is 16.5in saddle much smaller than 17in?

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mole

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can you really tell the difference between the two? just wanted to know as looking for a new saddle and the one i want is in 16.5 rather than 17. will it really matter that much??
:confused:
 
I think there is, theres probably a bit of depends which brand it is involved

as well as the 1/2 inch in length the rest of the saddle is also made larger as far as Im aware.

If your fairly slim it wont matter to you much , saddle may look a bit too small on the horse, depending again what breed etc
 
depends on what it is for my boy is 14.3 and in a 16.5 but the 17 is too much as sits that little bit to far back on his back and makes him sore !!
 
i use a 17in saddle currently and im very comfortable in it. im not the biggest person in the world either (5'4 about 9stone) so i guess horse wont mind it being smaller its whether i would find it too small i guess. its a dressage saddle which has a very deep seat
 
My bum says the same lol. I need a 17.5 ideally but my horse can only take a 17 inch max as short coupled and I think there is a difference. I can however squeeze into my friends 16.5 deep seeted dressage saddle, I love it. Its so snug I dont move :eek:
 
Cant you try it first?
Im in a saddle half inch smaller and Im ok in it. It isnt very deep seated though. I think if anything you may have a problem with the pommel hurting your front bits!! You sound quite petite though so may be ok. Im 5'7 and a size 12ish and fit okish in a 17 inch.
 
I have both these sizes, one for my arab the other for my 16hh mare. Im the same height and weight as you and prefer my 16.5in so I dont think you will feel too big for the saddle, probably suit you better and as long as your horse is not really long in the back that it wouldnt suit im sure it will be fine. It would be more of a problem if you wanted to go bigger and horse was shorter coupled :-)
 
My very compact mare can't cope with bigger than 161/2 inch saddle. I am 5'6" and currently about 9st, when we were looking to get a new saddle one girl in one tack shop did seem to think it would be too small for me. However I got a lovely second hand Jeffries 16 1/2 and it suits us both very well.
 
martlin said:
I'm terribly sorry, but I can't resist:D
About half an inch I would guess:D:D:D
Click to expand...

Ohhhh you got there first, not fair :D:D

To the OP, I have always ridden in a 17.5" saddle but when I got my present horse the saddler advised me that he wouldn't be comfortable with one so I went to a 17" instead. TBH I really havent noticed any difference, and I am 5'2" and fat! Luckily my bum is not too huge :o

I would imagine the same would apply when going from a 17" to a 16.5" :)
 
I've just had my horses saddle and back looked at and she said it will make a huge difference to my horse. He's very short backed so a 17inch sits too far back and has made his ribs sore (how guilty do I feel!). Also it then sits on his lumbar which has been very uncomfortable and may be the cause of his buck from discomfort.

For me however - I didn't notice the difference much - was just as comfy and I'm no skinny minny! ; o )
 
My boy has a 16.5 as he is 13.2 and quite short in the back (fell pony), the 17 we tried on him was too long, I'm 5'8", weigh about 11-11.5 stone and am a dress size 14-16 and I feel fine in a 16.5 (and I'm no skinny minnie!).
 
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