Can't find a saddle to fit - please help me...

[treacle_beastie]

Hi all,

I am having an absolute nightmare with my horse and saddle fitting. I have owned her for nearly 3 years and I am on my 6th saddle.

She is a TB x cob and I have had a kensington, albion k'2's, a thorowgood t4, a thorowgood cob, wintec 500 and wintec 2000. I have tried several others but had no luck.

Shes not cob shaped really - she has withers and sloping loins. She is between a medium and medium wide, fluctuates in weight 25kg throughout the year - havent manged to control that part yet!

The kensington - she grew out of so I guess a wider one might be ok now

The albions - well the medium too small and the medium wide too big

The T4 - didnt fit her back very well and kept rising up at back so had to use prolite riser all the time but she became sore so ditched it and got a new wintec which was ok ish once we fiddled with different shims and pads but now she has been out of work and gained some weight it has gone back to moving and ruffling hair so I am not confident it fits that well at all - it leaves dry patches behind the withers too. However she did seem happy in it prior to being off work and it might fit better once shes dropped the weight again.

Can anyone recommend me a suitable saddle or have any idea where I can do next.

 

[amycamycamyc]

sounds expensive! Maybe one option would be to get all the gullets for your wintec (assuming your wintex is flocked not cair?), and then commit to have a saddler out every three months minimum to check/reflock/change gullet as necessary? Would be expensive on call out charges for saddler but surely not as expensive as buying 6 saddles...!

 

[the watcher]

perhaps a Korrector pad is the answer for you, so you can make adjustments as required

 

[JadeyyAndLadyy]

Ask your saddler if they think a treeless saddle may be best? I heard they are ideal for horses which change shape alot and they mould and shape to fit your horse.

 

[ThePony]

Get a saddle fitter out, getting through all those saddles must be costing you a not so small fortune! - Laurence Pearman from stroud saddlery covers your area and is excellent. There is a fair wait for him, but they also run saddle fitting clinics every month at their new shop in ciren so you can come to him and use the school for an hour basically where him and his staff run around and wait on you hand and foot with different things to try!

 

[DH1]

Get a saddle fitter out, getting through all those saddles must be costing you a not so small fortune! - Laurence Pearman from stroud saddlery covers your area and is excellent. There is a fair wait for him, but they also run saddle fitting clinics every month at their new shop in ciren so you can come to him and use the school for an hour basically where him and his staff run around and wait on you hand and foot with different things to try!

Totally agree with this. my mare is a total nightmare to fit. We had a master saddle fitter out, who tried literally dozens of saddles on. We narrowed it down to 3 possibles and in the end only one suited her I was tempted to buy one on line, I am glad I didn't as the chances of me buying one that would actually have fitted were remote to say the least.

 

[PendleEquestrian]

Im a massive fan of balance saddles ,but more so there help and advice, there usually experts in bio mechs so know horses riders and saddles, £50 buys you almost 3 hours of advice, they not adverse to using wintecs with there pads, second hand balance saddles come up regular on e-bay and if you know the size you need your onto a winner, or the vouge or phenix is my other fave saddle, but padded up so its level which there not always when ive seen them on one or 2 horses in the past,

 

[treacle_beastie]

Get a saddle fitter out, getting through all those saddles must be costing you a not so small fortune! - Laurence Pearman from stroud saddlery covers your area and is excellent. There is a fair wait for him, but they also run saddle fitting clinics every month at their new shop in ciren so you can come to him and use the school for an hour basically where him and his staff run around and wait on you hand and foot with different things to try!

sounds like a good option

I am now on my 3rd saddle fitter and poss about to use a 4th! Its not that the saddles dont fit to start with - they just dont fit after a couple of months!

 

[treacle_beastie]

Ask your saddler if they think a treeless saddle may be best? I heard they are ideal for horses which change shape alot and they mould and shape to fit your horse.

I am considering this! It is my last resort!

 

[treacle_beastie]

sounds expensive! Maybe one option would be to get all the gullets for your wintec (assuming your wintex is flocked not cair?), and then commit to have a saddler out every three months minimum to check/reflock/change gullet as necessary? Would be expensive on call out charges for saddler but surely not as expensive as buying 6 saddles...!

Its cair, its not really the gullet thats the problem - shes just in between sizes in most saddles, she has a high sprung rib cage and rises up a bit at the back = pain up the backside to fit. My OH just thinks I should buy a horse to fit the current saddle as would be cheaper I already have the saddle fitter out every 3 months if not more!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Try thepainfreehorse.co.uk - I am not ashamed to "advertise" them wholeheartedly. On the yard, myself and sharer had been visited by every blimmin saddler in the county almost, and we'd still neither of us been suited.

Then I did a simple search on Google, and found these people. Fantastic! My horse is going completely differently; had a lovely elevated trot which I never knew he had, plus I'd had an ongoing back problem caused by incorrect riding position as the saddle I had was making me sit too far back and I was over-compensating, result pain in my lower back.

