Just how subjective IS saddle fitting

Not quite the answer to your question but I was taught a good way to check a saddle fit. Pop some talc powder on your horses back, then carefully lower the saddle on, do up girth and get on do a couple of laps of walk so the horse is using its back but not to much to make the horse sweat. Get off take saddle carefully off, look at the underside and it will give you an idea of how the saddle is sitting. This does not replace the need for a saddler but may help give you an idea of what fits before they come out.
 
Melody Grey said:
No no me either and looking around on the tinternet, I can't find anything on them- it's got a Thorowgood care label on the inside, but nothing else to identify it. I can only assume that it's quite old (certainly quite filthy!!) as it's one of those plastic attempting to be leather jobbies. Will see what the saddle fitter thinks tomorrow, if it's a goer it will have been worth a punt, if not nothing lost really!
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Yes it's old!
I was fitting these when the first adjustable saddles came out back in the 90's as sbloom has said, the screw thread usually goes and it flattens out and won't hold it's shape.Yours must have had an easy life and light rider!
 
Update whilst it's all fresh in my mind.
Saddler came out and horse1. Heavy weight cob. Said saddle needed some flocking at the front as it wasn't sitting level. Also that it was too long in front and interfering with his shoulder movement.

Horse 2. Mare IDx Saddle deemed totally unsuitable and mare now has very sore back. She's had it a while but has gained weight and is not being ridden much. Only saddle which fitted her was belonging to horse no 1. So swap arranged as her saddle fitted him ok.
However I've just ridden him in it and I though it seemed very tight over his withers so we are going to double check that tomorrow .. I'll use the talc trick and if owner is ok to ride ill lead her around the field .
Saddles were not checked girthed up or with a rider in board ? . We asked and were told it was only relevant when fitting a new saddle and as we were used to riding in the saddles it wasn't necessary? Comments welcome please :)
 
TrasaM said:
Update whilst it's all fresh in my mind.
Saddler came out and horse1. Heavy weight cob. Said saddle needed some flocking at the front as it wasn't sitting level. Also that it was too long in front and interfering with his shoulder movement.

Horse 2. Mare IDx Saddle deemed totally unsuitable and mare now has very sore back. She's had it a while but has gained weight and is not being ridden much. Only saddle which fitted her was belonging to horse no 1. So swap arranged as her saddle fitted him ok.
However I've just ridden him in it and I though it seemed very tight over his withers so we are going to double check that tomorrow .. I'll use the talc trick and if owner is ok to ride ill lead her around the field .
Saddles were not checked girthed up or with a rider in board ? . We asked and were told it was only relevant when fitting a new saddle and as we were used to riding in the saddles it wasn't necessary? Comments welcome please :)
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I always check with rider on board and at various paces whether it's an existing saddle or a new one, so I can be sure it fits and horse, rider and myself are happy with it. Seeing the horse in action helps show you if there are any problems.
 
cremedemonthe said:


I always check with rider on board and at various paces whether it's an existing saddle or a new one, so I can be sure it fits and horse, rider and myself are happy with it. Seeing the horse in action helps show you if there are any problems.
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Thank you .. That's what I'd read and it's what the saddle fitter did when I bought a 2nd hand saddle for the share horse I had last year.
 
cremedemonthe ... I would be very interested in receiving a copy of your saddle fitting guide, if you wouldn't mind? I'm in the middle of my very first saddle fitting experience.Thanks ever so much. xx
 
cremedemonthe said:
TrasaM have you seen my saddle fitting guide if not I'll send it to you, it gives you an insight into what should happen whan you have a new saddle fitted, some of the fitting principles apply to secondhand and existing saddles too
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Thank you .. That was what we were expecting to happen.. Loose, girthed and then rider on board . Oh dear..
 
pennyturner said:
My last purchase was £5 from ebay. It was a Camelot (which I have another, and they're old, but good), and had been overstuffed to the point that the stitching had split all around.

I removed half the flocking, tried it on the pony and put it back together. Turns out it's one of the 'fits just about everything' type :)

In the interests of science, I'd be up for hosting an event where everyone turns up with their horses, and the 'doesn't fit anything' saddles (I have two, but at least they were cheap), to see if we can give them away to someone who has a horse that fits!
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I have an ancient Camelot that I bought to sell on, it fits my horse lovely despite not been what I'd have expected to suit him. It cost all of £25 :D After a check over and getting re-dyed black it looks pretty good too!
 
lastchancer said:
I have an ancient Camelot that I bought to sell on, it fits my horse lovely despite not been what I'd have expected to suit him. It cost all of £25 :D After a check over and getting re-dyed black it looks pretty good too!
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Just looked on preloved and there's a 17" for £55 . It doesn't say what width
 
Regandal said:
I have an ancient Stubben saddle that 3 different horses wear periodically. To my untrained eye, it is a reasonable fit, and all 3 go fabulously in it. One of them goes better in that than the saddle that cost a fortune and was professionally fitted.
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Bet yours are TB's. I had an elderly Stubben and it fitted pretty much any TB I put it on. This after a clue from a lady who had several TB's and who did racehorse transportation.

