Bruno de Heusch
BdH Grained leather, 16.5 seat, Regular tree
Close Contact Saddles
Manufacturer: Bruno de Heusch
Model: BdH Grained leather, 16.5 seat, Regular tree
Category: Close Contact Saddles
Purchase: I bought this saddle from Dover Saddlery in Nov, 2004. It had been used one time. It was on sale for $1200.00.
Likes: This saddle is extremely comfortable. It has a very deep seat and a forward flap. You feel very secure yet close to your horse.Your leg is placed in the perfect position for jumping the big sticks or doing flat work. I put tons of oil on it which softened and darkened it up nicely. I have used the BdH on a variety of different sized horses. It fits very well on all. I particularly like it on my high withered TB. The recessed stirrup bars are wonerful as you do not feel a lump on your thighs.
Dislikes: Before the saddle was oiled the leather was very red. The oil darkened it considerably but it still looks a bit red on the flaps. There was one flaw under the saddle. I will cover that in the quality section.
Quality: The quality of the leather seems very good. There is a flaw on the under side of the saddle. It is a line (not a crack) that seems to be a weak spot. I have riden in this saddle about 4 to 5 times per week for eight months now. The flaw has not gotten worse or changed at all. The stitching is of good quality. Some of the stitching (mainly tacking down) under the saddle appears to have been hand done.
Summary: I would highly recommend this saddle. It is a fine saddle for the price. It is outstanding for jumping. It puts you in the perfect secure position. I would compare the seat depth to the DelGrange PJ. I don't think it is as high of quality as the DelGrange saddles (but the DelGrange saddles also cost about 3200.00). The seat sizes run a little bit small so I would go up 1/2 inch if you are used to the flatter seat saddles. Dover probably has one you could test ride. That is always a good idea before you buy.
P.S. I almost put this review in the jumping saddles catagory. I saw another review in the close contact catagory so I put this one there too.
Rating: 5
Author: Codibecca
Date: 2005-07-08
Usefulness Rating: 4.80769 out of 5.
26 reader(s) voted.
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