Passier
GT Dressage Saddle
Dressage Saddles
Manufacturer: Passier
Model: GT Dressage Saddle
Category: Dressage Saddles
Purchase: Bought off e-bay for about 795 $
Likes: I bought this saddle used but in like new condition. It is an old model that Passier will still make on special order for over 2500$, so given the condition of the saddle it was a very good deal. I do not like big knee rolls or thigh blocks so that is why I looked up this particular model. The saddle was probably built in the 80's and the leather was fairly dry when I received it. But with several coatings of very good quality saddle oil/dressing, the leather came right back to life. It was not broken in at all when I got it and after a few weeks of riding 2 or 3 horses per day in it it is now nicely broken in. It is amazing how well Passier's leather stand up to time!!! I like that it has a very open seat that supports my seat bones well without tilting my pelvis in one or another way. I had a French dressage saddle with a very high back and accentuated banana tree which ended up giving me back aches. This problem has been considerably alleviated with the Passier saddle. The twist is medium and not too narrow which I tend to dislike, but I don't feel like I am sitting on a barrel either. It is a nice middle between too narrow which for me does not provide enough support to my thighs and seat and hurts, and too wide which gives me the feeling of sitting on a wine barrel. This saddle balances well on most horses and allows me to sit in a very neutral position without restricting my seat in anyway.
This saddle is a generous medium and fits a number of horses going from TBs to warmbloods. It does not have gussets so it fits horses with a slight dip in the back very well. On horses with a very straight back it has tendency to sit cantle low and thus puts the rider behind the movement. It can be corrected with a bit of shimming if the horse is not too wide but for some of the warmbloods I ride that have wide shoulders and a flat back I ordered a Passier Antares with a wide tree and gusseted panels. I believe that with these 2 saddles I should be able to fit all the horses I have in training!
Dislikes: Nothing to speak off really. I wished the girth straps were long and the saddle took a short dressage girth but this really is only a detail and I can always get a saddler to install new straps.
Quality: The saddle is very well made. The leather is of very good quality since it looks new and supple after a few coating of oil even though the saddle is more than 15 years old and probably just sat in some house or tack room for the past 10 or 15 years!
Summary: Nice saddle, very durable and very close contact and non interfering.
Rating: 5
Author: ASD
Date: 0000-00-00
Usefulness Rating: 3.40426 out of 5.
47 reader(s) voted.
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