How do you know who to trust?

[Jingleballs]

My head is totally up my @r$e today with all this saddle fit nonsense!

Bottom line is, C's saddle company saddle is now a terrible fit - too narrow in the gullet and the flocking is so uneven that it does not fit the shape of his back.

My options were get it widened and totally reflocked or just get a new saddle.

I've opted for a new saddle as the level of adjustment the SC saddle has needed so far is going to be impossible to maintains given that I need to arrange for a saddler from down south to come and check it.

New saddler has recommended a wintec 500 and asked me to get the blue (M/W), red (W) and white (XW) gullets to allow him to fit it to C - he'll fit the correct gullet and then adjust the panels and flocking to give a correct fit.

Having posted about this on this and another forum there seems to be a mixed response as to whether I should be getting the Wintec 500 or Wintec Wide.

We tried the wide on yesterday with a XL gullet (my friend's horses saddle) and it was far to wide which was why he suggested the 500.

Now, one of my friends has told me not to get the 500 but to get the wide because as C grow's the 500 will become far too narrow for him.

Now I know that everyone has different experiences and that everyone is giving their advice in order to help me and with no hidden agenda but who do I listen to?

The qualified saddler who I am paying to fit a saddle to my horse?
The forum uses with positive experiences or those with negative?
My friend who has a similar sized cob (although slightly wider) who has been thought this and had to change her saddle.

I'm sitting here almost in tears and I just don't know what to do - all I want is a saddle that fits my horse!

Why does it have to be so hard!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Calm yourself first off .

I don't know of any saddlers around your area , but Im sure someone here will be able to tell you of a good saddler

Its not the end of the world

Col x

 

[the watcher]

Question 1, where are you?
Certainly if you were anywhere nearme I would bring over my XW and XXW saddle collection for you to try, so you can at least get a feel for what works.

 

[Jingleballs]

[ QUOTE ]
Question 1, where are you?
Certainly if you were anywhere nearme I would bring over my XW and XXW saddle collection for you to try, so you can at least get a feel for what works.

[/ QUOTE ]


Unfortunately I'm in Scotland so a bit far for you! Thanks for the offer thought!
The new fitter may be coming back this afternoon so I'm going to raise my concerns about the saddle width and possibly see if he can try my friends wintec wide with one of the narrower gullets - that means returning the wintec I've just bought and going on a hunt for a Wintec Wide withough cair and then arranging another fitting with the saddler.

 

[Pidge]

don't panic - I know it's easier said than done though

Pidge had badly fitting saddles which meant that despite putting on muscle and weight everywhere else he actuall lost it under the saddle

Since swapped saddlers and she put flair in his dressage saddle which has allowed him to start building the muscle back up, which he has built up lots in the past 7 months

I don't know whether the saddle will fit when he is totally muscled up but at least for the moment the air system in flair is allowing him to build the muscle back up. If I were you I would be looking at a saddle that will allow him to build the muscle back up - it may be that you will have to change the saddle later on down the line and to be honest in the scheme of things it could be worse. At least you have spotted the problem and are doing something to rectify it.
Please try not to get upset about this, there are lots of us who have been in the same situation but believe me there will be someone out near you who will sort your saddles out so that they fit and then it will all be worthwhile

 

[cellie]

I have a brand new wintec 500 .I bought it of ebay as I was buying a horse and the lady changed the price(horse) at last minute.I have bought a new horse with her saddle so its not needed .If you are interested you can pm .The saddle was tried on another horse once hence brand new just two marks where the girth was done up.I will readvertise next week if you prefer to look on ebay.The gullett box is included.

 

[Jingleballs]

I am now sitting looking at the wintec 500 compared to my XXW SC saddle and wondering how the hell the saddler is going to make this fit my horse!!! I expect thsi saddle may be going back to the shop tomorrow!!!

 

[eoe]

Go back to the old fashioned way trust yourself, get an old wire coat hanger, which you can normally get from a dry cleaners, open it up so its a long piece of wire, then mould this to your horse where the saddle would go. Then go into your local tack shop and then use that up against the saddles to find one that fits, alternatively get a piece of paper, draw inside the wire and mark which is the off and near side of your horse and then send it to the saddler down south and this should solve your problem of having a saddle that fits. When you place the saddle on your horse, if you stand behind your horse you should be able to see all the way along the gullet to the horses withers. When you lunge your horse, with no numnah the saddle should not move and should sit in the same place. If it flaps around behind it will need some attention. There is a website, Society of Master Saddlers the people on here are qualified to fit saddles and have to retake exams every couple of years so know what they are talking about. Hope this helps.

 

[lauraanddolly]

Or if you have the gullets for the 500, just sit the gullets over the withers to see if any come close to being right. I'm not sure if the horse it is for is the one in your sig but if it is, I would be tempted to go for the wintec wide, as my TBx NF with fairly flat withers but silm built is in the XW 500 gullet!

 

[Flame_]

Do not trust any saddlers just because they are saddlers, there are good ones and bad ones and the bad ones can spout bu11sh!t as well as the good ones do their job so it can be hard to tell between them under pressure. As said above, trust yourself and look as hard as you can yourself. Do you have any eventer or riding instructor mates who can have a look for you for a second opinion?

