Interchangeable gullet saddles?

[BlackISH]

I’ve been on the look out for an interchangeable gullet saddle for a while and have noticed that a few people‘s reasons for sale are that the saddle no longer fits their horse.

This probably sounds a little naive but I thought that the point of an interchangeable gullet system is that you could switch the gullet out for one that would fit the horse so I don’t really understand how it has stopped fitting the horse.

Has anyone ever had an interchangeable gullet saddle that doesn’t fit? And if so why did it stop fitting?

 

[Auslander]

The interchangeable gullet simply allows for the width to be adjusted - the shape of the tree still needs to be taken into consideration, as not every horse will suit every tree. Some are flat, some are curved, etc.

 

[Shay]

They only adjust to a realtively small amount. Loads of people buy them thinking that that is one saddle that will fit regardless. But in practice they only vary within one size or so. As A says - they only change the width - not the length and not the panel position.

They are great if they are fitted to you and you have a horse that has a level of weight change seasonally - and they are a possibility for a youngster in the earlier stages. But they are not a universal panacea. You need to get the basic design fitted correctly and the amount of adjustment needs to be suitabe to your horse ans situation Saddles need to suit not only in width, but also in length and to the rider which may mean differnt posiitons of strrup bars etc.

Good saddles hold thier value. It is usually better to buy a good bespoke named saddle and repalce as needed. The resale value is often not far off the purchase price.

 

[conniegirl]

I have one for sale currently, it fit my 15.2 hunter but even though the width can be altered i cannot make an 18” saddle fit a pony that takes a 16.5” saddle

 

[asmp]

I bought an adjustable saddle about 12 years ago as saddler couldn’t adjust my old saddle anymore. It is checked twice a year and has never needed its original bar changing.

 

[rextherobber]

I got a Thorowgood t6 for my young IDxTB, as a stop gap until she stopped growing, and I could buy a "proper" saddle. The gullet bar has had to be widened 3-4 times over the years ( checked 6-12 months) She's now 11, and has gone up a gullet size again. If it gets any wider, it won't fit in the tack locker. For her, an adjustable saddle has been perfect.

 

[DabDab]

You mean how can one suddenly stop fitting when you rule out width being an issue (because of the changeable gullet)?

Some horses do genuinely change enough as youngsters that they need a different tree shape....but more often it's that either it didn't fit *that* well in the first place, but was alright for a stop gap, or that it did fit and still fits but either the rider doesn't really like riding in it or there is some ridden issue with the horse that the saddle is being treated as a culprit for.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yes. I keep a wintec with extra gullet bars in the tack room just incase. It fitted a horse I had and just figured useful to keep.
It won’t fit either my old horse or daughters at the moment though as it’s the wrong shape.
It blocks daughters horses shoulder and it’s just the wrong shape to sit on the others back (even with the correct bar)

 

[Auslander]

They're funny things, horses. I used to have ALf in a Wintec Isabell, which wasn' a perfect fit, but he liked it. A saddler put shims underneath the back which made it look like it fitted much better, but he said a very emphatic no, and i got off before he removed me.
For the last few years, he's had a beautiful Albion Revelation, which fitted him like a dream (and me). I just changed him to a new shape Wintec Isabell, because he's not getting any younger, and I wanted to reduce the weight he has to cart around. New WIntec fits like the old one, and if it were up to me, I'd bunk the back up a bit. Himself absolutely loves it, just the way it is, and feels better in it than he ever did in the perfectly fitting Albion!

 

[ycbm]

They only adjust to a realtively small amount. Loads of people buy them thinking that that is one saddle that will fit regardless. But in practice they only vary within one size or so.

The least number of widths I know of is 5 going from narrow to extra wide and WOW go from minus one to 9, 11 widths in all, minus one being razor withers and 9 being almost flat.

It's the tree shape and length of panels that's the fitting issue normally.

.

 

[TPO]

The headpiece only changes the width across the pommel and in some cases it can alter the points of the tree.

The actual gullet isnt widened by changing the headpiece. The tree has to fit the horse.

Even if the tree fits if the headpiece is changed from a wide to an xxwide this can negatively impact on the tree and warp it out of shape over time. The point of balance in the overall fit will be affected with big changes in head plate sizes.

They really are designed for ine horse who doesnt fluctuate much e.g. maybe a horse that changes shape slightly because of more work in nicer months and time off over the bad weather in winter, or one that puts on weight over summer but drops off over winter. They really arent meant to be a "one size fits all" more a "this saddle fits perfectly right now but there is the option to go a bit wider and a bit narrower of required"...

 

[C1airey]

As above, they’re great if you’re moving between one or two sizes, and they’re used on the same horse, e.g. a fatty losing weight, or a horse muscling up as it comes into more work. Between the widest and the narrowest gullet bars, the whole saddle can be a very different shape, it’s not just the distance between the points.

If one adjustable saddle fitted all horse shapes, saddle-fitters wouldn’t bother stocking anyone else!

 

[SpotsandBays]

I have an adjustable Kent and masters on my horse, but only the cob or the compact version suited his confirmation. I went with the compact as it also suited me very well. He’s abit of a chonker, gets fat on thin air type so the changeable gullet is good for that. But as above you do have to consider the other saddle shape elements, and if in doubt I’d get a fitter out to let you test a few (that’s what I did!)