La Gringa Saddlery - custom saddle - any experience?
I was wondering if anyone had ever (or know someone who has) ordered from La Gringa Saddlery. They are located in Argentina and their main focus is polo, but they make custom jump and dressage saddles also---for only $550-$680.
I am a bit put off by the reality that they only give their tree a 5-year warranty, but I would probably be ready for a alien saddle by then anyway.
Anyone familiar next to them at all? How much customization do they allow? Are they any good?
I have friends who used them for custom boots. The boots are really nice. That being said, If you are only predisposed to spend $600 you are better off going for a gently used brand name saddle close to a Pessoa or Stuben.
I'm familiar with Borelli (Also made contained by Argentina and is the cadillac of the Argentine saddlers.), and for that amount of money I'd take it and go find a gently used Stubben on ebay. I'd be slightly worried when a company merely guarentees their saddle trees for 5 years.
http://sporting-goods.shop.ebay.com/item...
The saddles coming out of Argentina and India don't hold up as long as those coming out of Europe (Germany, Switzerland, France and the UK). Their leather isn't tanned as well, their craftsmanship is incomplete and the stitching doesn't hold up.
Answers: I ordered a custom made polo helmet from La Gringa. They were greatly helpful and allowed me to pick the color and material for every little piece. I've only have the helmet for about two months, but the quality seems excellent. It seem like a fairly small store, I called and the executive planner picked up, which is very nice. I would recommend them.
