, often getting thrown back and then thrusted too far forward. Stübben saddles ride very differently, and now I know it’s because they hone in on even the smallest details to make sure it fits both horse and rider. If you asked me two years ago if I would have ever bought a black and white monoflap saddle, I would have said “No way!” Being at hunter/jumper barns where everyone had some type of French saddle like CWD, Antarés, Voltaire, or Devoucoux, this was quite a change. While Amerigo is a great company and the rep is wonderful to work with, I felt there was more Stübben could do for Teddy. Eventually I chose a Stübben and I’m so happy that I did. It was a toss-up between going with an Amerigo or a Stübben. Meanwhile, I was also looking into Amerigo as I have a great relationship with the owner of a local tack shop in Bedford, Massachusetts, who just so happens to also be the Amerigo rep for New England. So, I tried some of the school saddles to see if anything fit better than my CWD, and low and behold, one of the Stübben’s ended up working out until I could buy one for Teddy. I’m very fortunate to be riding at a school barn where all the horses are fitted with high quality saddles including Tad Coffin, Voltaire, and Stübben. When I asked what they could do to help make my 2GS fit Teddy, all they could do was widen the panels, which would only make the saddle sit down on his withers and cause him severe pain. Not to mention it was very difficult to get a rep out. I spent over $10k on two saddles for Champ that ended up causing some issues. At that point, I was getting very frustrated with CWD. That’s when the hunt for a new saddle began. But my CWD 2GS, which was fitted for Champ, did not fit Teddy and I could not in good conscience continue to ride in a saddle that wasn’t comfortable for him. I really didn’t want to buy a brand new, custom saddle. So that made saddle fitting quite a challenge. Teddy has high, narrow withers and huge shoulders. After struggling with lots of fitting issues, I ended up buying a new saddle.
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