my horse has pretty much failed at jumpers, so i think its time for him to switch careers. So I'm starting to look around for saddles. I know nothing about dressage saddles at all, so any recommendations on brands?

i don't want anything super cheap, like those plastic wintec saddles. =/
i would buy a used saddle, except my legs are abnormally long and I usually have to custom order saddles to fit me.
so, any nice brands out there? medium price range, but I'm open for any suggestions, I can always check them out.
Thanks =]

I am also looking for a dressage saddle and don't really know much about them. If anyone wants to give advice that would be lovely!
Hyperion, sorry that I have no advice..but I do have empathy!

Ahh, so many good brands really.

Passiers are nice.
Schleese does custom, although the reps in certain states (ie Michigan) suck.
I really like County as well.
One of my horses has a used State Line brand. It was really cheap (new I believe it was around $700, but I got it for $350,) but was the only saddle that fit my horse after numerous saddle fittings. The leather is pretty good quality, and it feels a lot like a County. But, the brand/saddle line is discountinued.
Trilogies are also nice, b ut relatively new, so might be hard to find depending on where you live.
I'd stay away from Collegiate. We had one for another one of my horses and had a lot of problems with it.

What do you mean by medium price range? In dressage saddles, either you have like the $450 Wintecs or you're going to pay over $1000 new. There really isn't a middle ground that I've seen.

I've ridden in a LOT of saddles so if you have a brand in mind, I could probably give some feedback on it

Buy something nice, used. I'm looking for a new dressage saddle right now as well, and my best advice is find a place that has a lot of consignment saddles.

Prestige, Amerigo, Hennig, Roosli, Spirig, Albion etc. are all excellent saddles, if you can find a used one go for it, and the nice part is that they retain a lot of value when you go to sell later on. Just beware that a lot of these are custom, and sometimes it works for your body, and sometimes it just doesn't.

You'll have to sit in a few to get an idea of what you like. Passiers tend to be on the flat/minimal side as far as support goes, but you might like that if you are used to riding in a close contact saddle. If you have extremely long legs, stay away from Niedersus saddles, the only people (myself including) who like them tend to have shorter legs. Schleese makes nice saddles and I know a few long-legged folks who like them, but they go have a tendency to get you in a chairseat.

A decent used dressage saddle will run you about $1200-1500, but I'm sure you can find something closer to $1000 or under if you look carefully and go for a less custom brand. Stubbens, Barnsbys, older Albions and Countys can be a bit cheaper.

Coming from a H/J background myself, I definately say go for a more minimal saddle. Those giant knee rolls on some dressage saddles drive me absolutely nuts! I hate having my leg confined like that. And while the Albions are nice saddles, the ones I've sat in I absolutely hated. The twist on the saddles was wrong for me. One of my trainers swears by Albions, but I can't stand them. Meanwhile, she can't stand Passiers. Plus the older Stubbens I've sat in were as hard as a rock... the most uncomfortable saddle I've ever sat in, yet I know people who love them. You should definately try to sit in as many different brands of saddles as possible before deciding on which to buy, since it's really a personal preference.

I love my Passier. I feel like it is a deep secure seat, but maybe thats because I was used to a jump saddle before that. They are good quality saddles that although not cheap, are not crazy expensive either. They also seem to be pretty easy to find used ... I'd recommend trying a couple of those out. After riding in my Passier, I have a VERY difficult time going back to my jump saddle!!

I use Blue Ribbon Dressage Saddle.Blue Ribbon Leather Co LTD.

I haven't liked any of the Passiers I have ridden in. My friend has one and it is shit leather for how much it cost, IMO. My 2 other friends have an Amerigo [AMAZING, like a couch] and a Prestige, which is also great. I have a really old County which I don't like the style of because it is soooo old, but it is in GREAT shape... County saddles last a long time. I use my trainer's Bates now and it is actually GREAT for the money it cost... super comfy, nice leather... I just wish it had bigger knee blocks.

