Backing ponies- saddle?

[JK-min]

Hi everyone
My riding pony is ready for backing this year. I’m currently doing a lot on the lunge with her to build her size and her top line up ready for it. I see pony after pony with bad backs and many of them due to ill fitted saddles.
Even friends I have, have had a saddle fitter out and the saddle has been fine one week but not the next. My point is- she is a pony and has changed shape a lot over the last year and continues to do so both through maturing and through the work done with her. She has another maybe 2 years to grow (albeit very little, but she will still mature over this time) and I dread to fall into the pattern of ruining her back with ill fitted tack. I would obviously get a saddle fitter out, but I have literally seen a pony change in a week and the saddle not be fit.
Help! I’m trying to do everything right with her and don’t want these issues. Ive debated treeless but seen pros and cons for this and don’t know anyone who have backed with treeless. She is my rock and such a willing great girl, I have backed before but he was solid and not changing shape. She is changing shape by the day!

 

[sbloom]

Would your saddle fitter help you with working with a shim pad? Are you concerned about any of the changes in her shape being negative, or is she just building muscle? I would recommend not just lunging but in hand work such as Manolo Mendez DVDs, straightnesstraining.com etc, it's like weight training rather than like running.

 

[JK-min]

Just general growing and I guess muscle building. I do walk her out on the road, long reigning, stretching (like carrot stretches trying to encourage bending) but I will look at the DVD

I guess I’m just over thinking because every horse changes shape and stuff through maturing and building and is still broken haha!

 

[Rowreach]

I've backed everything in treeless (original Solution) for the past 14 years, happy to advise if you want.

 

[JK-min]

Rowreach I’d love to hear some of your advice, tips and experiences

 

[sbloom]

My experience is that backing in a treeless often leads to needing a light rebacking for a treed further down the line, something to be aware of.

If the tree can be as wide and flat as possible then it gives you many shimming options, I would chat to your fitter about taking that approach. I only really rate the Mattes shim pads, not cheap but the most adjustable, the nicest made, and the best sheepskin there is.

If they can't help you fit that way then come back to the thread .

 

[JK-min]

Thanks sbloom, I did think that I’d have to lightly reback down the line when introducing treed which I don’t mind. Just want to protect her at all costs
Thanks both, I’ll chat with my fitter

 

[soloequestrian]

I did mine with a combination of a Heather Moffett Flexee and a few different Balance saddles. She changed shape a lot, which the Flexee would have coped with, but I found it a bit too flexible for my confidence to begin with (before she had learned about having the girth tightened from on top). She'd had it on a lot as basic 'wearing a saddle' training. I swapped the Balance saddles around and altered the padding quite a few times during the backing depending on what suited her (sometimes going from one to another and then back to the first over a few months). When I introduced the Flexee again (it sits best on her because she is wide and very flat) she didn't seem to notice the difference. Maybe that is going from treed to treeless rather than the other way on.