Has anyone had any experience of Joust Saddles?

BangOnTarget

I am thinking of buying a joust saddle which is very reasonable but don't want to waste money if they are not any good. Looking at a GP saddle.
How do they compare to saddles like Berneys?

elusiveguy

I must say, I'm very tempted by the current prices too!!!

doctor evil

They have interchangeable gullets, its important to remember the rest of the saddle stays the same so if it is too long in the seat etc changing the gullet wont help

elusiveguy

Do you know any more about them??

BangOnTarget

Well I took the plunge and bought one, a General Purpose, 17.5".
I am very happy, the leather seems very good and stitching is sound,
Will let you know how I get on.
Everyone up in the yard was very interested and had a good look and poke
no negative comments yet at least not to my face
I still am suspicious as to how they can sell them so cheap when they can
be held up against a Berneys (which is what I would have bought if I had the money) well time will tell!!!

Discoballs

Hi - Just wondering how you are getting on with your Joust Saddle?? I am interested in buying one. Just dont know anyone to get some reviews. ps what kind of horse do you have?

ApolloKat

Hi I'm new to this forum but I thought i'd give you my thoughts on this


I bought the joust jumping saddle about 2 months ago for my new 3/4 thoroughbred 4 yr old gelding. I find it fantastic as its so light and looks so well on him its also solid over a bank and fence, I've brought this little guy out the x country and he cat leaps anything and everything, so the knee rolls' shape is really handy!

The gel seat is also really comfy , its honestly like getting a new saddle without the hassle of breaking it in, cuz the leather is so soft and pliable that with good care it loosens up within a week.

The support is good too, I emailed recently about a fitting and i got a call back within the hour to arrange the day. its due for next week so hopefully all will go well

Kat

twomeys

Now before I get givin out to by Mods I am not trying to sell my products here. I just want to answer some of the comments in previous posts.

We dont sell the Joust saddles as a retailer (they sell direct) but we have found a trend towards saddles that are under 500 euro. We dont stock the expensive saddles, all we stock in store is our full leather saddle for 495.00 (including extra freebies) and to answer a very good question in a previous post by "bangontarget"

"I still am suspicious as to how they can sell them so cheap"

Well its very simple. One eye to most of the leather saddles for sub 500 euro pricing and you will see that the leather is usually argentinian or indian. All the saddles are made in Asia by cheap labour and often the trees are either fibreglass or plastic. Now like the one you bought ours have the interchangeable gullet and to be honest we have sat on these and sat on our 2.5k Bates and ya the bates has such detail and higher grade leather but for day to day work I would pick the cheaper one any day. Plus what we found and I think someone else said it too that these cheaper saddles can be really comfy. It is very impressive the quality that is out there for the money and I for one think the celtic tiger being dead has a few advantages!

Just a word of warning. If you are buying cheaper saddles check the warranty on the Tree. This can warp or snap and sometimes they can be pricey to replace. One other advantage of the cheaper saddles is they are less likely to be stolen. We have heard of a lot of expensive saddles being stolen and its heartbreaking to think someone would take something so personal to a person. Please also be aware if you are buying second hand to vet the seller.

Best of luck with all your new saddles guys and make sure to wear your hats and be safe.

Thanks

Eoghan

ordinary star

without soundign completely stupid.. the interchangeable gullet is to adjust the width of it isnt it? how easy is this to do?

also does anyone have any experience of how it fits if you had the view to use it on several different horses? would the tree spread/ is it sturdy enough?

any info is much appreciated!

twomeys

Hi ordinary

Yes the interchangeable gullet changes the witdh. So basically as your horse changes shape, develops or loses weight and muscle you can change the saddle to fit. This also means you won't damage the horses back if it's done correctly.

This process takes about five mins to do. Not all interchangeables are as good as others. As for the tree stretching, these saddles usually have plastic trees so stretching isn't an issue. Though if stored wrong trees can warp.

As a saddle option they are a great idea but I'd stick to the known brands. Since this original post I am led to believe that joist are closed. This means parts and warranty may not be available. Stick to brands with a track record. That's why on the interchangeables we promote wintec, bates and shires. At least you know there is back up.

Hope this info helps

Eoghan

silverfox88

Twomeys, your dead right on the tree and warranty, and from past experience I'd say be very careful with joust- if the saddle works out your sorted, but a woman in my yard bought one a while ago and within a week or two discovered the saddle didn't fit her mare. As far as I know they had said there would be no issue with returning the saddle within that period if it didn't fit, but she ended up having to fight tooth and nail to get them to take back the saddle and give her the refund as agreed.

