Ideal saddles

[GREYSMEADOW]

Hi,

Any of you have an Ideal Saddle?

I'm just wondering what they class as wide. Can I ask you to report back to me with your D to D measurements (taken from the middle of the D's) both stretched out and not stretched.

I brought a saddle (ebay) and was told it was wide and it measures 8" not stretched and 8.5" stretched out.

Many thanks for your help - very much appreciated.

 

[Shooting Star]

I suspect that the D's are in different places on different versions of Ideal saddles but have just measured my Ideal Jessica dressage saddle, it is 9" D to D and is 100% a medium - stamped on the stirrup bar and too narrow for my current medium wide horse.

My medium wide GP (not an Ideal) is 9.5"

 

[Dressagedreaming]

I have an Ideal VSD and it's a medium wide measuring 9" from D ring to D ring

 

[GREYSMEADOW]

Many thanks for your help - Dressagedreaming and Ankerwycke.

I have just looked on the stirrup bar and it does say 'M' the other bar is not marked. I wonder what Wide starts at approximately.

 

[Shooting Star]

I think roughly 10" but it's not terribly accurate to use the D measurement.

When buying second hand saddles I've tended to get to recognise the angle of the points for the width that I'm looking for (pictures of the angles of the wintec / thorowgood head plates can help!) and always ask the seller to add a photo of the saddle taken directly from the front so that I can tell if it's likely to fit.

 

[holeymoley]

Personally I'd say wide starts from 9" +

 

[sbloom]

Definitely don't rely on what is stamped on the bar - beech laminate trees can be adjusted a few times - and as someone has said, dees can be attached differently, even on otherwise apparently identical saddles. Do take a good tracing or your horse and either ask sellers to check it against their saddle or, as someone has said, learn to visualise the angles of the tree in a saddle and see if they come close to your horse's tracing.

I believe Ideal are relatively generous in their widths, but again that can depend on model as they are all on different trees and loinger tree points won't be as suitable for wide horses, even if the d to d seems right.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I had a ideal ramsay wide that was about ten inches, I also had a jessica and that was slightly smaller and was stamped medium wide but not much difference to the wide, you can have them adjusted by ideal up to one size bigger I think.

 

[Sunshine]

What type of saddle dressage/gp/wh and does the stirrup bar have DT stamped on it too? It might also have numbers stamped on the top of the underflaps 2 each side, these show year of make and (I think) the record if it was made to template, you might be able to ring Ideal and ask. I have w & xw WH saddles, both have W stamped on the stirrup bar but one is on a DT tree and one on a fylde style flatter tree, and they are different measurements between the Ds.
It might not be the end of the world for you though as Ideal and good saddlers can adjust them one width either way.

 

[McW]

I believe a mw dressage is approx 9.5

 

[COOKIE123]

I have just sold an ideal whp saddle as it was stamped wide yet measured 8.5" d-d and my ideal ramsey show saddle measures 9.5 so maybe it measures from model to model?

 

[GREYSMEADOW]

Thanks for all your replies - they have been helpful. I have since found a number on a stirrup bar (has a large M followed by BS and then 4 numbers) – there is no other number nor wording anywhere else on the saddle.

The saddle is a GP/event style (there is no name on it). I shall try and find out from Ideal if they can tell me more info on the saddle. The saddle I have seen (which ends tomorrow on ebay) is the same size (seat) but is a newer saddle and sounds like it’s an inch larger (9” from d to d) and would probably suit by chap better.

I also have a Thorowgood Interchangeable XW Gullet Synthetic Saddle Cob GP Extra Wide (with cut back head (pommel) which fits my youngster (who has already grown since the end of September 2012) really well but I find the saddle doesn’t suit me! The d to d measurement on this saddle is very different (12”) but its a totally different saddle compared to the Ideal!

I did have a saddler out last year but didn’t like any of the new Wintecs she brought with her. I also tried some other saddles 2nd hand ones from another saddler but they were really uncomfortable and very heavy.

My youngster is a draught type with some wither but is really rather flat on top. I popped the Ideal saddle on his back this morning and it does seem ok but I would prefer it to be a bit wider. Decisions! I guess I need to speak to Ideal first to see if my current Ideal saddle can be made wider, or the 1” larger Ideal saddle which I’m interested in could be made larger if needed!... Or perhaps I should really look at an wide to extra wide Ideal saddle!