English saddle fit help

[Jxmxg]

I'm looking for an English saddle for myself and my cob. I need shortflaps as I'm only five foot tall. Does anyone know what brands tend to have shorter flap lengths? Also the girth always seems to dig into the horses elbow area even whe the girth is on the two billet straps towards the back of the saddle. What do you suggest for this? Width tree width seems to fit him well in a medium tree but the panels don't see quite wide enough for his back. He still has growing to do and filling out. I'm mostly just putting the saddle on him while long reining him for now but want to make sure it fits well. Once he is almost four I can get another saddle to fit us both. I need a 16" seat as he has a short back and any smaller my butt won't fit lol any saddle suggestions or advice?

Here are some pictures of a cheap thorowgood saddle I tried d on him today.. Its a 16.5 seat and medium tree as far as I can tell. (excuse the mess he looks, he's out all the time and hard to keep clean!) also has a belly on him right now. This saddle looks huge in him don't you think. Just not sure what to get for us both. He will be three in May.. As long as it fits him for now that's all that matters as I won't be training him undersaddle until he is almost four and after he is three I may sit on him and do walking but that it as I want him to develop properly first.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I really wouldn't be worrying about fitting a saddle to him yet, he is only 2 and a half, he is going to change shape massively by the time you are going to back him.
Better to have a decent roller with maybe a saddle pad under, to get him used to things being done up etc.

 

[Jxmxg]

Uploading more pictures soon

 

[fredflop]

Are you in the uk, elsewhere in the world)

 

[Jxmxg]

I'm in the UK, why?

 

[Jxmxg]

I'll have a look at a good saddle roller with spine clearance. He was so good today for his first time ever having a saddle on

 

[doodle]

That saddle really dose not fit. I would work him in a roller until he is 3.5 or 4 and then get a saddle fitter out.

 

[Jxmxg]

Yeah I didn't think it was a good fit either. What would you say is wrong with it tho just curious? X will get a saddle fitter out when he is older

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's doesn't fit and he will get much wider and change so much I wouldn't worry about a saddle just yet, just use a roller for now then when you want to back him get a good fitter out.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It looks a bit perched so maybe too narrow and wrong shape although I am not a saddle fitter I do have a rough idea of how the saddle should look, and because he is 2 it looks massive on him.

 

[sbloom]

Hold fire, your pony will change a lot, is nowhere near ready for having a saddle fitted. Work on in hand work, and develop it into some light postural work, focus on how he is moving. These fabby cobs are often a little challenged in their conformation, they are often downhill and although are weight carriers their backs often need developing to help them carry a rider to stop them becoming rather dropped in the back, I see it all the time.

I should be getting on with other stuff, and I'm rubbish with freehand lines as you can see, but I wanted to show a few things on this great photo taken from the side (though if you ever want to get help, include the whole body including the feet, mainly to give a true horizontal, otherwise we're guessing at saddle balance).

Red triangle - no contact under this part of the saddle....good job because....
Purple arrow, the likely position of the last rib beyond which you really shouldn't fit a saddle. Some fitters say they tree should leave the back at this point, and arguably this one does, but it's a fine judgement and I always say if the panel is meant to be weight bearing why would you not want the vast majority of the panel to be on, and not beyond the back rib?
Blue arrow - currently the deepest part of the seat where the rider would sit - not bad
Dark green line - my appalling rendering of the sort of back shape this saddle should fit
Lime green line - this would be the vertical if this was on a horse it fitted (very roughly, to be fair that line is probably a bit TOO tipped but a few degrees makes a lot of difference!)

From the front it looks a smidge narrow to me, but I fit parallel to the ribcage, some fitters who fit to the shoulder might say that the tree angle (what I call width is fine) and then would decide if the pommel (the part they assess WIDTH on, yep, super confusing) was wide enough.

I hope this helps people get their eye in a bit better. The tree is too curvy, it is tipping forwards with the back lifting completely off the back, despite being perhaps a little too narrow, so you can't narrow it to lift the front back into balance. No point even trying to work out if the panel is the right shape when the tree is so wrong. And it's all definitely too long. I'm not honestly sure this would be a great fit on many horses, sorry!

 

[Jxmxg]

Thank you for all that infomation! It definitely helped me have a better idea. I won't be training him undersaddle untill he is 3.5yrs to 4yrs old. Just want him getting use to things and doing lots of groundwork until l then. Was just looking at a saddle to fit him for now but I will just long rein him in a roller for now like others said.

 

[sbloom]

Thank you for all that infomation! It definitely helped me have a better idea. I won't be training him undersaddle untill he is 3.5yrs to 4yrs old. Just want him getting use to things and doing lots of groundwork until l then. Was just looking at a saddle to fit him for now but I will just long rein him in a roller for now like others said.

I would also look at things like straightnesstraining.com, Manolo Mendez' DVD and other things focused on posture, long reining definitely has its place but it's not always focused on posture, and a croup high cob on long lines can end up just getting more on the forehand, I'm NOT an expert in this work, but as a saddle fitter I see so many horses compromised and this work really helps. There's also research being done to improve roller design, they actually can show pretty high pressure readings, so again, it's worth looking at these techniques that don't use one.

 

[Jxmxg]

I will definitely check those things out! Thank you are there any rollers that you would recommend i get for him? They have to have spine clearance right, lots I see don't have that.

 

[sbloom]

I will definitely check those things out! Thank you are there any rollers that you would recommend i get for him? They have to have spine clearance right, lots I see don't have that.

No, I'd recommend work that doesn't need a roller. Spine clearance is a minimum, I'm talking about the pressure under any pads either side of the wither.