Personally I'd be more inclined to spend around the same money on a decent secondhand one- homestead etc do a load of 2nd hand ones in various price ranges. I also bought one from them and was later able to trade it in against a saddle for my new horse. I really think that a 2nd hand Stubben/berneys/Goodwin saddle is a better option, I've seen them for sale for fairly reasonable money. They are tried and tested brands with a solid reputation behind them for a reason.

Oops, just read the above comment fully there, agreed agreed agreed!! Saddles are such an important part of your day to day equipment, your better off to view them as an investment. Your better off wincing as you part with more cash than you wanted than buying a piece of rubbish-it won't seem such a bargain when you're paying the chiropractor, whether it's for you or the horse!!

elaineve

Last May I bought a saddle, bridle, girth, tendon boots and a head coller from Joust Saddlery. At the beginning I quite suspicious due to their low the prices but great quality guarantee, however with reassurance from the owners Jayne and John I went ahead with my order. The first week of being in contact with them they were very helpful and reassuring. After three weeks I hadn't received by items so I rang to enquire, and was told that they were on their way and I would receive them in the next 5 days.

I didn't receive my items until August and spent two months chasing them constantly about my order, each time I rang I was told they would arrive in the next week or so and that they had a back log with orders etc etc. Finally when I did receive my items they were the wrong color and wrong size's, so I had to send them back. This time I waited only two weeks to get them back even though they had guaranteed a one week return policy up on their website.

In October I noticed that the stitching on my saddle was coming apart after only two months of riding in it. I have since been trying to get in contact with Jayne and John but to no avail. I have now heard that they are closed down. I would suggest to anyone thinking of buying from Joust to most definitely NOT. Even though there items may be of good quality leather, their customer service is horrendous and none of their " guarantee's" have ever been seen through.

There are plenty of other good quality saddles out there that you can choose from and around the same price.

doctor evil

I heard they are closed down too, also heard of folk having to use small claims court to get their money back.

Disgraceful company.

melsk1

For all who is interested in Joust saddlery.


Stay clear!! Beware. No Customer Service. You will get ignored and blocked if you try and make contact for fittings. Saddles fall apart.

One very unhappy and dissatisfied customer speaking out.

Saddles fall apart.

PM for more info.

MDFM

melsk1 wrote: »

For all who is interested in Joust saddlery.


Stay clear!! Beware. No Customer Service. You will get ignored and blocked if you try and make contact for fittings. Saddles fall apart.

One very unhappy and dissatisfied customer speaking out.

Saddles fall apart.

PM for more info.

Joust are gone out of business, closed, as already stated.

melsk1

MDFM wrote: »

Joust are gone out of business, closed, as already stated.

Yes, and unfortunately they are not honouring their word either. I guess I will have to be another small claims court case.

Moonbuggy

Don't buy anything from Joust Saddlery. I bought a Joust saddle in October last year and initially was very happy with it...even had been complimented on it, but that was then. I went to get it re-flocked with a proper Master Saddler last week and he condemned it saying that it is not fit for purpose and is of such poor quality that I should never use it again for my and my horse's safety. The tree was so flexible and thin it had been throwing me off-balance and causing my horse some recent pain and it was likely to break if it came under stress. He also said the leather was cheap, poor quality Indian leather and the stitching was also Indian although Jane told me that she hand-made the saddle and she is not Indian! I couldn't get in contact with Jane after buying the saddle although the re-flock was supposed to be part of the service and included in the price that I paid. I've now got a worthless saddle that I wouldn't even dream of selling...I wish I knew before parting with my hard earned cash!

doctor evil

Hhhmmm lost my post from earlier.

Anywho Moonbuggy if ditching that awful saddle (from an awful company) be sure to cut it in half so one will try to sell it on. I hope not too many people fell for their aggressive advertising and empty promises.

liza22

Sorry to hear about the bad experiences. Disgraceful behaviour on Joust's part - no wonder they sold their remaining stock off cheap as chips and then disappeared! When something seems too good to be true, unfortunately it appears that it usually is.

Moonbuggy

I have to say that I did some research before buying and all the reviews I read were great about Joust. The saddle's were quite expensive when I bought too...prior to them being sold off cheaply! What sold it for me though was that Jane would come to fit the saddle and she was supposed to be a Master Saddler. And I had looked into a Berney's saddle but my horse is very wide and they do not generally stock or make wide-enough tree saddles. I still just can't believe it and I'm still without a saddle!

BangOnTarget

Ended up in the small claims too, got our money back after a lot of hassle.
Bought a Bernies instead and it's been really brilliant, I guess you get what you pay for.