Does this saddle look okay on my 3yo

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ThePinkPonyClub

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Hi all, I feel I need to start this off with a little disclaimer; no my 3 year old is not being ridden, any time soon.

I’m in the process of training and building confidence in my young Welshie, before I even consider getting her started under saddle, she will of course be seen by a professional saddle fitter, and fitted with a saddle correct for her.

But for now, I’d like to slowly get her used to having one on her back, what it feels like to walk in ect ect.

This is the first time she had ever had one on her back (I didn’t use a girth so I could quickly remove it if necessary, and placement wasn’t perfect as I didn’t want to stress her out too much) I wasn’t really expecting her to tolerate it so well, but she did :-)!

Anyway… I digress. The saddle is an old one that I had kicking around, and I’d be super great-full for any advice :)! Does it look like it fits her okay (again she will never be ridden in this saddle), just for the purpose of getting her used to having something on her back? I will of course be adding a girth swiftly.

Thank you so much for any advice!
 

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Barton Bounty said:
Definitely not, no that saddle is far too big
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If you read the comment, it isn't being girthed or used, so in effect all the owner is doing is desensitising the pony to an object placed on its back. Not an issue, anything can be thrown up to get it used to the feeling of something on the back and for the pony to see something behind it.
 
jhoward said:
How can we tell when it has inches of thick padding?
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Read the comments, it is not a does it fit question. All the owner is doing is putting an object on the young pony to desensitise it.

When I started on the feral carthorse he had a pony saddle held on with an over girth and baling string breast girth, whilst Trudie Trollop the blow up sex doll climbed on his back. Sadly the photos are too large to upload, but those of you who followed his journey will remember Trudie Trollop. He loved her until she went pop and deflated herself.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Read the comments, it is not a does it fit question. All the owner is doing is putting an object on the young pony to desensitise it.

When I started on the feral carthorse he had a pony saddle held on with an over girth and baling string breast girth, whilst Trudie Trollop the blow up sex doll climbed on his back. Sadly the photos are too large to upload, but those of you who followed his journey will remember Trudie Trollop. He loved her until she went pop and deflated herself.
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It is surely preferable to not having an ill-fitting saddle bouncing around on a young horse’s kidneys and pinching its withers
The OP literally says ‘does it fit ok?’
The answer is ‘no’
 
Thank you for your responses - a 16” saddle has just been purchased from eBay. I’m glad I asked as the last thing I want to do is cause her any pain.

Before she’s started under saddle, she will be fitted with the best made to measure, ‘moneys no object’ saddle (shh… just don’t tell th’ husband!)
 
AdorableAlice said:
If you read the comment, it isn't being girthed or used, so in effect all the owner is doing is desensitising the pony to an object placed on its back. Not an issue, anything can be thrown up to get it used to the feeling of something on the back and for the pony to see something behind it.
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I read it fine thanks, it does not fit! Well I guess we are all different because I wouldn’t just throw on any saddle 👍🏻
 
ThePinkPonyClub said:
I will of course be adding a girth swiftly.
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AdorableAlice said:
If you read the comment, it isn't being girthed or used, so in effect all the owner is doing is desensitising the pony to an object placed on its back.
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I think most people did read the OP?

Definitely can do better than that one, hope the eBay one suits! It really is all about making the whole process as comfortable as possible. I have a wintec lite I’m hoping might do my 2yo next year but he’s already happy enough to carry around a wee set of panniers with some snacks 🤣
 
AdorableAlice said:
Read the comments, it is not a does it fit question. All the owner is doing is putting an object on the young pony to desensitise it.

When I started on the feral carthorse he had a pony saddle held on with an over girth and baling string breast girth, whilst Trudie Trollop the blow up sex doll climbed on his back. Sadly the photos are too large to upload, but those of you who followed his journey will remember Trudie Trollop. He loved her until she went pop and deflated herself.
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Read the original post where she's asks does it look like it fits ok.
 
ThePinkPonyClub said:
Thank you for your responses - a 16” saddle has just been purchased from eBay. I’m glad I asked as the last thing I want to do is cause her any pain.

