Does this saddle fit?

Y

Yazmin11

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Okay so anyone who knows anything about saddle fitting please please help! ( So I can decide whether or not it is worth taking to the saddle fitter)
Please tell me what you think about how its fitting!!!!

Okay so I'm looking at this saddle and it seems to fit okay (all the contact down the panels are even and everything) just the back 2 inches or so are a bit lighter
also when I push up the back end a bit the angles seem better and it seems to fit better so would it be okay if I just got a raiser pad that was more built up in the back? I have a saddle pad under at the back in one photo so you get the idea of what I mean because I cant take a photo and hold it!
There is plenty of wither clearance also.
Please tell me what you think because if it looks alright we are taking it to the saddle fitter for a final decision
PLEASE SAY HONESTLY WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!!!!!!
Images in link below (im sorry I dont know how to add them!)

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1660387650914183&id=100008288928453
photo.php
 
I'm looking at the pony. he does not look great tbh, no muscle development and his hind legs are under his body, so to me he needs to be checked over by the vet and if sound, he needs to be long reined and fed a bit, to build him up before riding starts.
 
Yazmin11 said:
Okay so anyone who knows anything about saddle fitting please please help! ( So I can decide whether or not it is worth taking to the saddle fitter)
Please tell me what you think about how its fitting!!!!

Okay so I'm looking at this saddle and it seems to fit okay (all the contact down the panels are even and everything) just the back 2 inches or so are a bit lighter
also when I push up the back end a bit the angles seem better and it seems to fit better so would it be okay if I just got a raiser pad that was more built up in the back? I have a saddle pad under at the back in one photo so you get the idea of what I mean because I cant take a photo and hold it!
There is plenty of wither clearance also.
Please tell me what you think because if it looks alright we are taking it to the saddle fitter for a final decision
PLEASE SAY HONESTLY WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!!!!!!
Images in link below (im sorry I dont know how to add them!)

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1660387650914183&id=100008288928453
photo.php
Click to expand...


Did the fitter actually fit this???

You say it is a little tighter on the back too inches, that would make me question the fit and get a fitter, a bad fitting saddle can not only be uncomfortable for the horse and do damage to them by putting back out you can get bucked off too when the rider sits on it.
No I would say no,I will stick to the question about the saddle - it looks like it slopes back to much also you should have picture of the back looking up the channel to see position on the spine. also with rider on to see in the saddle drops/ pinches etc.

I would say the weight of the rider would be heavily on the loin area.

I would get a saddle fitter in to fit a saddle to her. :)
 
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A saddle is made around a tree, obviously, and when the basic tree is put on a horses back, then it should have full contact, with the cantle being about 1.5" above the head/pommel. This applies to 'most' modern saddles which are designed for GP, Jumping and Dressage usage. When the seat is fitted, then that's for the benefit of the rider, and when the panel is fitted, that's for the benefit of the horse.

It's an important point to remember that when the manufacture is complete, the effect should be that the tree has been raised but it should sit in exactly the position that it was in, when it was in its raw state, if that makes sense! By raising the saddle, then the gullet should be clear and deep enough so that it clears the spine and with the load bearing (the rider's weight) being evenly spread over the cushioning that the panel aspect of the seat provides.

The best way to test whether the panel is making full contact with the horse's back, is to tighten the girth (with or without a rider on board) with no saddle cloth, and either ride or lunge the animal until it's warm and then any dirt (sweat) deposits will be obvious on the panel, and again, coverage of the sweat line should be just about full. Re-flocking of the panel by someone competent may be necessary, but should never be used as a method of altering the fit. All that that will achieve is to place the rider in an unnatural position, and place either the cantle or the pommel higher or lower, and by doing so it will have the rider sitting in a tilted position. There's no great mystery to saddle fitting, it's mostly fairly obvious providing that we look at the relationship between the cantle and the pommel and the balance achieved by the rider.

