Adults riding ponies ....

DJ

DJ

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I`m sure this has been done to death lol ....


However, my new boy is 12.3hh (on his tippy toes) and i have backed and started him myself, he is an absolute treasure and i know i`m going to have soooooo much fun on him.

The question i want to ask is, what saddles do you find work the best for adult/pony combinations? I just feel it is so important to get this part of the equation right ... ooohh and any pony squishers out there, please feel free to share pics :)
 
I don't know the brand of the saddle I had but it was amazing!! As the saddler put it, it was for "ponies with riders with bigger bottoms"

It was a working hunter style saddle with a wide square seat but short enough for the horses back but big enough for a larger than child sized bottom :) Maybe a Flyde type saddle?
 
None of them are mine but I ride two different ponies in bates pony saddles and one in a thorowgood pony club comfortably. Both have adjustable knee blocks so you can find a position that works for you and have adjustable gullets.
 
I fit mostly adults on ponies and cobs and a few aspects are critical - there IS a point however where the rider simply is too big for the saddle that the pony can take, you can't fit beyond the last rib, even if the pony can take the weight.

The rear panel usually needs to be gussetted and deep enoug to support a larger rider - many showing saddles and the like are usually very shallow in the rear gusset and some even seem to be designed to be cantle low sitting the rider too far to the back of the saddle. If you lift the back of the saddle to bring the rider into the centre of the seat, critical for spreading the weight properly, then the flap can be behind the vertical! If yu leave it cantle low it can cause a lot of muscel damage.

A more forward flap gives a longer femur more room; a high placed block, triangular and/or on velcro, allows the knee to sit under the block. A few horses with prominent scapulas (shoulder blades) and a slight hollow behind cannot take a forward cut saddle but even big shoulders shoudln't be an obstacle to fitting a GP saddle to a cobby or native shape, if the fitter knows what they're doing.

A flatter seat will give more room - a low square cantle gives the biggest type of seat you can get. Wider panels can help a lot, but on many ponies they simply lead to fitting issues and instability. Where a pony needs a neat saddle, not too wide at the back, then carrying a rider who is significantly too big for the saddle can lead to problems. It is also possible to extend the cantle to give the rider more room - some companies call it a "larger seat on shorter panel" but that does not help spread the weight so is only a partial solution if pounds per square inch is creeping up.

I always say to any adult buying a native or cob please make sure they have adequate length of ribcage to take the minimum size saddle you can get away with!
 
I've got a reactorpanel saddle on mine because I think it distributes the weight of the rider better than a normal type saddle. It's certainly done fine for mine as my little (13.0h) squirt has carried me 1000s of miles over the past 20 years without any sign of any back problems.
 
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I have a Ideal Ramsay saddle 16" on my 12.3hh boy, although he is as wide as he is tall, I backed him a very lightweight xw 15" synthetic job which fine for intial stuff would have been no use long term. I was desperate for a native pony and cob saddle though, they are lovely. and a little pic, just because I love him!



EMMA450_zps1718416d.jpg
 
I struggled for ages to get a saddle for my 14hh. Pony ideally wanted a 16.5, but I couldn't find any that I fit comfortably into. It was only by chance and after having tried about 10 saddles from saddlers, and a few from ebay that I found one locally after putting an ad on my local riding club message board. It's a GFS (not the adjustable one) extra wide 16.5 and it's got a generous seat area and flaps, and the only one that fits pony! I'd not even considered a GFS before.
 
jakkibag said:
I have a Ideal Ramsay saddle 16" on my 12.3hh boy, although he is as wide as he is tall, I backed him a very lightweight xw 15" synthetic job which fine for intial stuff would have been no use long term. I was desperate for a native pony and cob saddle though, they are lovely. and a little pic, just because I love him!



EMMA450_zps1718416d.jpg
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What a very beautiful boy, he really looks much more than 12.3hh, carries you perfectly.
 
