Dressage saddle for big shouldered ISH

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emmah1979

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Got the saddle fitter to check my lovely Southern Stars dressage saddle on my new horse and he told me that the horse has broad shoulders and the saddle is currently sitting over the shoulders and is pinching him. Tried a couple of friends' saddles on him over the last 2 nights (Devoucoux Biarritz and Albion) and he moved a hundred times better. So I now need to sell the Southern Stars and get something that fits. The horse is a fairly chunky 16hh ISH who events. Which dressage saddles are cut away at the front and therefore best to avoid shoulders? I want a brown mono flap. Tried a Prestige and Antares but they weren't cut away enough. I liked the Devoucoux but apparently they are usually quite narrow fitting, which wouldn't suit. What about Equipe?
 
I had a devoucoux milady (older model) which fitted a broad backed, high withered belgian warm blood and also a high withered ISH with a bony back. Both had big shoulders

Current dressage saddle is on a Dutch horse - built like an ISH with a huge shoulder again and it's an Amerigo Pinerolo.
 
My 16.3 friesian is in a heather moffet soft treed vogue - not treeless all weight is properly distributed stirrup bars are set back to enable proper ear hip heel line and amazingly comfy to boot! See if you an trial one : D
 
i dont know of a brown mono flap....but just wanted to say! im glad im not the only one with an awkward shaped ISH.....my saddle fitter has never know such an awful horse to fit as my boy!!! the only saddle i have found that doesnt roll up the shoulder was the very first style bates innova!!!!! not mono flap but a beautiful saddle and sits behind the shoulder so well!!!
 
The ones I mention come in havana and this lovely tan

cognac_voguedress.jpg
 
Oh, thank you for raising this. I too have a bony backed, high withered, huge shouldered ISH. I shall watch with interest as I was going to ask the same question. I currently have an economical Thorowgood T8 - because it has a changeable gullet, and because it sits behind that huge shoulder without going too far back. I am aware that it's not ideal. The saddler comes out the week after next so I'd like to go through some options with him.
 
I had the same problem with a big chunky ISH. The saddler told me that an Amerigo Alto would be perfect; another option was an Ideal Tonishia (the website explains why they are made for this sort of horse). I couldn't find either and ended up with an Ideal Suzannah, which as long as I am careful about moving it a touch further back than I would normally, seems comfortable for him. As he is pretty big and long, I can do this with a 17.5" saddle without it being too far back. I also tried a Prestige Optimax and he moved well in that - it was a beautiful brown colour.

Sadly they are not monoflap; the Ideals would come in brown but I don't know about the Amerigo.
 
I have this problem with my connie a swapping from a wintec gp to a
Albion for jump saddle worked wonders - the U shape is far better over his trapesius than the V shaped wintecs. He had muscled up alot on his topline. Just because a v gullet adjusts doesn't make it fit! I'm now on the hunt for a dressage that fits as well. Thorowgood and WOW both tried and don't work for him. The WOW I felt I threw good money after bad trying to get an adjustment he liked but he wasn't happy with his lateral work at all in it. The search continues...
 
Have a look at fair fax - their saddles are structured to avoid restraint of movement... I personally hate riding on them because of the placement of the blocks but most people seem to love them
 
My mare sounds like a similar type of shape, having tried anything any everything I went for a Sue Carson, she absolutely loves it. Worth a try as they can be customised to your horse entirely.
 
MissP said:
I have this problem with my connie a swapping from a wintec gp to a
Albion for jump saddle worked wonders - the U shape is far better over his trapesius than the V shaped wintecs. He had muscled up alot on his topline. Just because a v gullet adjusts doesn't make it fit! I'm now on the hunt for a dressage that fits as well. Thorowgood and WOW both tried and don't work for him. The WOW I felt I threw good money after bad trying to get an adjustment he liked but he wasn't happy with his lateral work at all in it. The search continues...
Click to expand...

why not try an albion dressage if the jump fits his shape....
 
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