Haven't had my hands directly on any Niedersuss, but that one does look good from the outside
If I were looking at this saddle to buy (and couldn't check it out myself), I'd want a picture of it from directly above, to get a look at the symmetry of the tree. In the pic from directly behind the cantle, it looks like the tree may be slightly twisted--but that sould simply be the angle from which the picture was taken, and it's near impossible to get a straight-on picture of the cantle. A picture from directly in front could also help.
The gullet width looks good from the front to the back; it doesn't look like it makes a V from the front to the back
I think the back of the right panel may be wider than the left--it looks that way in both the upside down picture and the cantle picture. Alternatively the panels could just be offset slightly to the left; that would make the right panel more prominent toward the center (and thus make it look bigger). This was extremely common in the saddles we examined, by the way. But again, it could be that neither picture is *directly* head-on.
The leather doesn't look like it's going to wear out any time soon.
The flocking isn't something you can see from a pictures, but the bottom should be entirely smooth and not lumpy at all. From the glare I'd guess that the panels aren't lumpy, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Theres also no way to tell what kind of flocking is in it (good wool, less good wool, synthetic stuff, foam etc).
From the pictures that I can see, I would guess that the panels are slightly offset to the left, which has caused the rider to ride somewhat crookedly trying to compensate (trying to stay centered over the gullet, which is slightly to the left). This would cause a slight twist in the tree, and also uneven wear on the panels; the panels would be much more compacted on one side. Again the pictures may be causing an optical illusion--but even if the pictures are representing the saddle accurately, then all of the above is fixable.
Most of the above I am confident that I could handle, if it arrived in less-than-perfect condition. If it had a broken tree or a major twist, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it without completely replacing the tree (on a saddle selling used for $900, it might be worth it). If you have somoene around you who does a good job with saddle repair, then you also might be able to be somewhat cavalier about minor-to-medium imperfections.
But if you yourself can't, and you don't have anyone you trust to do work on a saddle, then you'll probably want to be very precise about whether the tree is sound, the panels are on straight, the panels are smoothly and evenly flocked, the tree is sound, the billets and stirrup bars are symmetrical, etc. It's going to be difficult enough getting a used saddle to fit your horse properly without a total reflocking.
If I were looking at this saddle to buy (and couldn't check it out myself), I'd want a picture of it from directly above, to get a look at the symmetry of the tree. In the pic from directly behind the cantle, it looks like the tree may be slightly twisted--but that sould simply be the angle from which the picture was taken, and it's near impossible to get a straight-on picture of the cantle. A picture from directly in front could also help.
The gullet width looks good from the front to the back; it doesn't look like it makes a V from the front to the back
I think the back of the right panel may be wider than the left--it looks that way in both the upside down picture and the cantle picture. Alternatively the panels could just be offset slightly to the left; that would make the right panel more prominent toward the center (and thus make it look bigger). This was extremely common in the saddles we examined, by the way. But again, it could be that neither picture is *directly* head-on.
The leather doesn't look like it's going to wear out any time soon.
The flocking isn't something you can see from a pictures, but the bottom should be entirely smooth and not lumpy at all. From the glare I'd guess that the panels aren't lumpy, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Theres also no way to tell what kind of flocking is in it (good wool, less good wool, synthetic stuff, foam etc).
From the pictures that I can see, I would guess that the panels are slightly offset to the left, which has caused the rider to ride somewhat crookedly trying to compensate (trying to stay centered over the gullet, which is slightly to the left). This would cause a slight twist in the tree, and also uneven wear on the panels; the panels would be much more compacted on one side. Again the pictures may be causing an optical illusion--but even if the pictures are representing the saddle accurately, then all of the above is fixable.
Most of the above I am confident that I could handle, if it arrived in less-than-perfect condition. If it had a broken tree or a major twist, I wouldn't be able to do anything about it without completely replacing the tree (on a saddle selling used for $900, it might be worth it). If you have somoene around you who does a good job with saddle repair, then you also might be able to be somewhat cavalier about minor-to-medium imperfections.
But if you yourself can't, and you don't have anyone you trust to do work on a saddle, then you'll probably want to be very precise about whether the tree is sound, the panels are on straight, the panels are smoothly and evenly flocked, the tree is sound, the billets and stirrup bars are symmetrical, etc. It's going to be difficult enough getting a used saddle to fit your horse properly without a total reflocking.