buying a saddle online

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dkwp

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My horse has changed shape so needs a new saddle but I live in an area where there are no saddle fitters or saddle shops so the usual recommendation of getting a saddler to come with a selection of different makes is a pipe dream. There's a visiting saddler who is happy to adjust fit once I've bought one but that leaves me having to buy online by guesswork. Has anyone got any advice or recommendations?

He's a 14.2 wide cob with a bit of curve to his very short back. He changes shape all the time and is currently at his thinnest. I've already bought a Thorowgood Cob Plus because it's adjustable but I can't make it fit him properly and the saddler says the tree is too flat. He's currently in the XW gullet. I've also tried a friend's Wintec Wide but that's too curved.
 
The best thing I can suggest is that you get some bendy plastic stuff and take a trace of his back, copy it on to paper and send it to an on line saddler to ask what in their opinion would fit your horse best.
 
kezimac said:
or buy a flexicurve from partners stationary - about £3
Click to expand...

THAT's the name of the bendy plastic stuff I meant. (I obviously used the technical term - not LOL). That's exactly what we did when we were needing to get a saddle for one of our horses. Took it to the local saddlers then they came out with a huge selection of saddles to try, most of which did pretty much fit.

So I'm thinking that whilst you don't have local saddlers OP it will help you get there with a helpful on line saddler hopefully.
 
ISHmad said:
THAT's the name of the bendy plastic stuff I meant. (I obviously used the technical term - not LOL). That's exactly what we did when we were needing to get a saddle for one of our horses. Took it to the local saddlers then they came out with a huge selection of saddles to try, most of which did pretty much fit.

So I'm thinking that whilst you don't have local saddlers OP it will help you get there with a helpful on line saddler hopefully.
Click to expand...

That is what I would do (and will have to do someday myself). We don't have saddlers either in the area that I live in.
 
I have bought on line before, ebay once which was pointless and from a reputable saddlers in Herts. They took my template which I posted (fax can distort the demensions) and tried it on the saddles I had seen on their website. I bought one which they said fitted the template the best it had 14-28 days (can't remember exactly) aproval and rode on it and fitted it myself. Been stuffed since by pro saddlers and has been fine. If you have a saddler who can take a look and adjust then this is by far the best way to do it, if you live somewhere so isolated.
 
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