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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
| I am starting to look for another saddle for one of my boys and there are so many used Martin crown c's for sale... any particular reason? I had the impression that they were the very best!  |
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 Expert
Posts: 2335
 
Location: IL | I love my Crown C and if I could afford another one I'd buy one! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I think it was just the fad at the time. Everyone ran out and bought one whether it was a good fit for them or not just because it was the "in" thing to do. I'm not saying they aren't fantastic saddles but they are not going to fit every riding style and horse so I think a lot of what is for sale is people who bought them and have decided to go back to something else.
Which is excellent for those who love them because a lot are barely used and you're not paying retail for them.
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
 
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I love my Crown C. The reason I think that you see Crown C's is that people gets the wrong size gullet for their horse are the wrong seat size, I bought a wider gullet for my one gelding didnt fit the way I wanted it to fit so sold it but still bought another one that fits.
I see lots of good big name brand saddles for sale, but if its the wrong size why keep it.. |
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| I can't tell you why so many are for sale, but I like mine! No problems with the quality or the way it seats me. I don't have an issue with the gullet measurement on mine since I have 7-8 horses being rode at any given time, so it always works on someone :) |
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 Expert
Posts: 2258
| I bought one rode it for a year or so then the tree twisted and sored my mare up bad over a weekend. They did replace to tree for free but I sold it as it just didn't fit the horse I bought it for anymore. It was nice to ride in. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Love how they ride. Not a very forgiving tree, fit-wise for the horse. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
| yeah, I always heard very good things about them. I tried a couple and the only thing it threw me off a bit was that I felt they tilted my body position forward. Has anyone experienced the same? For the record, I am one of those riders that takes a while to get used to new things (a curse sometimes) 
Edited by love2ridepre 2016-05-17 12:29 PM
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | love2ridepre - 2016-05-17 12:27 PM yeah, I always heard very good things about them. I tried a couple and the only thing it threw me off a bit was that I felt they tilted my body position forward. Has anyone experienced the same? For the record, I am one of those riders that takes a while to get used to new things (a curse sometimes )
Yes, they are built to put you more up on your crotch, than on your butt. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Why there are so many crown c saddles for sale is Martin understands one size doesn't fit all, so they make gullets from 63/4 to 11+ in Half increments also they make the saddle in a regular tree or a flat that is 20 different options in trees alone.
The crown c was the first saddle in the various gullets then they made the fx3 a lot of people who had the crown c sold it and jumped to the fx3 as it suited their riding style better.
Until you have actually fitted your horse and fitter yourself it is a guessing game, my first crown c I bought a 14 1/2, I hated it thankfully Martin took it back and built me a new saddle in a 14. I can get by in the 14 but my other saddles are 13 1/2.
As people said they are not for everyone, and not for every horse, I had a horse who fit it perfectly, but refused to work in it, so I used a Tod Sloan.
Horses just like people have preferences |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 415
| Hated mine, made me ride like crap because of the position it put me in and I knocked more in those saddles than anything. A bunch of friends realized it too after thinking about it and trying out different saddles and sold theirs too. I thought the gullet thing was cool at first but I now think the gullet thing is a terrible fad that people only care about now instead of bar angle and flare. Not to mention why should you have to shim a $2000 saddle when my other ones that I paid the same price for I don't and fit better and more horses? Overall it was awesome built and will last a longtime quality wise, I just think there's a lot of other solid saddles that put you in better positions for the price without having to go by their funky gullet measurements. I hated to sell it because it was so pretty but it was definitely for the best.  |
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Location: In my own little world | Spot on regarding shimming. Shouldn't have to do that if the saddle fit properly. They are all about the gullet and not the angle of the bars. But not a lot of people are savvy enough to ask about bar angles. Everyone has been indoctrinated about gullet size and it is the combo that makes a saddle fit. Crown C's have a high ground seat which does throw you forward. My personaly opinion is a lot of people like them but not as many can ride well in them. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| My girlfriend bought one when they were all the "rage" and hers had a twisted tree. I thought, REALLY??? for THAT kind of money and the tree isn't right!! They fixed it for free, but that sort of made me think about them twice.
