Saddle Review: KN Ouvertüre Victoria

SADDLE REVIEW

KN Ouvertüre Victoria

The dressage saddle to take you all the way to international competition. With its large knee blocks, a deep seat and straight cut flaps this is the one for you if you like to ride long and straight.

Sometimes, no matter how keen an equestrian you are, life gets in the way. And it was after a ten year break from horses that Skye Starkey bought a two-year-old black filly in 2019. “In early 2021 it was time for her to be broken in – and time for me to buy another saddle,” says Skye, who lives at Central Colo in the NSW’s Hawkesbury region and works as a business development manager at a real estate agency in nearby Windsor.

Prior to that prolonged break she had ridden competitively: “It was mainly at Arabian shows where I rode dressage at Novice Level with my old Aloha bred mare. And then I owned a Thoroughbred before I bought the filly.” Skye had ridden in a Peter Horobin saddle on her Thoroughbred without any problems. “Being a Thoroughbred he had a bit of a wither, whereas my mare is very round. She’s a Warmblood by Furst Love out of a Jazz mare,” she says. “I looked at many saddles and tried about five different styles, but they weren’t quite right for Ari," who's more formally known as Buckwell Park New Love.

But then Skye remembered riding in KN saddles, a top quality brand manufactured in Austria by Karl Niedersuess Saddlery: “I used to ride in them when I worked Mum’s horses, and I’d always felt right when I sat in them.” Skye’s mother, Vicki Chidgey, runs Freemans Lodge Equestrian Centre, a boutique stud and agistment property breeding performance ponies and Warmbloods at Freemans Reach.

But just in case you were thinking that it always runs in the family, despite living in an equestrian orientated environment, Skye says that her own daughter doesn’t share her enthusiasm. “When she was young I bought her a pony but he was a rat bag, dumping everyone who rode him! Perhaps, when she’s older, she might change her mind.”

It was Vicki who told Skye about The Saddle Hub. “So I got in touch, which was the best thing I ever did. You can buy then trial the saddle for two weeks. If you’re happy you keep it, if you’re not happy you return it and get a refund. I dealt with Shae, The Saddle Hub’s manager, and she was really helpful. She measured the saddle for me, sent photos, and the follow up was good.”

She is thrilled with her KN Ouvertüre. “My seat feels so good in it. I’m riding a young horse who has a tendency to shy but I feel secure, and I haven’t needed to make any adjustments as it fits beautifully. Making this purchase through The Saddle Hub was a really good experience.”

The KN Ouvertüre Victoria is a perfect fit for Skye and the very elegant Buckwell Park New Love.

Confident in her new KN, Skye is looking forward to competing in the dressage ring very soon.

The Saddle Hub has a wide variety of top quality second-hand saddles, so why wait? Visit www.equestrianhub.com.au and browse through their fantastic range.

All saddles come with a two-week trial, finance options, and a courier right to your door.