[nextyear]

Likes or dislikes?

[KrazyTBMare]

LOVE - quality, durability, details, totally custom, GREAT customer service with the fitters/reps/owner, one master saddler who makes each one, completely adjustable. The leather is just.. oh I LOVE it. Best purchase Ive made. I have the Borne Contour Open Seat.

[CatPS]

Beautiful, well-made saddles that fit wonderfully. However we have had a problem at our barn with it taking a LONG time to get orders in. One person waited 6 months for a custom Borne while her horse's back was getting more and more sore. Just seems to be a bit of a pattern in our case.

[Dune]

AT a friend's barn, new fitter talked everyone into getting one. Then they sold them all on the idea of getting the Mattes shim pads so that they would actually fit the horses. One of the saddles came with the skirt on backward and the new fitter and owner of that one didn't even notice (rode in it for six months!) until the "master fitter" pointed it out. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

[nextyear]

Thanks for the input! I am riding in one right now and several of the horses very much like them, 6 mos. is a long time to wait though!
As far as the saddles that were wrong how was the customer service? Did they fix it right away?

[Bearskin]

Try Black Country. Same quality, same options, way less money, and excellent FAST customer service

[Marydell]

I am going to say LIKE! because I do have a hard to fit youngster that a county did not fit well, nor did a Sommer or a Kniedersus as well as a custom.
BUT the Borne saddle that we have on trial is fitting her super well. No more sore spots, no shims, just a high quality well fit saddle and a better moving mare.

[bornesaddlery]

Beautiful, well-made saddles that fit wonderfully. However we have had a problem at our barn with it taking a LONG time to get orders in. One person waited 6 months for a custom Borne while her horse's back was getting more and more sore. Just seems to be a bit of a pattern in our case.

I'm sorry you had to wait so long to get your saddle. Our production times vary depending on the waiting list and our suppliers (trees, leather, etc). I hope your saddle was worth waiting for.

[bornesaddlery]

LOVE - quality, durability, details, totally custom, GREAT customer service with the fitters/reps/owner, one master saddler who makes each one, completely adjustable. The leather is just.. oh I LOVE it. Best purchase Ive made. I have the Borne Contour Open Seat.

Thank you so much for your support!
Karen Borne

[bornesaddlery]

Beautiful, well-made saddles that fit wonderfully. However we have had a problem at our barn with it taking a LONG time to get orders in. One person waited 6 months for a custom Borne while her horse's back was getting more and more sore. Just seems to be a bit of a pattern in our case.

Sometime it can take longer if we have to custom order a tree for someone. This adds about 4 weeks onto an order.
Another delay comes with UK holidays (can't get supplies), Andy's personal vacations, and a long waiting list. I hope this clears up some reasons for delays.
Karen Borne

[bornesaddlery]

AT a friend's barn, new fitter talked everyone into getting one. Then they sold them all on the idea of getting the Mattes shim pads so that they would actually fit the horses. One of the saddles came with the skirt on backward and the new fitter and owner of that one didn't even notice (rode in it for six months!) until the "master fitter" pointed it out. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

Dune,
I'm not sure who or what you are talking about but neither I nor my fitters have the capability to "talk someone into" buying anything. I don't think that's possible when you are working in the $4000.00 range of products. We simply present what we have, provide a service and the outcome is subject to the desire of the client.

Regarding Mattes shim pads . . . again, I don't talk someone into buying a product. I make saddle fitter pads available to my clients as a service. Sometimes we fit young horses, horses that change shape due to training, climate changes, health related issues, injury etc. I recommend saddle fitter pads to clients in these situations but never to compensate for a custom saddle that doesn't fit. We offer a 10-day trial period for all of our saddles and we stand behind our 100% cash back guarantee should the saddle not fit for some reason.

As far as the "skirt" that was put on backwards, that was not the skirt but rather the sweatflap on the underside of the saddle. I had a discussion with the rider and she decided it didn't matter because it was under the flap and it did not effect her horse or her riding in the saddle. Of course, you weren't priviledged to that discussion so I didn't expect you to know that.