I use a 16inch Saddle Company, working hunter saddle. I have a 13.2 Haflinger with big shoulders and a very short back. Tried no end of saddles but this is the one that works best for us. It has a square, flat seat so I can easily fit my size 12 behind in it comfortably. I am 5ft 2 and a half (very important that extra half inch!)

Here is a picture of us as I don't need an excuse to post my handsome chap. You can kind of see the saddle too :)

Benjishow5-Copy_zps028014a5.jpg
 
Wow guys, thank you all soo much for your help, just brilliant :)

sbloom said:
I fit mostly adults on ponies and cobs and a few aspects are critical - there IS a point however where the rider simply is too big for the saddle that the pony can take, you can't fit beyond the last rib, even if the pony can take the weight.

The rear panel usually needs to be gussetted and deep enoug to support a larger rider - many showing saddles and the like are usually very shallow in the rear gusset and some even seem to be designed to be cantle low sitting the rider too far to the back of the saddle. If you lift the back of the saddle to bring the rider into the centre of the seat, critical for spreading the weight properly, then the flap can be behind the vertical! If yu leave it cantle low it can cause a lot of muscel damage.

A more forward flap gives a longer femur more room; a high placed block, triangular and/or on velcro, allows the knee to sit under the block. A few horses with prominent scapulas (shoulder blades) and a slight hollow behind cannot take a forward cut saddle but even big shoulders shoudln't be an obstacle to fitting a GP saddle to a cobby or native shape, if the fitter knows what they're doing.

A flatter seat will give more room - a low square cantle gives the biggest type of seat you can get. Wider panels can help a lot, but on many ponies they simply lead to fitting issues and instability. Where a pony needs a neat saddle, not too wide at the back, then carrying a rider who is significantly too big for the saddle can lead to problems. It is also possible to extend the cantle to give the rider more room - some companies call it a "larger seat on shorter panel" but that does not help spread the weight so is only a partial solution if pounds per square inch is creeping up.

I always say to any adult buying a native or cob please make sure they have adequate length of ribcage to take the minimum size saddle you can get away with!
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That was very helpful, i do have a well trusted saddle fitter who has suggested a couple of ideas, i just thought i`d throw it out there to find out what people are using, sort of tried and tested ideas if you see what i mean, thank you for taking the time to reply though, very useful info.

Gloi said:
I've got a reactorpanel saddle on mine because I think it distributes the weight of the rider better than a normal type saddle. It's certainly done fine for mine as my little (13.0h) squirt has carried me 1000s of miles over the past 20 years without any sign of any back problems.
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I do like these, but they are out of my price range at the mo, even the second hand ones ..... will have to keep saving ;)

jakkibag said:
I have a Ideal Ramsay saddle 16" on my 12.3hh boy, although he is as wide as he is tall, I backed him a very lightweight xw 15" synthetic job which fine for intial stuff would have been no use long term. I was desperate for a native pony and cob saddle though, they are lovely. and a little pic, just because I love him!



EMMA450_zps1718416d.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh wow, he is just STUNNING !!! and as mentioned, he takes up your leg really well, you look perfect on him. I think i look a bit bigger on my lad, but i`m currently riding him treeless (Libra saddle) so hopefully once in a treed it will help take my leg up a bit better too lol



Holly Hocks said:
I struggled for ages to get a saddle for my 14hh. Pony ideally wanted a 16.5, but I couldn't find any that I fit comfortably into. It was only by chance and after having tried about 10 saddles from saddlers, and a few from ebay that I found one locally after putting an ad on my local riding club message board. It's a GFS (not the adjustable one) extra wide 16.5 and it's got a generous seat area and flaps, and the only one that fits pony! I'd not even considered a GFS before.
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Certainly one to bear in mind .... thanks :)

Ella19 said:
Native pony and cob saddles if buying from new
Gfs if second hand
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Good to hear :)

HaffiesRock said:
I use a 16inch Saddle Company, working hunter saddle. I have a 13.2 Haflinger with big shoulders and a very short back. Tried no end of saddles but this is the one that works best for us. It has a square, flat seat so I can easily fit my size 12 behind in it comfortably. I am 5ft 2 and a half (very important that extra half inch!)