Before she’s started under saddle, she will be fitted with the best made to measure, ‘moneys no object’ saddle (shh… just don’t tell th’ husband!)
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Definitely get a saddle fitted that fits at that moment but I wouldn’t get a made to measure until they stop growing. I have a youngster and I am on saddle number 3 🤣 he has changed shape a lot.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
Flipping heck - tied up wearing a saddle for the first time with no girth - pardon my french but are you mad?! If the horse moved and it falls off and scares itself you will struggle to get a saddle on again. Sorry, this just gives me the shivers 😬
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Thank you for your concern 🤪, but yes, I did indeed clench my buttocks while I stepped back to take the picture, however, I was only expecting to hover it over her back, or possibly place it there and immediately need to remove it before traumatising her forever more. I didn’t think for a second that she would actually let me place it there and not even flinch at it, *very* proud horse mum, if I don’t say so myself.

And well if she wasn’t tied up, the saddle almost certainly would have gone flying 😅!
 
FieldOrnaments said:
Is this hyperbole?
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not sure what you mean? Just concerned and this is meant in good jest but having had many horses come my way that have had an incident happen during early training which has taken years for me to undo I’m actually trying to offer some advice, no it wasn’t asked for but boy, if it stopped years of trying to get a horse over a fear from a silly mistake I’d be more than happy to take the advice.
 
It's too far off fitting to be used girthed up imo (saddle fitter of 16 years).

ThePinkPonyClub said:
Thank you for your responses - a 16” saddle has just been purchased from eBay. I’m glad I asked as the last thing I want to do is cause her any pain.

Before she’s started under saddle, she will be fitted with the best made to measure, ‘moneys no object’ saddle (shh… just don’t tell th’ husband!)
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Go for something used, flexible or HIGHLY adjustable, made to measure just isn't the answer for so many horses, especially young ones. You want them to change shape, they need to develop and grow, you need a saddle that supports you correctly and one that allows the horse to move correctly, with good posture. Nothing else matters in the scheme of things. A good fitter will point you in this direction, and should absolutely refuse to order a made to measure saddle for a fitting where they can't see the horse ridden.
 
spotty_pony2 said:
not sure what you mean? Just concerned and this is meant in good jest but having had many horses come my way that have had an incident happen during early training which has taken years for me to undo I’m actually trying to offer some advice, no it wasn’t asked for but boy, if it stopped years of trying to get a horse over a fear from a silly mistake I’d be more than happy to take the advice.
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Sorry it means I can't tell if it's a joke or not
 
ThePinkPonyClub said:
Hi all, I feel I need to start this off with a little disclaimer; no my 3 year old is not being ridden, any time soon.

I’m in the process of training and building confidence in my young Welshie, before I even consider getting her started under saddle, she will of course be seen by a professional saddle fitter, and fitted with a saddle correct for her.

But for now, I’d like to slowly get her used to having one on her back, what it feels like to walk in ect ect.

This is the first time she had ever had one on her back (I didn’t use a girth so I could quickly remove it if necessary, and placement wasn’t perfect as I didn’t want to stress her out too much) I wasn’t really expecting her to tolerate it so well, but she did :)!

Anyway… I digress. The saddle is an old one that I had kicking around, and I’d be super great-full for any advice :)! Does it look like it fits her okay (again she will never be ridden in this saddle), just for the purpose of getting her used to having something on her back? I will of course be adding a girth swiftly.

Thank you so much for any advice!
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Without reading other comments For riding
I would say no it is way to high off the withers, looks a little cut forward on the shoulders and general just with those pictures it sits off her back. We would really need pictures without the riser or saddle pad and back and side view along with wither view.


For just getting used to a saddle should be ok, Even though just to get used to a saddle you want to make sure this will sit still on the back. so you need to walker them round and lunge and check whilst moving

I would try use something like a wintec first as lighter.
 
Hi Pink pony

It's impossible to tell if it fits, but it looks too long or big, it could be too narrow as well

To tell if a saddle fits you really need to put it on bare,, nothing underneath, well perhaps a cloth to keep it clean, the way a saddle drops on tells a lot it should look right instantly, maybe needing only minor adjustments, in other words the general
Impression is that it conforms to the horses basic shape, tree wise, and doesn't look odd


If you think it drops on nicely it then needs to be girthed up, this will settle it down, then girthed up as if riding on it, then further tightening, the final step is riding on it , then you get the full picture, and at the mo this is not possible for you, it will be very different when fully tightened

If you do girth up an unbroken horse do it gently , one step at at a time, too loose it may frighten pony if it moves, too tight may panic pony, you need to be very subtle, and do in the yard outside on a decent length of rope and only when you feel the ,moment is right, then walk around or lunge with it, so it can express any objections and get used to the belt round its middle

also lots of grooming and touching around the girth area and back to find any ticklish or sore reactive places, as with all training steps fannying about first before jumping in is a good investment




Wearing a rug is a start, then a numnah with a roller done up so it just grips, but a roller with two decent pads on top to gain a slight settling grip so nothing moves around, and a roller with two girth straps and one of those fleecy numnahs so not cold on the back is a good idea

I have a selection of thorowgood saddles for starting out, lightweight, adjustable, virtually indestructible trees should they get rolled on, then I move onto other saddles later
 
ThePinkPonyClub said:
Hi all, I feel I need to start this off with a little disclaimer; no my 3 year old is not being ridden, any time soon.

