Best saddle for horse with big shoulders & barrel body

[Christmas Crumpet]

Can anyone recommend a good sort of saddle for a 15.1 LW cob with big shoulders, a barrel like body, a bit of a wither and can only take 17". Anything forward cut interferes with his shoulders.

He is currently in a working hunter saddle with a forward cut flap on front but it is so bulky that I struggle to get my legs round him. Am after something much more close contact that i can do dressage/jumping up to about 3ft and hacking.

I tried an Ideal Apex this weekend which felt ok but was too long for him and too narrow unfortunately but that kind of saddle is what we are looking for I guess. He is a 17" wide saddle I would say.

And how do we put photos up these days without photobucket?!! I've got photos of him and his wither tracing etc but no idea how to put them up.

 

[OldieButGoodie]

You could try AH saddles? I got a dressage AH for my big shouldered barrel of a cob.

 

[cobsarefab]

I love the easytrek saddles and you can upload photos using imgur.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

You could try AH saddles? I got a dressage AH for my big shouldered barrel of a cob.

Have sent them a long email this morning!

 

[hollyandivy123]

Treeless....I have the 16.3 version gave up on tree, works well

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

https://imgur.com/a/TcTgG

Not sure if this will work!!

 

[Cowpony]

I second AH saddles. I have a similar shaped horse and have a GP 16.5" which is lovely.

 

[cobsarefab]

Fixed it

 

[ponios]

Try Ideal Gazzelle, it has ghost pad-lines which flex allowing room for the shoulders

 

[Wagtail]

https://imgur.com/a/TcTgG

Not sure if this will work!!

He's virtually identical in shape to my little mare. She can only take a 17 inch and hates anything forward cut. I tried a Harry Dabbs Future jump saddle on her (you can get them as GP or VSD too) and she loved it and was really free in it. Sadly it was not quite right and tipped back on her a bit so I am still looking for one at a reasonable price. New they start at £1700 but they are starting to come up second hand now. The saddle she is currently ridden in and goes well in is an Ideal Jessica 17 inch but obviously, it's no good for jumping in.

 

[Orangehorse]

A saddle with an Owen Panel, an old fashioned look, it sits behind the shoulders and as it doesn't have full leather side panels it doesn't "ping" off. My horse has large shoulders, there is a leather panel to protect the horse from the girth straps but it is only leather with no padding.

 

[sbloom]

I fit for AH Saddles to give you context (and thanks for recs!)

In my opinion large shoulder are seldom the big issue that people think they are. If the saddle is fitted correctly, with the tree points 3 fingers behind the back edge of the shoulder blade and obviously not beyond the back rib, the tree and rails especially are the right shape, and the saddle stays back, then you have shoulder freedom. Some horses like a wider fit with more flocking to give the trapezius more room, the odd one won't tolerate a point strap (which we use to drop a girth into a forward girth groove so keeping the saddle back) and the odd one just can't be easily fitted with a jump saddle (a VERY prominent shoulder blade with a lack of muscle behind) but otherwise a GP saddle is usually absolutely fine on most horses, IF the fit is right.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I fit for AH Saddles to give you context (and thanks for recs!)

In my opinion large shoulder are seldom the big issue that people think they are. If the saddle is fitted correctly, with the tree points 3 fingers behind the back edge of the shoulder blade and obviously not beyond the back rib, the tree and rails especially are the right shape, and the saddle stays back, then you have shoulder freedom. Some horses like a wider fit with more flocking to give the trapezius more room, the odd one won't tolerate a point strap (which we use to drop a girth into a forward girth groove so keeping the saddle back) and the odd one just can't be easily fitted with a jump saddle (a VERY prominent shoulder blade with a lack of muscle behind) but otherwise a GP saddle is usually absolutely fine on most horses, IF the fit is right.

I've sent an email to AH saddles with those photos. Hoping someone will come back to me.

 

[holeymoley]

Ideal Ramsay?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Treeless....I have the 16.3 version gave up on tree, works well

I second this. My Draft mare goes better in a Solution saddle than any other - and we have tried A LOT!

 

[buddylove]

I would look at WOW saddles, it is on a flexible tree with no "points" as such to interfere with the shoulder. Getting a good fitter is key, but I wouldn't have anything else, and I have had saddles from others mentioned on here.