Yes, I’ve just posted five new special offers:
16 1/2″ XW Ideal Impala with Gazelle flaps & blocks in Military.
17″ Ideal Suzannah MW in a very dark, Dark Havannah!
17 1/2″ Ideal H & C Wide Seat XW Show Cut in Military.
17 1/2″ Ideal FWB XXW on a hooped tree in black with white stitching & piping.
17″ Ideal Nyala Jump/GP MW in black.
You’ll find all these saddles on our Offers page.
This is the Nyala…..
Nicola from Australia sent us these lovely photos of “our little tiny Ramsay you guys made for our little hunter pony”. It was tiny (!), 14″ and made to a specific specification. Don’t they look a picture!
Having recently posted a “Saddle Story” from Tasmania with some lovely photos of two ponies who had Ramsays built on an H & C tree, I thought a few more words on the merits of this saddle/tree combination would be helpful!
To look at, you can’t tell the difference between a 100% Ramsay and one built on an H & C tree. They look the same and the differences are subtle, but significant. The Ramsay on the H & C tree offers a deeper, wider seat and unlike the pure Ramsay, can be used for prolonged periods. It is very comfortable for the horse/pony, is supportive for the rider and crucially accommodates judges!!!
….made for customers in UK! Just a couple of examples of what can be done!
Firstly an Ideal Gazelle for a big man and a big horse. This is a 19″, deepest seat version of this comfortable & secure saddle in black and finished with white piping & stitching and silver D rings & fittings. In addition, it has knee blocks on velcro, longer flaps than standard, deeper rear gussets, wider front leg gussets, reinforced point pockets and additional felt lining to the panel.
Ideal Gazelle “Designed to Order”
Secondly. we have an Ideal Event Standard Seat, 17″ in London Tan with pale blue piping, including the stirrup leather keeper. This saddle has a comfort seat, narrower twist and slightly deeper seat than standard and is fitted with point & balance straps.
Ideal Event Standard Seat “Designed to Order”
Just posted a lovely Ramsay, 15″ W in Sala on our “Offers” page. Brand new, this Ramsay has hide covered flaps, suede seat, no knee rolls and is the deepest seat version of this classic show saddle.
15″ Ramsay with suede seat, hide covered flaps and no knee roll
A notable theme this year have been requests for shorter panels than standard. A decision to be taken with care(!) but it can be done! Here is a good example. It is a 16 1/2″ Suzannah made with 16″ panels. For comparison, included are photos of a standard 16 1/2″ Suzannah with 16 1/2″ panels.
Ideal Suzannah 16 1/2″ with 16″ panels
Ideal Suzannah with standard panels
Ideal Suzannah 16 1/2″ with 16″ panels
Ideal Suzannah with standard panels
Yes, I’ve just posted three new saddles on our “Offers” page Saddle Offers
They are….. Ideal Finesse Show Saddle 17 1/2″ W in 2 tone black & military, Ideal Nyala Jump/GP 17 1/2″ MW in sala and Ideal Suzannah Dressage Saddle 16 1/2″ MW in black. As with all our “Offer”saddles, we can fit them for you or send them to you as they are.
Well, I have to admit to having been a bit remiss in my posts so far this year! Having told myself off, let me bring you up to date!
The UK has been our biggest source of customers so far this year, although “the rest of the world” has still accounted for over 50% of our buisness. Australia was a key country, Ramsay show saddles being in demand. Japan was in the list again, as was Sweden. New countries for us were Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Returning customers were a notable and to us, very rewarding feature. The range of type of horse, as ever, is wide…….from ponies to an 18hh Irish Draft, taking in warmbloods, TBs, cobs and some interesting (Percheron x Spanish) crosses along the way.
As ever, the Suzannah dressage saddle, including the Monoflap, is high on the popularity list, as is the Roella but overall this has been more of jumping and GP time! Top of the pops is the wonderful Gazelle, one being made for the aforementioned 18h ID but the Nyala, Impala, Grandee and X-ceed featured also. For the very wide, the new FWB came in to its own although the H&C range held its place as a regular answer for the wide. Another feature this year have been requests for saddles to be made with extra short panels. More about this soon!
I’ve just posted two new saddles on our “Offers” page. One, a Walsall Riding Monkey Jump pony jump GP saddle (15 1/2″) and the other a show cut FWB for the very wide (17″). Both available now!….and can either be fitted or sent to you as they are.
A great pony jump GP saddle
Show cut on FWB tree
If you are and do, for jumping and cross country then you might be interested to see this saddle. It was made for a young man in Ireland who is tall, very long in the leg and who likes to ride very short across country. This is a Walsall Riding Integra Monoflap made extra forward cut and with a bigger knee roll.
Integra Monoflap, extra forward cut
The August issue of Equestrian Trade News included a feature on Made in Britain and met some “major players” with reasons to celebrate being British.
One of them was Ideal!
ETN gave a brief history of the company which I summarise here.
Founded in 1986, Ideal today employs 73 skilled craftsmen and women across two manufacturing sites. In 2007 Ideal purchased Walsall Riding, itself established in 1946. More recently Ideal purchased Beebee & Beebee, saddle tree makers since 1870. Ideal also purchased out of administration, the (Barnsby) patterns, now made under the Barclay brand, from Jabez Cliff Company. This year saw another acquisition, that of Aulton & Butler, saddle tree makers since 1955.
So, not only are Ideal one of the largest saddlery manufacturers in Walsall, they can also claim to have more tree blocks and patterns than any other company in the world!
Black saddles with white piping and/or white stitching have been quite a thing this summer!
This saddle, an Ozelle and made for a Spanish horse in France is in black Buffaloe with suede seat and pads with white stitching…..
and this saddle, a H&C Wide Seat Jessica, made for a Hafflinger in Switzerland has both white stitching and piping…..
To complete the picture i.e. white stitching, white piping and white patent moon we have a Suzannah in the making for a lovely piebald dressage horse in Ireland. Photos to come!
