best saddle with adjustable gullet for baby

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U_T2009

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As per title really. I've got a wonderful little pony who is almost ready to back but none of the saddles I currently have will fit him so I'm going to have to buy a new one.

I'm thinking maybe one of those synthetic adjustable ones will be best as he's still got some growing to do (and is rather round at present!
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) Can anyone reccomend one. I don't really wan't to spend over £200 but will quite happily buy 2nd hand. I have looked on Ebay and there are a couple of new saddles for £150 but surely at that price there's got to be something wrong with them??
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Any ideas/recommendations??

PM me if you just happen to have a 16" one that needs a new home!

Thanks all
 
I've got a wintec 2000 have had saddle fitter check it and when he moved up a size gullet i used a gel pad to help with the general fit of the saddle. They don't fit every horse but i've known them to work for TBs to chunky warmbloods. They have the grippy suede seat which is great for stickability with youngster antics. I wouldn't get a thorogood as they are not comfy (in my opinion). Have a look at second hand wintecs on ebay they go for £120-160 ish depending on age and condition.
 
I've never tried a thorowgood before so interesting comment. Forgot to mention the pony it will be for is a new forest, fairly flat backed atm and rather wide!
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I personally would never put a wintec or bates adjustable on my horse. The pads are too narrow and the tree shape is just not flat enough. THe wintec wide is not a good shape and I have found that rocks when on wides and it cannot be adjusted to be a good fit. I am also not keen on the thorowgoods either as I find that is again not a good shape for a wide horse. Out of choice I would not start a baby in a saddle which was not a perfect fit so I would go with a Saddle company saddle, and adjust it regularly. the serge panels are far more forgiving than any synthetic material and the pads are far softer than both the wintecs/bates and the thorowgoods. His comfort and confidence in his first saddle is vital as it sets him up for the rest of his ridden life
 
Don't worry neither would I, it just seems silly to buy a leather one that will only fit him for a few months instead of one that can be addjusted and therefore have the possibility of fitting the later stages. My gran is a saddle fitter so she ensure it fits from day 1 and then will no doubt be checking it every few weeks from then on as she does with my other horse's saddle.
 
I quite like the Saddle Co saddles which have an adjustable tree (although you can't do it yourself, you need a saddle fitter with the machine to get it done for you). You should be able to pick up a second hand Saddle Co for about 200.
 
Saddle company saddles are good as, like Bosworth says, the panels are serge and the flocking is extra soft. The trees are injection moulded plastic so can be adjusted using a retemplating machine. However, this will only adjust the front half of the tree - the back needs to fit your pony. Also, the 16" is a child's saddle, so has a very narrow twist. The smallest adult is 16.5".

However I also quite like thorowgoods and would prefer these over wintecs. They are much more adjustable now (have FISH and changeable gullets) so can be tweaked a lot more than the older models.

I bought a temporary thorowgood for my 4 yr old when I first bought him as I needed something to ride in while his SC saddle was being made (I fit SC saddles). It was an older modle (which in fact was designed by the owner of the SC) and it was great.

For a truly flat backed wide pony I would also have a look at the Native Pony Saddle Company saddles - they are really very nice although quite expensive you can sometimes get a bargain although more around the £400 mark I should think.

Please dont buy a "pony saddle" on ebay from some uncertain origin - they will just mess about with your pony's back. It would be much better to spend money on a decent saddle now, and your gran as a saddle fitter ought to be able to help you find something.
 
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Wintecs generally sell pretty cheap on ebay

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There is a reason they sell cheap..and I really would not advise going there. Sure, they fit some horses well, but they won't fit far more horses.

I'm afraid there is no simple way of saying get an X. Y or Z, you really must try various makes and models.
 
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