I have noticed a lot of fads come and go on this site, like several years ago EVERYBODY on here just HAD to have a Triple Creek - now you don't hardly hear about them. I'm just not much on the crowd following. I tend to do what works for me.  |
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  Fact Checker
Posts: 16572
Location: Displaced Iowegian |
LOL............^^^^^ THIS |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I think a lot of the reason is people buy the wrong size. Also I think Crown C's work for a very specific type of rider and many people that don't fit that type got them and then realized there was nothing wrong with the saddle, it just wasn't right for them. There's no doubt though that they're beautifully made, high quality saddles and their school of thought on saddle fit is spot on. I have a Crown C that I LOVE. The only way I'd consider selling it is to buy a dressage saddle since I don't barrel race anymore. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| ACEINTHEHOLE - 2016-05-17 4:39 PM
love2ridepre - 2016-05-17 12:27 PM yeah, I always heard very good things about them. I tried a couple and the only thing it threw me off a bit was that I felt they tilted my body position forward. Has anyone experienced the same? For the record, I am one of those riders that takes a while to get used to new things (a curse sometimes )
I rode one when I was trying to find the right fit for my horse. I didn't like how it sat me either, felt like it set me forward. Love my Martin Racer, same quality and I could choose the gullet width, but I feel like I can get a deeper seat. |
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 Did I miss the party?
Posts: 3864
| NJJ - 2016-05-18 6:32 AM LOL............^^^^^ THIS
What they said!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 897
Location: Glendive Mt. | I liked the Crown C but it did through my legs back some. I ended up wit a Martin FX 3. It doesn't through my feet back and fits my mare better then anything else. She is a wide mare but ended up with 7" gullet. The FX 3 has a higher front end making you sit on your pockets . |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I looked at the sale ads on here and on facebook after I saw this and I don't think there are really any more for sale than there are of Double Js or any other saddle that has a lot of them out there. I have been through a few as I moved up gullet sizes and now have one for sale because I sold the horse I used it on. They all have been really well made saddles and I have no complaints about how they ride, I actually really liked the way it makes you feel like you are sitting down on your horses back instead of perched up high like a lot of saddles are.
As far as the whole shim deal goes, it's not for everyone but it is a great way to be able to adjust the fit on each individual horse. Not really any different than buying a pair of jeans and having to use a belt sometimes. It is more work and you do need to pay attention but again they are a good tool.
ETA: as far as the gullet deal being a 'fad' with Martin, I notice Caldwell has different trees with really wide gullets and nobody calls them a fad? I suppose because they aren't encouraging the shims with them but they do have instructions for modifying pads to get a better fit.
Edited by AllAroundRider 2016-05-18 3:34 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
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People don't necessarily need to shim if they get the proper fit. And honestly I am glad the "fad" happened as one of my horses there wasn't a saddle out there to fit her. She went to the trainer for a month came back with atrophy which took a few months to come back. I had to ride her in a flex tree as Martin was making me a different saddle, she actually became cold backed and it felt like it fit her.
Currently I have 3 horses in crown c saddles I shim two as one is too big for a regular 7" gullet tree in most brands but she is too small for a 8.5" gullet, until she is done growing I will make due with what I have. The other when I ordered the saddle I thought she would fill out more but she never did, the shim works fine. The other horse is a 10" gullet with no shim.
I think a lot of the shimming would not occur if people looked at the horses back, if they have a flat back order a flat tree therefore you will probably eliminate the shim.
I do agree the angle of the bars is important, Martin saddles are 100 degrees when I spoke to my friend who makes saddles for a living near she says most factory made trees are 90-93 degrees, this is measured right behind the gullet. I believe the widest a Pozzi goes is 95.
Each person to their own, I find quite a few people are not educated on saddles gullets and trees. I have seen Sloan saddles being advertised as 8" gullets but when you call Sloan the serial number says 6 3/4 gullet. |
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