Dressage saddles for a wide wbx and a rider with long legs

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Walrus

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After years squeezing my long legs onto my short native and spending hours agonising over saddles I was looking forwards to the fact that my new horse is a 15.3hh wb x who is nice and wide to take up the leg, goodbye saddle issues bring on bog standard saddle fitting!

At which point the saddler turned up, took one look at my new pride and joy and said, well she's going to be awkward!! 😂

She's just very wide. The best fit was a bates dressage saddle for the wider (ahem) horse but the 17.5" seat was tiny as it has quite a high back and it did nothing for my position as I was just wedged and tipped forwards (more by thigh length than fat backside). Tried prestige, they skied forwards within about 30seconds. Tried a Fairfax Gareth which was oh so close but still moved forwards about an inch.

So recommendations for a wide, fairly flat backed, compact wbx with a rider who seems to have the thigh length of Mr Hester (but non of the talent!).

Any recommendations welcome, am also thinking we might be in anatomical girth territory as well!!
 
Would the budget stretch to a custom? Mine is very wide and difficult to fit and Ryder Saddles did a cracking job on her M2M jump saddle. Cost £2200 all in about 2 years ago, including whatever leather you want, piping, and customisation etc. I had the flap moved forward an inch as I'm also long of thigh and off-the-shelf saddles didn't fit us as a combination very well. Obviously only a good choice if you're sure she's not going to change shape!
 
That's my other problem, she's young (6) and unfit so likely to change shape which is why the Bates and the Fairfax were attractive as they are adjustable. I don't mind spending some cash (up to a point) but have always steered away from m2m as I'd be worried they wouldn't hold any value. My other horse had an equipe which I bought second second hand and could probably sell for nearly as much 5 years later as they are so desirable.
 
So I also have a wide wb and I am pretty tall, my options that suited best were albions, some have the adjusta tree options aswell, recently I bought a barnsby close contact dressage saddle and I am loving that already and it fitted straight to my like a glove :) hope that helps x
 
We had a similar conundrum a year ago. We were looking for a dressage saddle but ended up with VSD. It was for our fairly short backed 14.2 Xw cob... and his rider who’s grown 12 inches in four years, and has thighs to rival mr Hester too! He’s currently 6’1.5 and was a few inches sjorter last year (luckily he’s built like a twig!) Pony is one on a million so we were willing to do anything to enable them to stay together as long as possible. We ended up with an ideal VSD event which was wide enough, just short enough in the back for him in a 17.5 and long enough to take up 34’ of leg, about 30’ of which are thigh. �� He does about 85% dressage. I don’t know if one of the ideal dressage saddles would work for you?
 
I have an ISH who is deceptively wide. I recently acquired a Lavinia Mitchell saddle, it is beyond magnificent! Horse and I love it. Not adjustable, but LM fitters shim up to a fit, which is easily adjusted.
 
Ideal are definitely worth a look. My saddler was able to widen mine as horse developed. I had a Suzanna, which actually didn’t suit me very well as my legs too short! (However was good for the horse). I’m starting to think that no horse is truly ‘easy’ to fit....good luck
 
I have a similar issue with wide horse and long legged rider - I tried quite a few recently and although an Albion and a fairfax were close, the horse didn't seem quite happy in them. Then tried an Ideal Tonishia and that was perfect :o Have also since then tried a Prestige Helen, and that was also wonderful, but given the price tag of one I'm very grateful he likes the Ideal!
 
Given that she is only 6 and likely to change shape have you looked at a WOW? Infinitely adjustable for both you and your horse. I have recently changed horses, obviously mine is already set up for me as a rider, so all it took was a headplate change, and some air adjustment and voila! fitted to new horse , and a lot cheaper than buying an entirely new saddle 😊
 
Nova is XW 16.3hh and I'm petite 5ft8 rider, much of my height is in my legs. The prestige helen mono suits us both.

He is making do in Figs at the moment who is much flatter through the wither and rounder through the croup but I'm having an off the peg fitted to him which he loves.

The amerigo models suited Nova nicely too though they didn't suit me at all.

I would advise against M2M.
 
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