fatallygorgeous answered Thursday July 19 2007, 4:42 pm: I'm not sure which discipline you ride in, but if you ride english then I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing either Stubben or Courbette tack. Both are either German or Swiss made, and can literally last you a lifetime. My trainer swears by Stubben Sigfried saddles, and won't ride in anything else. I used to ride my horse in a old, well-used Stubben Imperator eventing saddle, and found it to be incredibly comfortable. It kept me secure, yet still let me move around if I needed to. Now I'm riding in a Courbette Fels Bach, which has a more padded seat than the Stubbens, so it's more comfortable for longer rides.
Obviously, they make more than just saddles as well - bridles, reins, martingales, bits, blankets, etc.
You can visit both companies' websites for information on where to purchase them.
I'm not going to lie, this tack is quite expensive if purchased brand new. However, if you can find a well-cared for used saddle, you can probably get a good deal - I got my Courbette for $265 on ebay. Make sure you know your horse's measurements before ordering a saddle off of a site like ebay though, as you usually can't return them, and it's not good for your horse to have an improperly fitting saddle. [ fatallygorgeous's advice column | Ask fatallygorgeous A Question ]
Melanie4981 answered Thursday July 19 2007, 4:30 am: I live in the UK and we only ever use Bates of Australia tack on our horses, it is expensive but lasts forever and is really comfy for you and your horse.
You can buy it in Weatherbeeta stores and I'm 100% positive that you can buy from Weatherbeeta in the US.
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