It just seems to me that the tone of your post is more about demonizing Borne Saddlery than getting your facts correct. We'll let the readers decide.

Karen Borne, President
Borne Saddlery, LLC

[bornesaddlery]

Thanks for the input! I am riding in one right now and several of the horses very much like them, 6 mos. is a long time to wait though!
As far as the saddles that were wrong how was the customer service? Did they fix it right away?

Our saddles do not take 6 months. The customary wait time is 10-12 weeks. If a saddle takes longer, it could be due to a custom tree order, our production flow, and European holidays making it hard to get supplies.

Our saddles ALL come with a 7-10 day 100% cash back guarantee. If something is wrong we make it right or refund your deposit.

I hope this clears things up for you.

Karen Borne, President
Borne Saddlery, LLC

[bornesaddlery]

I am going to say LIKE! because I do have a hard to fit youngster that a county did not fit well, nor did a Sommer or a Kniedersus as well as a custom.
BUT the Borne saddle that we have on trial is fitting her super well. No more sore spots, no shims, just a high quality well fit saddle and a better moving mare.

Thank you MaryAnna! I appreciate your support.

Karen Borne

[check]

dune, i have personally been riding in Borne saddles for over 9 years now and love the product, customer service and have never had anyone ever suggest a shim pad for any of Borne's saddles. The company takes extreme care to make sure all measurements are correct and that the saddle fits just right. Maybe you dont have your facts straight.

[check]

Also, i am an active Grand Prix trainer and competitor, most of my clients are also riding in Borne saddles and ALL love them. They have not had a single complaint and all of the horses had improved movement and attitude towards their training immediately. I mean, ALL of them. It was overwhelmingly universal. My own horse has excelled and i know that it is because of being comfortable. I have been in the training business for over 34 years and can't say enough about Borne saddles. Having been in the business this long, if i believe in a company and product it is because it is a good one.

[Dune]

Dune,
I'm not sure who or what you are talking about but neither I nor my fitters have the capability to "talk someone into" buying anything. I don't think that's possible when you are working in the $4000.00 range of products. We simply present what we have, provide a service and the outcome is subject to the desire of the client.

Regarding Mattes shim pads . . . again, I don't talk someone into buying a product. I make saddle fitter pads available to my clients as a service. Sometimes we fit young horses, horses that change shape due to training, climate changes, health related issues, injury etc. I recommend saddle fitter pads to clients in these situations but never to compensate for a custom saddle that doesn't fit. We offer a 10-day trial period for all of our saddles and we stand behind our 100% cash back guarantee should the saddle not fit for some reason.

As far as the "skirt" that was put on backwards, that was not the skirt but rather the sweatflap on the underside of the saddle. I had a discussion with the rider and she decided it didn't matter because it was under the flap and it did not effect her horse or her riding in the saddle. Of course, you weren't priviledged to that discussion so I didn't expect you to know that.

It just seems to me that the tone of your post is more about demonizing Borne Saddlery than getting your facts correct. We'll let the readers decide.

Karen Borne, President
Borne Saddlery, LLC

Nothing personal, I was just sharing what I know. I'm glad you admitted something was put on backward, check did not. Admitting "problems" even though you feel it was not crucial is important if one wants to grow a business and maintain a good reputation, I applaud you on this account.

dune, i have personally been riding in Borne saddles for over 9 years now and love the product, customer service and have never had anyone ever suggest a shim pad for any of Borne's saddles. The company takes extreme care to make sure all measurements are correct and that the saddle fits just right. Maybe you dont have your facts straight.

Hmmm, talked to several who were there and had my own personal encounter, but again I guess that's just their/my opinion, fwiw.

Also, i am an active Grand Prix trainer and competitor, most of my clients are also riding in Borne saddles and ALL love them. They have not had a single complaint and all of the horses had improved movement and attitude towards their training immediately. I mean, ALL of them. It was overwhelmingly universal. My own horse has excelled and i know that it is because of being comfortable. I have been in the training business for over 34 years and can't say enough about Borne saddles. Having been in the business this long, if i believe in a company and product it is because it is a good one.

Fantastic!