I'm a member of the "Broke Horse Owner" club, and I'm in the market for a new english saddle. The one I have now is just... eh. Uncomfortable for me, and it takes about three pads to make it comfortable for my horse. He has medium-high withers but a fairly broad back, and it is SO HARD for me to find a saddle that fits him comfortably. So, I'm thinking the best way to go would be to get one with an adjustable tree, like the Wintec saddles that come with the tree sets. 

Any suggestions? Brands, etc? I am on a budget so keep that in mind, I suppose... and I'd like something with a fairly deep seat. 

 Thanks! :D

I've used Wintec saddles on a lot of lesson horses, and I really like them.  They are comfortable to ride in (though I don't like to jump higher than 2'3" in them as the seats are kinda deep) and fit a lot of different horses.  The changeable gullet is really nice, plus the Wintec is the best quality for a medium price range saddle.  They last a really long time and never really look dirty.  

I second the Wintecs -- the 500 is quite comfy, I have the Dressage Pro as well.  Good balance and easy to fit, although I always get the wool, if they come with CAIR I have it taken out.

I'd also look for an older used Crosby -- that was my first saddle and it fit horses well and I did EVERYTHING in that saddle till I sold it on because I needed more knee flap as I jumped higher. 

I also would not rule out a CC saddle -- I bought my Collegiate CC about a year and change ago and LOVE it, I can easily do dressage in it too and now I would not go back to an AP.

We have two of the tree changing saddles, the Isabelle in the Wintec and the Bates (they are dressage saddles) and the changable trees are really cool, but they will not fit all horses. Same with the CAIR panels, while these saddles will fit MOST horses, if your horse has much of a wither, you may still have a rock. So I highly recommend the interchangable trees and the CAIR panels, but I would definitely want to try it out several times before I bought it. I just got the Isabell Bates and I rode in it for a month before I committed to buying it, and it fits two of our horses great, and one of them not at all, no matter which tree we put in.

Just a pedantic, OCD note:  only the GULLETS on those saddles are interchangeable, not the whole tree. 

 Thanks everyone for the input!

I have ridden in an Isabelle and I absolutely LOVE them. So comfy. I'll have to look into that one, and I'm happy to hear it comes with the gullet changers, I didn't know that. (lol thanks Solaris for the comment. I totally used the wrong word there, haha. GULLET. NOT TREE. ) My only thing with the Wintecs is don't they seem to wear faster? They always seem to look worn to me but I may be wrong.

I have not found the wear to be unusually quick.  No, it's not going to last for 20 years, but hey, it's a $500 saddle (well, the Isabelle's not, but that's why I didn't buy it). 

To be absolutely correct, what is interchangeable on those saddles is the GULLET PLATE.  The gullet refers to the channel on the underside of the saddle that runs from front to back.  

I would definately look into the Wintec's as well.  The Wintec 500 has been my first saddle and I adore it.  Super comfortable (even on a 2 hour trail ride) and it's a nice all-around saddle.  A friend of mine has had a wintec for years and it doesn't show very much wear at all.  Hers has held up really well.  Mine still looks brand new, although I've only had it for a year, take very good care of it, and cover it while it sits in my tack room.  I agree that it does have a pretty deep seat, so maybe hard to use it for higher jumps.  But verstatile as I use it for dressage, jumping, and our trail rides.  Many online stores have the Wintecs for resonable prices.  Shop around to get the best deal!  Try horse.com, they have them very resonable!  Good luck!

 The Wintec 500 is sounding more and more like the saddle for me. I won't be jumping my paint (he's a total white boy, he can't jump, haha) so the deep seat won't be an issue. I'm off to see if I can borrow one from a friend in order to see how it feels both for myself and my gelding. Here's hoping! :) Do they only come in black? *checks*

edit: AH! They do come in brown. Muaha. But then again... black is so attractive... I'd need a new headstall too to match. Birthday present to myself maybe? xD

I understand where you're coming from on the money. I lucked out and bought a used Albion that looks brand new for 1/2 the price of a new one.

Maybe you can look around for a nice used one. I had an adjustable tree one and sold it because i just didn't like it.

 Good luck.

 Another thing to do is look on ebay.  My mom got a really nice HDR jumping saddle at half the price I had paid for a very similar one, new.  Plus, it was broken in for her!  I also really like Crosby's.  As Solo mentioned, they fit a lot of horses and they are SO comfortable.  It is like sitting on a squishy pillow.  I once told a person that I woud buy their horse, as long as their crosby came with it!!  You can usually find them on ebay for a reasonable amount, and as they are so well made, they last forever.

I find that Wintecs don't wear that much, you do have to brush and wipe them off to get them nice and black again though.  The actual material seems to hold up really well though.  I would suggest getting a saddle cover no matter what though, they protect the saddle and keep it from collecting dust.

 I've got the saddle cover already covered. Made it myself with elastic so it should fit pretty much any english saddle. I have already ransacked ebay and craigslist getting price-ranges for a few different saddles, and I'm pleased that I'll be able to afford the ones I want. I'm holding off on an actual purchase though until I have a chance to be lent one or something to see how it feels for both Jaybird and I.

Saracen96:

To be absolutely correct, what is interchangeable on those saddles is the GULLET PLATE.  The gullet refers to the channel on the underside of the saddle that runs from front to back.  

Oh, snap,  you got me!  You are right, damn, I'm so mad I slipped on that one!