 

[niko]

I had the same problem with my mare, nothing seemed to fit her every make i tried was'nt quite right & i was starting to think i should sell her & get one to fit the saddle. I found the most helpful people that made one for us & trusted them no end (after some hairy experiences from 'reputable' makes) & it didnt cost any extra or a bomb worth considering and can be altered as flockes (everyone said she needed a felt/foam panel!) pm me if you would like the details & relax it will come right!

 

[Jingleballs]

Well my horse is now in a wintec 500 with a medium gullet!!!!!!!!!! Yes that's right - medium. And it seems to fit him well???

I'd already read up on what to check for when fitting a saddle - enough clearance at withers - slightly more than saddler would like but any wider and it would sit too low in front. Nice clear line between back of the saddle down to the wither with saddle making a nice contact all the way along the panels.

Saddle was coming up very slightly at the back but saddler explained that this is because the saddle is tethered nearer to the front of of the saddle as the girth does not sit in the middle but was not happening too much when I was riding.

He went really well in it as I expected as obviously ill fitting saddles don't always show up right away. I felt comfortable riding in it and more secure.

I have another saddler booked to come next week to double check the fit so I'll be very interested in her thoughts.

 

[CBAnglo]

I am surprised that your horse is a medium knowing that your horse is an xxw sc.

take the gullet out and try it on your horse's back in the same place as the gulletbof your saddle will fit and see if it is pinching anywhere. bit should fit flush with the contour of your horse's shoulder.

did the saddler reflock the panels?

 

[Jingleballs]

[ QUOTE ]
I am surprised that your horse is a medium knowing that your horse is an xxw sc.

take the gullet out and try it on your horse's back in the same place as the gulletbof your saddle will fit and see if it is pinching anywhere. bit should fit flush with the contour of your horse's shoulder.

did the saddler reflock the panels?

[/ QUOTE ]


Of the SC saddle? No, SC saddler is coming to do that next weekend to even out the flocking.

 

[jewel]

you can buy a gullet measuring thing for about £15 from most horse shops. i'm also really surprise you horse is a medium if it's the horse in your sig. as my 3 year old section D is an extra wide and he is no where near as wide as the horse in signature.

 

[Jingleballs]

Although Casper is wide at the front he has a lot of muscle wastage around his wither hence the reason why the medium seems to fit him better - the aim is to build up the muscle and keep changing the gullet until he's back to his original shape and yes this may result in another new saddle but saddler has suggested that this is the best saddle to get us to that stage.

I totally understand the concerns expressed but what else can i do - I am not a qualified saddle fitter, I can only arm myself with as much information as possible and hope that the professionals I am paying to do the job are doing it correctly. These fitters say the saddle fits, to my albeit untrained eye is does seem a good fit on him - I will happily take and post pictures tomorrow to show how it is sitting but even with the feedback provided what can I do - I can't fit it myself!!

 

[shellonabeach]

I use Thorowgood saddles on my horses (a TBxwelsh in a cob saddle and a ISH mare in a high wither saddle). They have a template you can print off their website to help you gage the width required using the coathanger method someone suggested above.

The new Thorowgood saddles come with gullets like the wintecs so are fully adjustable. The cob saddle has 4 girth straps & on my boy I use the 2nd & 4th straps to stop the saddle slipping forward.

 

[Kallibear]

I would be frankly amazed if he takes a medium - my friends TB takes a medium-wide! This is Kalli's back - she takes a wide and casper is no where near as narrow as her!

I suspect he's been fitted with it too narrow to lift the front up - they often sit far too low in the front on cobs if the width is correct.

As others have said, take the gullet out (dead easy with a screwdriver) and try it directly on his back. It should match perfectly.

And NO the saddle should NOT rock up at the back when the girth is done up OR where you stand in your stirrups. If it does, it means the saddle rocks backwards and forwards when you do riding trot.

Did the saddle look at the saddle from behind to see if the panel match his back?


Incdidenly - you CAN fit the saddle yourself - that's what I did eventually - I gave up on saddlers (the ones in this area are truelly appaling) , learnt everything I possible could about fitting and did it myself. My horses are now happier than they were before and the sports massager back lady tells me they have no back pain.

 

[CBAnglo]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I am surprised that your horse is a medium knowing that your horse is an xxw sc.

take the gullet out and try it on your horse's back in the same place as the gulletbof your saddle will fit and see if it is pinching anywhere. bit should fit flush with the contour of your horse's shoulder.

did the saddler reflock the panels?

[/ QUOTE ]

No I meant the Wintec - I thought that you said in your pm that the saddler was going to reflock the wintec and I expressed my reservations as to whether that would be adequate for your horse from the pictures that you sent.

Of the SC saddle? No, SC saddler is coming to do that next weekend to even out the flocking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have already told you my opinion on that.

 

[Jingleballs]

No flocking work was done on the Wintec as saddler was happy (but surprised) with how well it fitted.

Tomorrow evening I have a McTimoney-Corley Animal Manipulation specialist coming out and at the same time I have arranged for a second saddler to come out and double check the fit of the new saddle (don't think a second opinion is needed on the SC saddle).

This will hopefully allow me to get this sorted, give me some peace of mind and let me start enjoying my horse again!