Here is a picture of us as I don't need an excuse to post my handsome chap. You can kind of see the saddle too :)

Benjishow5-Copy_zps028014a5.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow :D .... Have to say i`ve had a couple of friends mention the saddle co ones, and i have the chance to borrow one to try, so definitely worth a shot i`d say :)








Well, one of the main problems i had was getting the weight off him, as he was terribly over weight, this has just been over the last 7 weeks since i got him, but you can definitely see a difference in him:



slimjim_zps9f7f5110.jpg


blueslimbum_zps5818db2d.jpg




and this was his first ever hack out after being backed .....

Bluesfirsthack_zpsba9ca100.jpg



He is such a dude ......... i absolutely adore him
 
The Native Pony Saddle company is fantastic and still based in the West Country I think. I used them years ago and they really seem to care and have lots of experience.
 
Like others, I have a flatter seat and wide panels at the back. The seat is 16", on a 15" saddle base (12 hh pony). The flap is bigger than the underside, so the saddle doesn't infringe on his shoulders, but it doesn't look out of place for me, either! I recently bought a Thorowgood PC saddle, due to him ageing and changing shape, but it feels awful for me, so I don't use it much, choosing to use a prolite pad with inserts, instead (at first I thought he liked the PC saddle, but then he started to turn his head when I was girthing up). I did have a saddle company one made, years ago, but the fitter only brought a 17" saddle to try, so when my new saddle came, it was too long for his back, despite being supposedly 15.5". Still makes me angry...

I really would consider one of the made to measure options. Mine was about £350 for the saddle itself and £150 for the fitting and trace drawing. I'd do it again, if he wasn't coming up to retirement!
 
Kent and Masters do a Pony Long Legged - designed for the adult pony rider. I was hoping to have one for my Forrester, but he was too big so we ended up with a Cob saddle instead, but they were both lovely.
 
Mostly had Kent and Masters or Native pony saddles in 16" to fit 13.2hh, 14hh and 14.1hh who are all as wide as they are tall! Fitted with a W or XW gullet, and square-ish seat.

Found the Thorogood saddles weren't wide enough in the panels to suit the width of the horses' backs.
 
has anyone tried a wintec on a cobby pony - just wondered as I loved my wintec 2000 on my big boy and was looking at getting a smaller one as adjustable but now wondering if this would be a mistake ?
 
I have a 14.2...I'm 5'4 ..and weigh 9stone 10 ... Love my pony (welshie) and wouldn't go back to having a horse (never say never i guess) my pony is competitive ..and love dressaging him with the big boys :p such fun !!
 
Thank you all so much for the ideas help and advice, it`s invaluable ...... and lovely seeing the pics :)


Patchworkpony said:
daisysp8 - I just love your cob! You look great on him - may I ask what height you are?
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Thank you ... yes of course you can, i`m 5ft 3 and a fag paper ;)
 
Nearly 5ft8 on a 13.1 :o
D7819485-2173-4B83-BB16-DF155870A368-8918-000008B96BBDF11B_zps27e59055.jpg


And on my 14hh (who is 14.2 on her big backside so she is really bigger than 14hh but a QH so built downhill!)

eabf659d19232e47b3fa8d7ef33818fb_zpsc2d7500f.jpg


Not all saddles are built equal, I had a 16" and compared its over all length to my two 17.5" seat ones, and the 16" seat was actually longer on their backs (but horrendously too short for me, work that out!).
 
Me 5ft 6 size 14.

Samba 14.1hh

Mainly hack but jumping 2ft 6 and gonna go cubbing soon.

Dunno what brand saddle but fits us well, accidentally stumbled on it through a friend. Am/ was saving for ideal h&c
51A901EC-5B58-4888-B6B4-8466DF873E2F-707-0000004ED4B00DB8_zpsa7cb0bcf.jpg
 
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This is me on Milton who is 13/13.1 I'm only 4 foot 11 and this is me with long stirrups. He has a thorowgood gp now which I highly recomend he's a 16.5 and he does a bit of everything
 
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