I’m in the process of training and building confidence in my young Welshie, before I even consider getting her started under saddle, she will of course be seen by a professional saddle fitter, and fitted with a saddle correct for her.

But for now, I’d like to slowly get her used to having one on her back, what it feels like to walk in ect ect.

This is the first time she had ever had one on her back (I didn’t use a girth so I could quickly remove it if necessary, and placement wasn’t perfect as I didn’t want to stress her out too much) I wasn’t really expecting her to tolerate it so well, but she did :)!

Anyway… I digress. The saddle is an old one that I had kicking around, and I’d be super great-full for any advice :)! Does it look like it fits her okay (again she will never be ridden in this saddle), just for the purpose of getting her used to having something on her back? I will of course be adding a girth swiftly.

Thank you so much for any advice!
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I think your approach is conflating a few things, so I would simplify if I were you.

Popping a saddle which really doesn't fit the horse onto its back for a few seconds isn't going to hurt it. It also isn't going to give you much benefit in desensitizing, and you might run the risk of doing the opposite and drawing more attention and sensitivity to saddles than is necessary.

At the same time, it is also true that the saddle doesn't look like it fits so if you're planning to do up the girth and do some further desensitising work, then this is not the right saddle.

But I wouldn't start there regardless.

I'd pop a lunging roller on

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And get the horse used to the idea of pressure all the way around before popping a saddle on.

I'd walk in hand, then long rein or lunge and make sure the horse was 100% confident in that feeling of having something secured around them.

Then I'd use an old, light saddle, which vaguely fits and I wouldn't pad it up but use and just pop it on the horse with a very light saddle cloth or nothing at all, and do up the girth.

I'd walk in-hand, long rein and / or lunge.

At the same time, I do lots of grooming, leaning over the horse and slowly work up to sitting on the horse bareback whilst grooming. (Always with someone else around, always outside and not in a stable, and always with a hat on).

I work up to someone leading whilst I'm on bareback and can easily slip off very gently if the horse feels tense. I just never let them have a bad moment and always get off the second I feel any kind of tension, and end on a positive.

By the time horse is ready to formally back, it has had someone sitting on it, it can wear a saddle happily, and it's just a case of connecting those two elements up.

ETA all horses are different but the last two I've backed have been wearing a roller, in-hand hacking and long-reining in their 3rd year (rising 3 and 3) but very minimal lunging only to teach a concept or to vet because I avoid lots of circles when they are young. I have sat on them whilst grooming in their 3rd year. I have formally backed in their 4th year, so rising 4 or 4. I have hacked them and kept up lots of ground work and then began schooling in their 5th year. But I do take things slowly.
 
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ThePinkPonyClub said:
And well if she wasn’t tied up, the saddle almost certainly would have gone flying 😅!
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Going back to this. This isn’t a laughing matter with a young horse.

Please don’t ever introduce new equipment to a young horse who is tied up, or tie the horse up with the item on while you step back to take a pic. If they panic and dislodge the equipment you have created a major set back in the starting process.

Ideally you’d have a helper, but if on your own hold the lead rope in one hand and keep hold of the saddle, rug, numnah whatever in the other, so if the horse gets unsettled you can quickly and quietly remove the item without fuss.

Many good professional horse starters much prefer to take on a horse who hasn’t had much prep work, as all sorts might have gone wrong when well meaning but not very clued up owners accidentally give their young horse a fright, which might take a lot of unravelling.

Also, I agree that the saddle is so poor a fit on this horse that it isn’t even suitable for saddle familiarisation.

Set yourselves up to succeed.
 
Just a little tip before you introduce a girth or roller....

Use a long 12ft rope. Gently place it over the horse's back, bring one end under the belly, and gradually (very gradually!!), bring the end towards you until you have a loop around the back and the belly.

If the horse objects at any point then it isn't ready, and you need to go back a couple of steps.

Personally I'd go with a roller after that.

Time spent on the basics at this stage will make backing an absolute breeze.
 
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