So! To answer your question, and looking at the top-right pic of your set, then with the balance between the cantle and the pommel being correct, then yes, it fits, with the additional proviso being that once you are seated, then another pic showing that the balance hasn't been altered by your weight, would be useful.

Alec.
 
I am deliberately not reading anyone else's comments.

Please note I am not a saddle fitter!

To me, the saddle does NOT fit.

My reason for saying this is because if you look at the first picture, there is space at the top of the wither but then the saddle panel seems to curve down into the shoulder. To me, this saddle is too narrow, and will pinch further down in the shoulder/trapezius area. It is sitting too high in front and there is a risk that when weight is applied, the rider's weight will then depress upon the back panel area and cause soreness, as well as soreness from the saddle being too narrow. What I would look for would be a smooth line going down from the wither/pommel area, right down to the end of the saddle pad and for this to lie in a straight line with the horse's shoulder. This is what I was always told to look for in a good fit.

The other issue I would have with this saddle is the panels; to me they are too forward cut and are inhibiting the shoulder movement.

Sorry OP, but IMO this is NOT a good saddle fit. I don't think it is something which can be remedied with flocking either, as the points are too narrow. You need a wider saddle. Not a lot wider, but wider than this one.
 
I think you need a professional out yo fit a saddle as this one does not fit the pony. I would also agree with the poster who felt the pay is underdeveloped and needs to mature before any ridden activity
 
The photos have gone. I am a saddle fitter. There is no rule of thumb about how much higher the cantle should sit compared to the pommel, I have dressage saddles that have the cantle 2" higher and GP, jump and showing saddles where the cantle is less than in inch higher. When a good saddle (some saddles just have rotten trees) is in balance you should clearly be able to see a flat spot. Many saddle fitters talk about that flat spot being parallel to the ground, but sometimes you just can't see thet flat spot, and in that case either the tree doesn't have one (not good usually) or it's out of balance.

Lunging can't always show you much, with tricky shapes a saddle may shift with no rider on board but be perfect with weight in the saddle.

If a saddle is tipping back then you need to look at the tree shape and the width of the arch. If the tree seems flat enough for the horse, and the tree angles at the front are correct, then the balance may possibly be adjusted with flocking, or a shim pad MAY work to balance the saddle, especially if only temporarily. It's not rocket science but few people have the eye and feel to be able to get it right, if I have a pound for every time a customer told me their saddle has started tipping them forwards/backwards when in fact it's the opposite, so they thought it needed widening/narrowing and in fact it needs the opposite...I've even had another fitter comment to a customer that a saddle needed widening when it had less than 2cm clearance, was tipping back and the points were flaring off the horse (ie were at a wider angle than the horse).
 
sbloom said:
The photos have gone. I am a saddle fitter. There is no rule of thumb about how much higher the cantle should sit compared to the pommel, I have dressage saddles that have the cantle 2" higher and GP, jump and showing saddles where the cantle is less than in inch higher. When a good saddle (some saddles just have rotten trees) is in balance you should clearly be able to see a flat spot. Many saddle fitters talk about that flat spot being parallel to the ground, but sometimes you just can't see thet flat spot, and in that case either the tree doesn't have one (not good usually) or it's out of balance.

Lunging can't always show you much, with tricky shapes a saddle may shift with no rider on board but be perfect with weight in the saddle.

If a saddle is tipping back then you need to look at the tree shape and the width of the arch. If the tree seems flat enough for the horse, and the tree angles at the front are correct, then the balance may possibly be adjusted with flocking, or a shim pad MAY work to balance the saddle, especially if only temporarily. It's not rocket science but few people have the eye and feel to be able to get it right, if I have a pound for every time a customer told me their saddle has started tipping them forwards/backwards when in fact it's the opposite, so they thought it needed widening/narrowing and in fact it needs the opposite...I've even had another fitter comment to a customer that a saddle needed widening when it had less than 2cm clearance, was tipping back and the points were flaring off the horse (ie were at a wider angle than the horse).
Click to expand...

Good advice, Oz :)
 
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