Just wish it had fitted my much wider appy!!
 
Saddles sometimes perplex me too. For example, I am always getting told off about my dressage saddle - it is awful, an absolutely ancient Zaldi in really hard, rubbish leather, that had once been dyed black but now definitely a yucky tan colour in quite a few places... it's also too wide and really too low for my high withered TB. With a sheepskin and a prolite wither pad it gives enough clearance, but does tip the saddle very slightly back - pommel and cantle still level but it's just fractionally bearing less behind. However, my super sensitive, grumpy arse of a horse goes fab in it - he;s had all of his best ever schooling moments in it, and really works over his back when schooling in it, compared to the well fitting jump saddle, which, because it doesn't fit ME, means we tend to fall apart a bit in it...

We've gone out and beaten flashy warmbloods in M2M fancy saddles in our non-fitting piece of junk, so it can't be all bad... and when I finally can afford a new saddle, it's priority over the jump saddle to be replaced, despite the jump saddle being the one my instructors always moan about...
 
Ok :o
Thank you to whoever suggested the talc trick. We tried both saddles on Asbo and now that his has been re flocked it does not fit him so well. Tried the Kiefer on him and there was a gap on the right so saddle was pressing front and back but bridging . Contact was even on the left. Noticed it was sitting more to the left on his withers too. Tried the talc then and it showed that the pad was actually sitting on his spine at the back and confirmed other areas where it did not sit evenly as well..great tip! So £40 to fit a saddle that dies not fit! Can only guess that the tree has twisted somehow and would explain how it was sitting on the mare as well. Back to the drawing board!
 
sjp1 said:
Bet yours are TB's. I had an elderly Stubben and it fitted pretty much any TB I put it on. This after a clue from a lady who had several TB's and who did racehorse transportation.

Just wish it had fitted my much wider appy!!
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Snap I had a Stubben dressage and it used to fit anything! If I had to ride something a bit unpredictable, I would use it, obviously checking the fit! Gave up horses after having children, sadly sold the Stubben when hard up and kept my GP, when to be honest if I get another horse now children are grown up I would prefer a dressage saddle.
 
How much talc did you put on the horse? My horse is Black so I am hesitant to over talc him but I would love to try this. Also my horse is larger on one side of the shoulder than the other so its kind of inevitable that the saddle will be tighter on the more muscled side .... I asked the saddler about this myself and she said it was not enough of an asymmetry to be too concerned, and that as I only just bought him hopefully he would become more even. However just looking at my saddle cloth after I ride shows more scruff on the tight side..?
 
Blythe Spirit said:
How much talc did you put on the horse? My horse is Black so I am hesitant to over talc him but I would love to try this. Also my horse is larger on one side of the shoulder than the other so its kind of inevitable that the saddle will be tighter on the more muscled side .... I asked the saddler about this myself and she said it was not enough of an asymmetry to be too concerned, and that as I only just bought him hopefully he would become more even. However just looking at my saddle cloth after I ride shows more scruff on the tight side..?
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It was just a light sprinkle then I ran my hand over it so he was evenly covered. I did all the weight bearing saddle area..he was damp so I wasn't sure it'd work and it'd stay stuck to his hair rather than to the saddle. I Was really surprised that in one area the saddle completely removed the talc from his back. Worked a treat and confirmed what we'd observed ..

Asbo is also black so that just makes it easier to see where the pressure was on his back. I wiped him over with a damp cloth afterwards and all the talc wiped off. Even if it doesn't it'll do no harm x
 
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I hate getting a new saddle. Am thousands of pounds down and now I mostly just trust my own judgement.

The last horse I bought I ordered a new Wow for. He hated it and it made his back sore. Plus it constantly slipped. Waste of £2,300. Then I ordered an adjustable leather monoflap saddle. Waited ages for it as the fitter said the horse could only take a 17" saddle and I wanted a 17.5" seat for me. After 14 weeks is turned up. It was a 17.5" panel too. She fitted it and her exact words were "well it's a bit too long for him but should be ok" and expected me to pay £1,600 for that. I didn't. Finally I ordered an ideal impala pro off the net, plonked it on and thought yep that looks good. Had it checked and it was a good fit. Took almost a year but I got there in the end.
 
Cremedonthe the article is really helpful thanks especially the bit about the trapezius. I had a wide barnsby pony club saddle fitted to our 4 yr old nf and it seemed fine but now is pressing on his shoulder so I put an acovallo pad under it which lifted it off and is seems ok now especially when he works nicely and lifts through his back but I was thinking of changing it for one with a more open head maybe . I thought it was because he'd gone a little bum high
 
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