is his saddle to big

G

gwniver

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 September 2012
Messages
419
Location
devon
Visit site
hi my 4 year old has grown (yet again ) and i am not sure if his saddle fits him i think he's in a 17.5 saddle witha med/narrow gullet
he's just 15hh;)on tipi toes :Dand he makes a face when i do up his girth .. is that because he's lazy??;)
 
Very difficult to say without actually seeing him in the flesh. And even harder without a picture. Therefore what you need to do is get a recommendation for a good saddler/ saddle fitter in your area, & get them to look. My 14.2 is fine in a 17.5 but on the whole most horses that size aren't. And regardless of whether the saddle fits, I imagine the face pulling is for any number of reasons, however I doubt laziness is one of them.
 
We need to see a photo to make a judgement on the fit of his saddle, and even then it would be difficult, unless it is clearly the wrong size. The 17.5 measurement is your leg size and has nothing really to do with the size of the horse. My 16hh horse is in a 17 inch saddle, but that is to fit me rather than him!

It is probably best for you to get a professional saddle fitter to come out and have a look for you as it is vital that his saddle fits properly, especially as he is a youngster with (what sounds like) a sensitive back. If you let people on here know where you are then they may be able to recommend one.

Lots of horses make a face when you do their girth up, perhaps because they have had a poorly fitting saddle in the past. So it is best to get this sorted now - either get your instructor/other experienced person to have a look, or get a professional out to see him.

Good luck!
 
I dont think anyone can advise you as to the fit of your saddle from the description you have given, there are so many things to consider not just the length and width, it would be best to get a saddler to check it for you.

The face pulling could be for many reasons, the saddle may not fit, the girth may be unsuitable, you could be pulling it up too quickly etc etc.
 
Just a point, there are very few horses that are narrower than a medium fit in saddles. So I would bet the saddle is too tight for him. But as others have said, it's impossible to tell without photographs.
 
I agree with Wagtail. If you'd like to post photos on here, girthed up firmly with no pad, showing the whole saddle from side and front, and one of the whole horse wearing the saddle from the side, I could give you a rough idea. I have a colleague, Clare Molyneux, in the Highlands who might be happy to have a look at it, not sure how much she fits customers existing saddles but if you Google her you'll find her details.

Oh and width has NOTHING to do with height whatsoever, and length of seat they can take has little correlation with either height or even rug length :cool:
 
Wow, that's quick, yesterday afternoon you were asking to find a saddle fitter and now you've found one and got him out in the space of around 5 working hours! What fantastic service. Round here you have to book weeks, if not months, in advance.
 
Oh dear.......:rolleyes:
Glad the saddle fitter assured you that your saddle was a perfect fit, and that he's just pulling a face because he's lazy? Glad that's cleared up then! :cool:
 
Last edited:
Blimey, if OP is only 13 then some of the replies may have been a bit off-putting!
Even if a saddle fitter has come out & ok'd it, maybe some pics would be good?
 
longdog said:
Blimey, if OP is only 13 then some of the replies may have been a bit off-putting!
Even if a saddle fitter has come out & ok'd it, maybe some pics would be good?
Click to expand...

I think people are a bit surprised that at 2.37pm yesterday, OP was asking if there were any saddle fitters in her area, this morning she tells us she has had a fitter out and all is fine. :)
 
Dee O'Dorant said:
Wow, that's quick, yesterday afternoon you were asking to find a saddle fitter and now you've found one and got him out in the space of around 5 working hours! What fantastic service. Round here you have to book weeks, if not months, in advance.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. Looking at the Rollkur post, also by the OP gets me thinking about mythical creatures that live under bridges. :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top