BTB: Why I love Black Country saddles

Posted: 16 Sep 2010 01:15 PM PDT

Well, my new-used County Perfection saddle fits me well, and it fits Riley well, but it does NOT fit Harv. And now that I have experienced the County's 17.5" seat I know that I've been riding in a saddle too big for me for years. Saddle fitters have told me that to fit my long femur I need an 18" saddle, but...

They were wrong!
They were wrong, and I have an 18" Black Country Eden that is too big for me but fits Harv. The good news is, a little Net research and a few phone calls are making this possible. I'm consigning my 18" Black Country Eden and getting a used 17.5" version with serge panels (soft wool underside, not leather). I trialed it for five days. Harv is in heaven. I'm in heaven.

Ten things to love about Black Country saddles
I love Black Country saddles. I love the folks that make them and the folks that sell them. BC does not have the name recognition it deserves -- they are the hidden treasure of the saddle world. What makes them so wondrous?

Olympian Claudia Tarlov in a BC Eloquence saddle

Great feel! Soft leather and padding make BC the "LaZBoy of saddles." When you sit in this saddle it feels like you're home.
Got a cold-backed horse? They offer a serge panel option (wool underside rather than leather) for sensitive backed horses. Harv loves his!
Unlimited customizations at no charge -- leather color, seat depth, gussets, billet type, you name it, they can add it.
They have good resale value.
Got a wide-backed horse? Try their hoop tree design.
Got a thoroughbred? They have saddles to fit those big withered, slender guys. They are best known in the eventing world, I think, and they do a lot of thoroughbreds.
The saddles are competitively priced, with no compromise on the quality of their "low end" saddles.
Customers report fast turnaround on orders.
Quality -- the leather, workmanship, and design are built to last
Service! Trumbull Mountain Tack Shop is a super outfit.

A word about Trumbull Mountain
I believe they are the only BC dealer on the East Coast, and they are probably the biggest and most experienced BC saddle dealer in the U.S. The staff there spend time with you; they are experienced in fitting horses long distance, and they ask very detailed, astute questions. If you trial/demo a saddle, and send them good pix of the saddle on your horse, they'll give you their honest assessment of the fit. If they think another model of saddle will work better on your horse, they'll tell you, even if it is a less expensive model. I have sent pix and even a video, and I could tell when I spoke to them they watched it closely. They respond promptly via phone or email. They want you to be happy/satisfied. Their blog Saddle Fitting - The Inside Journey has a lot of great information about saddle fitting, their saddles, and their company.

I should mention that I never asked them to evaluate if the Eden fit me. The focus was Harv. I wonder what they might have told me about the fit of the saddle to me...

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