Courbette / Lemetex
Bernina
Dressage Saddles
Manufacturer: Courbette / Lemetex
Model: Bernina
Category: Dressage Saddles
Purchase: I bought this saddle in Sweden at a local tack shop for 7900SK or $1230CDN. I was in the market for a new wider saddle with a more secure fit for both my horse and myself.
Likes: I am loving this saddle. When in the store looking at it, I found the leather as good or better than the Passier, and comparable to the Stubben (11900SK). The gusset is nice and wide with good depth to allow for the spine and facet joints without impingement. (I noted that the Passier was far too narrow and would likely impinge on the spine... I thought Passier was fantastic???).
The seat is deep and with the narrow twist and perfectly placed knee blocks, I felt my body go into perfect position! I felt secure, yet comfortable and attached to the saddle which would enable me to connect better with my horse while keeping me still and centred.
When I got the saddle back to Canada, it fit very well. The only slight problem being the pannel not being quite big enough for my boy, but since this saddle is wool flocked, I will be able to have it restuffed to correct this (or fit to another horse) for about $250.
Dislikes: The first time I used this saddle, one of the billet straps cracked quite badly. I have not tried to report this to the company as I bought the saddle in Sweden for immediate export to Canada. For this reason, the saddle is under the brand Lemetex, which is the European name for Courbette. Don't know if this will cause me problems.
Quality: Very nice quality leather. Construction includes Federbaum tree and REAL WOOL FLOCKING! Wool can be re-stuffed to fit different horses (of the same tree width) and to be maintained properly.
The reason for my need to buy a new saddle was because my Crosby was foam flocked, and thus no alterations could be made to the stuffing.
Summary: Both my horse and I love this saddle. Very good price to quality ratio. Very nice fit and thoughtfulness into the design for both horse and rider.
I don't think too many people would be disappointed with the purchase of this saddle. If I could have given 4.5 I would have, and the only reason I can not give a 5 is due to the cracking of the billet strap on the first ride. The rest is brilliant!
Rating: 4
Author: Mary Wittenberg
Date: 2005-08-15
Usefulness Rating: 3.80645 out of 5.
62 reader(s) voted.
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