So well worth a try IMO; and their saddles are lovely and don't break the bank either.

 

[chestnut cob]

If she's in between sizes then what about getting something in a wider size and having your saddler fit it with a Prolite underneath? You can take the pad out if/when she fills out into it then.

 

[trojanpony]

Have you come across these - can highly recommend and know others who swear by them too. Feel free to PM if you want more info.
http://www.fnesaddles.com/

 

[marmalade76]

It sounds like your horse is a similar shape to mine (connie cross, has withers, weight fluctuates) The saddle I used before also left dry patches behind the wither and every saddle I tried on him curled up away from his back at the back. I went for a Barnsby Junior jumping, they go up to 17ins and are made for pony/native types. After trying loads, this fitted my boy really well (he's medium wide), doesn't slip, no ruffled hair, no dry patches. Barnsby also do a junior dressage/WH saddle that also goes up to 17ins. If these saddles aren't the type/size you're after, many people have recommended Ideal saddles for pony/native/cob types.

 

[treacle_beastie]

If she's in between sizes then what about getting something in a wider size and having your saddler fit it with a Prolite underneath? You can take the pad out if/when she fills out into it then.

been there done that!

 

[treacle_beastie]

It sounds like your horse is a similar shape to mine (connie cross, has withers, weight fluctuates) The saddle I used before also left dry patches behind the wither and every saddle I tried on him curled up away from his back at the back. I went for a Barnsby Junior jumping, they go up to 17ins and are made for pony/native types. After trying loads, this fitted my boy really well (he's medium wide), doesn't slip, no ruffled hair, no dry patches. Barnsby also do a junior dressage/WH saddle that also goes up to 17ins. If these saddles aren't the type/size you're after, many people have recommended Ideal saddles for pony/native/cob types.

yes i had thought of both barnsby and ideal - my saddle fitter said i needed something with a shallow gusset which barnsby do! May be the answer...

 

[treacle_beastie]

some good suggestions- will look into these. Thank you!

 

[Nijdypie]

Treeless saddle all the way!! From what you are saying one would be perfect for you!

I know a lot of people are sceptical of treeless saddles...and lets face it..theres a lot of absolutely crappy ones on the market that do sweet FA but a decent 1 is definitely the way forward in my eyes.

I own a Fheonix flexible saddle designed by Heather Moffett and it was easily the best thing I have ever bought. Its made out of memory foam and moulds perfectly to the shape of your horses back...so not only does it fit, you know its in no way restricting your horses back or their movement.
Ive used mine on a 14hh pony right up to a 16.2hh warmblood and had no problems whatsoever!

http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/fhoenix.htm

I highly suggest you consider them....not only are they great for your horse...theyre heaven for your butt lol!!

 

[marmalade76]

The fitter I used was Wendy Eames from Bristol. I was so impressed with how thorough she was. She fits for Barnsby but also does Ideal, Thoroughgood, k&M and probably some others that I can't recall. She will px too. Her number is 07800 877768.

I had Lawrence Pearman sell me a saddle which he supposedly fitted to my old horse about ten years ago. This saddle gave my horse white flecks in his hair both sides just behind the withers. Lawrence refused to accept that it was the saddle he fitted that was doing this and refused to exchange or refund - offfered to sell me another saddle, though. Funnily enough,the white hairs disappeared when my horses coat changed a few months after I exchanged that saddle for another with a different saddler. For that reason I would never use nor recommend Lawrence as a saddle fitter.

 

[horsimous]

Ideal saddles are good for some of the hard to fit horses. Have a look on their website. I think it says something about them being good for horses with prominent withers, dipped or interesting shaped backs etc

 

[brighthair]

Balance saddles?

http://www.balanceinternational.com/

 

[OneInAMillion]

What about looking at WOW saddles? You can often get them 2nd hand for much cheaper than brand new

 

[Miss L Toe]

I would try to keep her in shape, the same shape!, a fat horse is more difficult than a lean one, as there is a side to side wobble factor and the saddle will tend to slip forward, rubbing the girth etc.

 

[treacle_beastie]

I would try to keep her in shape, the same shape!, a fat horse is more difficult than a lean one, as there is a side to side wobble factor and the saddle will tend to slip forward, rubbing the girth etc.

well yes i agree this would probably resolve most of the issues, sadly it is mission impossible with my horse. However, I am pretty sure the fat belly she has developed from having yet another month off work from injury is responsible for my latest saga so I am going to persevere with the wintec for the time being and have a another saddle fitter out in 3 weeks when she is back to her average weight.

Her back shape doesnt change though and finding a saddle to fit that is the problem!

 

[EQUISCENE]

I can highly rcommend Claire Fitzmaurice of www.allsaddlesolutions.com