Australian Stock Saddle?

I rode my horse in one for two summers..(Im a fair weather rider!)
We had issues with his bucking and i found the saddle brilliant for safety... I bought it on ebay described as "if you can fall off this take up golf!".
I liked the security and grew to love the riding position... although not ideal for a rising trot!
 
I bought mine so I wouldn't fall off. But the saddle slipped because I didnt do girth up tight enough and I fell off when the saddle slipped right round. Stupid me
 
Absolutely brilliant, I have a fractured vertebrae it is now the only saddle I can ride in without it I wouldn't be able to ride at all.:)
 
love em, don't own one but lived in them in Oz and NZ
so some day I hope to own a Syd Hill saddle...they're works of art, as well as being super comfy:D
 
have one called kermit the frog!!!! extra big wings front and back, piece of rope between front d rings as an extra handle, ride all my youngsters away in it. Travels between here and NZ with me every year.
 
Riding in Oz, mostly fine but did go on one ride which was quite fast and exciting and ended up with some impressive inner thigh bruises from the two pommels
 
Excellent for starting young horses. I have tried western saddles and find they are very restictive, esp the stirrup leathers. I much prefer a stock saddle.

We do not have a stock saddle at the moment, but am looking at one for next saddle purchase for my son.
 
Could anyone put up a pic of one? I have a very dodgy back now, plus a very flighty cob, and several people have mentioned that I might find them comfortable.

How heavy are they? As I'm quite heavy myself I don't want to weigh my girl down. I've noticed that when advertising Western saddles they usually put the weight, which to my untutored eye seems quite a lot.

Are they easily available in UK? And is an English saddler qualified to fit one? Or are they "one-size"?

One post said that a rising trot was uncomfortable. So do you do a sitting trot, or try just to walk or canter? Sorry for all the questions!
 
http://www.outbackaustraliashop.com/

Hope this works for you, a pic of a syd hill stock saddle.

I have ridden in stock saddles and they truly do make you feel secure when riding (especially when you are at a pony club rally and you borrow a little girls old qh mare and instead of plodding for you like she does for the girl she broncs her way through and you are so pleased they have a stock saddle on her :eek:)

Downsides though are that I couldn't rise trot comfortably (big swinging trot), sitting wasn't comfy either given size of trot. Jumping, um, ouch!! And no I am not a boi - my horse is :D

They are quite heavy saddles, perhaps a synthetic would be lighter?? Not sure as have only used leather.
 
They are not made for jumping. Some of the kids ride in them at pony club, and while they use them for sporting etc, they really cannot jump properly in them, we use synthetic saddles mostly, and would only use stock saddles for young or difficult horses rather than all purpose type saddle.

PS Wintec make a synthetic stock saddle, so would imagine that would be a lot lighter than a leather stock saddle.
 
I own 2 - I play polocrosse in them, and 90% of polocrosse players use them as it allows you to lean further and stop and turn faster

I also use them on babies, and flightly horses as I am not a huge fan of hitting the deck

Both of mine are Bates, one swinging fender and one regular flapped, but converted to long English rigging
 
My novice OH uses a Wintec Stock Saddle on our wayward Sec D. He can basically sit any nonsense/shapes the little monster can throw and it has done wonders for his confidence. I find them way too restrictive myself but can totally see the benefits particularly out hacking.
 
Example of stock saddles in good use:
269912_10150212817502294_540037293_6879434_6257278_n.jpg


Try doing this in a GP!!!
281743_10150218707477294_540037293_6933326_1465169_n.jpg
 
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Ausipaliboi - Thanks so much for that pic and link. I sat drooling over it! It does sound as though they might be just what I'm looking for.

Jen-Cot. Was fascinated to see your pics too. I don't do anything as energetic as that! I see you are not far from me. Where did you/do you get your saddles from? Do you need a specialist saddle fitter? We've two good ones near us, but only know them for English saddle fitting.

From what everyone has said, stock saddles give you a very secure seat. I used to have one, plus very long legs for wrapping round naughty horses, but with anno domini my lower back is quite weak, and I hit the tarmac the other day having been (so I'm told) plunged out of the saddle when Madam took exception to pheasants flying out of the hedge, and tried to bolt for home. The stock saddle looks as though it would give me a deeper seat. She is a very round cob, even at her trimmest, and I use a breastplate to keep the saddle more or less where it should be!

Final, dreaded question. What do they cost?
 
Do stock saddles come in widths or differing gullets in the same way as English saddles? I've no idea of their assembly...

And is it correct that you'd choose an inch shorter than the usual saddle length? ie, a 16" stock saddle is comparable to a 17" english saddle?

Thank you... :)
 
Hi [deleted user]. I'm in Somerset, not far from Bath - bit of a way from Kent though.

I'll ask my local saddler, who I rate. He's me man enough to put me on to someones else if it's not a thing he handles. I think I shall persuade OH that we need to have an Australian holiday so that I can try some saddles out in situ!
 
I have had two - a very old Thorowgood and a newer Wintec. Unfortunately the saddler said that neither really fitted properly and couldn't really be made to, so I sold them both on. (Worth mentioning that I made a lot on selling the Wintec, so as an investment, they do hold their money). I did absolutely love the stocks though, as the feeling of security was incredible and I really could sit whatever they threw at me - 180 degree spins at speed were a walk in the park!

Since then, I have got Stanley, who had one heck of a buck on him. I tried and failed to find a stock saddle that I could afford and instead found a Kieffer jumping saddle with the most mahoosive blocks. I figured that this would give me some of the stability that I enjoyed with the stock.

This was the saddle that I bought instead:

http://www.elitesaddles.co.uk/Kieffer-Norbert-Koof-AT-Jumping1/details.html

It is a great saddle for security, but I do find the blocks get in the way a bit! **Touch wood** he seems to have given up on the bucks, but I have sat a couple of good spooks without any issues at all, so I am impressed with this saddle. The other reason that I bought this saddle was that the Kieffer trees can be re-shaped on a heat bench, so buying it on Ebay was less on a risk with a Kieffer than with some other makes, IMHO...

The photos are awful, but I **think** that this is the same one...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kieffer-J...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item2eba68aaf8

But if you can run to a stock saddle, go for it! You won't regret it!
 
Hi I am looking at getting a stock saddle for my cob, we are dairy farmers and need something like this to use when working her around cattle. The problem is...I can't afford to spend £1500 on a saddle, and I can't seem to find any proper advice on what "size" to get to fit. She is very wide and very flat backed with barely any wither. I see some beautiful second hand stock saddles on eBay which are more in my price range but very unsure if they will fit!! Any advice would help so much!
 
If you search wintec stock saddle there is a synthetic one on eBay, changeable gullets come with it and go up to extra wide at £20 each. This ones £550 and black.

I'm thinking about one for backing (2 years from that though) I've got an old close comfort wintec synthetic but I do like the extra security this saddle looks to offer.
 
There are always stock saddles on preloved for sale. Hwever be careful - they get measured differently - so my horse takes a 17 inch gp but his stock is a 18.5 inch! If you re buying online make sure you ask for photo showing the measurement from poley to cantle.

I have 2 but they do not provide particularly good support for most horses backs (so said my saddle who deals with a lot of stock saddles) thus I ride mostly in my GP so please keep that in mind - this is why a lot of people ride with thick saddle cloths under them
 
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