I am a big fan of Hennigs. The Hennig I ride in is custom to the horse and fits me fairly well and it is absolutely amazing. There must be some of these saddles in used form for affordable prices, it just takes a lot of looking and fitting for your horse. My best suggestion is to have a saddle fitter come out and just try different saddles on your horse and for you to sit in a few different ones to get an idea of what works for both of you guys.

I lurve my Klimke....keeps me in the right spot regardless of my core strength (or lack there of!)

I have also heard great things about KN (Karl Niedersuess ) and Stubben saddles.

Whenever I am researching expensive tack I go to http://www.horsetackreview.com for write ups.

Oh and the Klimke gullet can be changed by a master saddler

great, thanks for all the advice. i'll have to see if i can find some saddles to ride in, maybe get testers from a few companies. I don't know many people who do dressage to steal a saddle for a day, but I'll look around.

as for price range, over $1000 is okay. my mom wanted me to get fit for an antares dressage saddle while we were at a show last weekend, but I figured those would be too expensive since I'm not completely committed yet.
so something that's on the high end, but not terribly expensive.

I had a county h/j saddle, and I hate it more than anything I've ever ridden in, so I'm a bit biased against that brand. I'll definitely start looking things up though and seeing about trials =]

and as for used, I can look around the area, but I highly doubt theres anything used thats going to fit my leg. I'm like an extra long extra forward in a jumper saddle, so I'm assuming I'll have to get something special ordered.

Finding a dressage saddle to fit your leg isn't as hard as it is for a jump saddle. I know this from experience... I have crazy-long legs! I fit nicely in all the dressage saddles at our barn, and they also fit the short-legged-old-lady riders.

The passier saddles seem nice. I'm looking at their website, and the Hubertus Schmidt Dressage Saddle LV stood out, as it's made for taller riders. It's also quite expensive though, and I don't know how much I'm willing to invest yet. Does anyone know if passier has a trial policy? I imagine I'd have to contact a dealer around the area and see if they have any trial saddles.

I'll try to head out to a tack shop sometime soon though. The ones around here are a bit shotty, but I can at least get a feel for things.

edit- i just realized i'm going to be in ocala for the weekend, and i believe i saw a dealer there, so i guess that answers my own question.

I love my cliff barnsby but the large knee rolls can be bad for some riders

I dislike stubbens (too hard and flat for me)

Most time dealers will have used saddles as well as new... so if you get a dealer to come out and fit your horse, make sure to ask if he has the saddle you want in a used model. Many times these "used" saddles are simply old trial saddles and really haven't been ridden in much. And I'm pretty sure they have a trial policy...

I would say go with Stubben, they are my all time favorite and probably always will be. I'm a small person and I have a Rex that is probably around 25 years old and NEVER been repaired. The only thing that it needs is the panels need to be re-flocked.
My other Stubben saddle is the Laurus D which is a dressage saddle and I am in love with. It fits my horse perfectly and I will never have any regrets about buying it. My mom has always told me that a Stubben will always be worth more than when you bought it.

http://stubbennorthamerica.com/stu0305home.html

I use an equisuede wintec isobel, a few of my friends ride in the bates leather version (it is a slightly different fitting). I really like mine, it was inexpensive, is easy-care and does everything I need of it. They also seem to fit a wide range of horses quite well.

I'm not a dressage specialist, so I didn't want to spend heaps. I only do maybe 3-6 dressage shows a year, and some eventing. Plus it's light, so I can throw it on my 16.3 beast (almost killed myself putting my fully mounted leather jumping saddle on him the other day - stupid short me)

The wintecs are really comfortable

I really like my Stubben, they have so many different styles to fit different rider types.

The leather is great and their saddles last. I have bought two used saddles and liked both.

Try Trumbull Mt Tack Shop, their web site has alot to offer.

I have a stubben Juventus D, which I love.

My Albion has a HUGE knee/thigh roll, and while I hate it, it actually FITS my super long leg and its one f the few saddles that fits my horse. I would kill to get a nice broken in Stubben or an Amerigo mono flap dressage saddle, but they don't fit my horse.

Go with what fit your horse first.. try getting a few different brands from a good tack shop and have a professional try them on your pony!