Is My Saddle Too Long?

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Mystical

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I am buying a 13.3hh welshie (sec C) in a few days and I am currently going tack shopping, his size is a 16 1/2" wide-extra wide and I have a 17" wide saddle already from a previous horse which the owner said should fit fine length and width wise. The only problem I have is that it seems rather long (From top to bottom), I have never really bought for ponies only horses and haven't tried it on him yet so I can't tell whether I am looking at it too hard and it is infact fine or it is grossly tall, it is 18" from the pommel to the bottom of the saddle flap. Is this too long for a 13.3 nearly 14hh pony or am I just imagining things?

Thanks!
:o
 
FfionWinnie said:
The length of the flaps isn't really the problem. I should think a 17" saddle is likely to be too long on his back.
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^^ this, although it does depend on the style a little - My YO's dressage saddle panels extend out further than the seat does :eek3: making a 17.5" saddle quite a bit longer on the horse. Whereas mine has upswept panels making it a little shorter. You'll need to try it on OP but be prepared to need a new one.
 
All my ponies are in 17" saddles, 13.1-14.2. Ponies are warmbloods, big moving. Saddles probably wouldn't fit native types though.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys :)
I might play it safe and buy a new one with the exact measurements his old owner gave me as I would rather dish out a few hundred quid in saddle bills than have him hurt in the first few months of me owning him.
 
Can't you get a saddler out? It's not just the dimensions, but the shape of the tree that will dictate whether it fits.
 
I have arranged for one to come out , just my friend was saying that the saddle I had spare would probably fit him but I was a little uncertain. Now I know that it probably won't and I should just wait for the saddler :)
 
Don't worry about the length from top to bottom, it's the length from front to back that is important.

The saddle needs to be the right length for the length of the pony's back.

Find the last rib and draw an imaginary line vertically to the top of his back, the saddle must not go over this line. Behind the ribs is an unsupported part of the spine, you don't want the saddle resting on this area.
 
It entirely depends on the pony and the panels of the saddle. As a welsh C I would expect the pony to be pretty compact if true to type though and unlikely to manage 17".
 
Mystical said:
Thanks for all the replies guys :)
I might play it safe and buy a new one with the exact measurements his old owner gave me as I would rather dish out a few hundred quid in saddle bills than have him hurt in the first few months of me owning him.
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I wouldn't do that, just because he's extra wide in his current saddle doesn't mean he will be that in another saddle! also the tree might not be the same shape! its very risky. get a saddle fitter and and get him fitted properly! start as you mean to go on! some people find wide short backed ponies really had to get saddles to fit properly, so I wouldn't waste your money and end up with an ill fitting saddle, then a sore pony!
 
I have several saddles that fit my 13.2 native well, one 17 inch fits beautifully, a 16 inch looks dreadful as panels too long.
The potential purchase is an over height C, as they are a max of 13.2.

OP, best get a good saddler out as a section C ought to be short coupled and a 17 may well be too long but then again, might fit dependent on type
 
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