French Saddle Brands
In this article we will discuss all about French saddle brands, and their ever increasing popularity within the worldwide equestrian community.
When we think of France as equestrians in the UK, we may think of the glorious Selle Français horse. Renowned for their talent for show jumping. Or perhaps we think of French icons such as Julien Épaillard or Morgan Barbançon Mestre. Or maybe you may look to our friends across The Channel for their range of saddles and saddle manufacturers.
Renowned for their chic, elegant, high-end designs, and popularity with top equestrians of every discipline. You may be considering a French saddle with no idea where to start. Or how to find one in the UK - The Saddle Bank are here to help you. French saddlers, or “Sellier” are a favourite with those wishing for the high-end luxury feel of saddles think of Hermès or Louis Vuitton. The former of which do actually make their own saddles! While still wanting a saddle with the specification and technical ability to be utilised at the pinnacle of equestrian sport. Particularly in eventing.
If you are still a bit confused about which saddle or any saddle related product is best for you why not get in touch with our friendly customer support team. Via phone on 01733 301 488 or email info@thesaddlebank.com. Our lovely team are always happy to help as much as they can and provide you with the information you need to make the best decision for you and your horse.
What are the most popular French saddle brands?
We have selected a few of the top French saddle brands to give you an insight:
Antarès
Antarès Sellier France hand manufacture every saddle in-house by their 45 saddlers in their own custom workshop, and have been doing so for over 20 years. They offer a range of saddles from completely custom-made (which is made 100% bespoke to order), semi-custom saddles, and a range of ready-to-wear saddles. Antarès saddles are available in grain, calf, or buffalo leather and provide the rider with a great pelvic position in a comfortable, luxurious seat. Their range of ready-to-wear saddles are predominantly made of ultra-soft calfskin leather on the rolls and seat, with injected foam panels, which are pliable to adapt to the rider, and return to shape after use (much like a memory foam mattress).
Devoucoux
Devoucoux Sellier pride themselves on a harmonious process by which their saddles are expertly crafted. Since 1985 the brand has been innovating some of the best saddles available on the market. It's not hard to see why they are one of the leading manufacturers for high-end saddles in the whole world. Devoucoux are very modern in their thinking, and have a great ethos when it comes to producing sustainable products that are built to last.
Utilising single block alveolar foam to improve the distribution of weight and pressure over the horse’s back. Devoucoux are one of the few high-end brands that have a model specifically for leisure riding; the Lagun O saddle is designed for optimum comfort while hacking and leisure riding. It still provides the quality and technical position that you see in all of their saddles across the range. Many Saddle Bank customers absolutely love Devoucoux. The Chiberta model was one of our top picks for jumping saddles in 2021!
Butet
Butet are an award-winning manufacturer and are the epitome of chic, minimal, elegant French design, (often referred to as a La Haute Sellerie. If you have heard of Haute Couture, this type of fashion and design is thought of as very high-class and often trendsetting.) The saddles are very refined and sophisticated. Surprisingly, Butet are another brand that offer a type of saddle for everyday riders. Known as their Practice Saddle, which is fully customisable. It is a great option for riders wanting a high-end, luxury saddle without the need for the technicality of a cutting-edge-performance saddle that you might see in top-level competition. Instead, the model is built solely for luxury and comfort while pleasure riding.
CWD
CWD really are a brand that need no introduction. The ultra-high-performance saddles are the favourite of many of the world’s top riders. You can see why! the profits from the company go straight back into research and development. The brand believes in “determining their own excellence”. Proud to be able to offer complete visibility, CWD know exactly where each material is made. Right down to working with just a select few cow farmers to be able to offer the highest quality leather. The cores of the saddles are made with viscoelastic-injected coated foam pads which are a high-tech solution allowing the saddle to effectively distribute the riders weight as well as keeping even pressure from the girth.
Voltaire
Though initiated in California, USA, Voltaire design saddles are now based out of the workshop in Bidart France. Which houses the state-of-the-art technology that allows them to manufacture high-end saddles. Voltaire offer a range of saddles which are tailored to each individual horse. The Saddle Bank Team have broken down what makes Voltaire saddles so excellent in our earlier blog. You can read all about it here.
Delgrange
In a modest workshop in 1976, Bruno Delgrange began to make saddles after being a high-level competitor himself. Now over 45 years later, Delgrange is another high-end French saddle manufacturer devoted to perfecting the art of peak performance saddles, with Bruno Delgrange still at the helm. The saddles feature ultra-soft calf leather and can be made fully customisable. Bruno Delgrange sees saddles as works of art. Carrying the same care and attention into every aspect of their design.
Childéric
Luc Childéric offer a range of bespoke saddles for dressage, jumping, or eventing. Under Luc Childeric’s careful eye, saddle designs at Childéric Sellier are developed with the key aspect in mind. Which is to ensure the horses freedom of movement and harmonious balance between the horse and rider. Luc Childéric offer saddles with three types of leather: grain, calf, or buffalo leather depending on your needs.
Where to buy French saddles
The Saddle Bank stock some brands second-hand. Check our stock and availability for certain brands here:
What Are Some Alternative High-End Brands Of Saddle?
We here at The Saddle Bank are proud to be able to offer a vast variety of saddles, to suit all ranges of ability and budget. For those looking for a high and performance saddle aside from the French saddles brands that we have mentioned. We have picked some great alternatives for you here:
Fairfax
The Fairfax performance range is extremely popular with customers of The Saddle Bank who are looking for a serious, technical saddle. They are a great alternative for someone preferring wool flocking over foam (though their Harry Meade Event saddle is the only model with foam panels). Fairfax saddles have an adjustable gullet. Meaning you can invest in one saddle that, if properly cared-for, will be able to be amended over the course of your horse’s lifetime with ease, as your horse grows and changes shape.
Bates
You'll be surprised to know that Bates offer a range of high-end, top-specification saddles too. The Advanta and Artiste from Bates are designed for optimum performance and competition. The Saddle Bank customers love how easily adaptable the Bates saddles are. Even for horses that are normally difficult to fit a saddle to. The adjustable gullet and Easy Change Riser more information available here make these saddles incredibly versatile and many of our customers that have utilised this system on our 5-day trial have never returned them; just one of many fantastic innovations from Bates.
Italian Brands
Many The Saddle Bank customers prefer Italian brands to satisfy their saddle needs. Saddle Makers such as Equipe, Amerigo, and Prestige all offer extremely high-quality saddles. Click here to see our full range of saddles.
