Dressage saddle fitting??

[Christmas Crumpet]

In the process of getting a secondhand dressage saddle. I know nothing about how a dressage saddle should sit so I could be wrong about this one!!

Saddler came out and fitted a MW Ideal Jessica to my horse who has low withers but a bit of a wither if that makes sense. To me the saddle seems perched in front on him and I can get a good 4 and a bit fingers in the pommel before getting on him and probably just 4 when on him. I can get fingers to the side of the pommel between the inside of it and the wither so its not touching the actual wither at all but it does seem to sit high on his wither. It seems as though it doesn't sit round him but on him although the balance is good, it doesn't move at all and he goes really nicely in it. Saddler said she could slide a hand down it when I was on but we struggled yesterday in a lesson. I am concerned that it is pinching him at the top of his withers where the tree points are and that perhaps he needs something a bit wider to sit a little bit lower. I am no saddler though and my saddler says its fine. My instinct says its too tight.

Can low withers be a medium wide?

Few pics...

It doesn't sit very differently when I'm sitting on it to how it does when just girthed up. It certainly doesn't sit down much more in front.


https://i.imgur.com/mjtEIyi.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GQzSTQ0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sznWBBB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/v5z8Y0S.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nGjN5Pe.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BLcNUax.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mjtEIyi.jpg

As I said before, I've never fitted a dressage saddle nor even had one so I'm a bit clueless. I love riding in it as its so comfy but his comfort is paramount too.

 

[PaddyMonty]

Try sliding it back a couple of cm.
Because of the straight flaps dressage saddles tend to be put on too far forwards as people are used to the look of flaps from GP or jumping saddles which both have forward cut flaps.

 

[sbloom]

The higher the pommel ie seat depth the more clearance you will have, on average, so a dressage saddle will nearly always have more clearance, and the least clearance tends to be with showing saddles.

I think it looks like it might be a smidge tipped backwards but if your horse lifts its lumbar spin (behind the saddle) into trot as most lower level horses do then it may well be in balance in trot. It would be better a tiny bit further back I agree, though it might then go beyond the back rib, the tree points should be three fingers width behind the back edge of the shoulder blade. I can't see the tree point angle in the photos,if you move more into the neck and try lifting the flap it might be possible to assess if they're parallel to the horses side.

In the first instance you do always need to go back to the fitter of course.