New Member Seeking Help.... PLEEEEEEAse

[ponyfide]

Hello I'm new to the group, so firstly I'd like to say "HI" and I would greatly appreciate some advice if you could help me? I have a Connemara gelding with a typically flat short back and am wanting a dressage saddle, preferably secondhand as I have lost so much money on new saddles like many more people on here in the past but it is proving to be virtually impossible. Anyway to cut a long and boring story short & after hours of googling different saddle makes that might be a possibility, I watched a few on-line vids & then contacted the 'Native Pony Saddle Company.' Anyway I was really happy about this and thought my problems were over until I had a quick look on this forum (as a visitor, I have used it for all sorts of gems of info in the past) and to my dismay I was really disappointed to read that the people who are going to come & give me a saddle fitting aren't very highly spoken of. They are Gini and Dean Woodward (I think that was the surname), please can anyone at all tell me if they have had a positive experience with them. I would love to hear what you have to say? Thanking you in anticipation!!!!

 

[JillA]

Sorry, can't help with them but welcome anyway . Have you looked at Heather Moffatts saddles? They have a soft tree so adapt to wide backs, depends on whether you can get on with the stirrup bars being set slightly back though. http://www.hmsaddles.com/
There are some second hand out there, but you used to be able to have one on trial, not sure whether they still do that. It is worth it - I could never get on with the Vogue but it does depend whether you have long legs or not.

 

[millikins]

Hi and welcome. Again have no experience of your fitter but do have a Connie. He was in a GFS Fieldhouse which fitted well. The same saddle has also fitted 3 other ponies. His is GP but they do a dressage one are reasonably priced and seem readily available 2nd hand.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Sorry have no experience of saddle fitter but I have two wide short arabs and I have one in a Lavinia Mitchell dressage saddle, I am in the process of getting a second hand one for the other horse, I cant recommend her saddles enough I had so many issues with not getting a wide enough saddle when two master saddlers were telling me the saddle I had was too wide when it was too narrow I dont know what I would have done without her, Lavinia goes all over the country and she also has other fitters that cover some other areas, have a look on her website she has a page with second hand saddles for sale and a page of her diary and where she will be in the coming months, I would never use a another saddle fitter again.

 

[ponyfide]

Hi everyone and thank you, actually these all makes that I hadn't even thought of so I will go and have another look, I really appreciate your comments. Its just so difficult because I've found obviously when you call a fitter out they want to sell you something and will try and make do even if it isn't the best fit for your horse/pony. I've had 3 bad experiences to date now and I'm really wary. I tried to second guess it myself from 'Saddles Direct' and that was a disaster too. Its just frustrating and so annoying as friends, and people from my yard manage to buy saddles from ebay that fit perfectly and I can't even get a saddle fitter to find one for me GRRRrrrrr its a nightmare haha and I really can't afford anymore mistakes! I shall have a look at Livinia's website too - thanks again everyone for your advice

 

[HeresHoping]

Hello,

Not a fitter but I ride a Connie in a... believe it or not...Thorowgood T8 dressage saddle. And it fits her beautifully on the XXW gullet. So, if you are interested in an all leather job, the Kent and Masters is the same tree and shape and also has an interchangeable gullet. Or if you'd like the luxury version, the Fairfax.

 

[ponyfide]

Hi HeresHoping thank you for your reply, I did have a GP Kent & Masters from my old pony (she was a section D) and I was hoping with the gullets that i would be able to use it on him because I liked it & it was really comfy but he didn't like it and bronked me straight off. I'm sure it was only 17" because he is short coupled I don't know what he didn't like about it. As I said previously the problem is finding a secondhand fitter that has a wide selection of 16 1/2 - 17" seats in his width to get a truly well fitting one seems to be really difficult. I've found them all so far to be really hard sell and that combined with their call out charges makes it a horrible and disappointing and expensive failure!!! That's why I wondered if anyone had heard or experienced these Native Saddle people with their saddles being specifically designed for flat and short backs? There is a riding shop about prob 3/4hr away with the trailer that sells secondhand, perhaps I should take him there and see what they have in his size that might be another idea, they might have some of the ones you mentioned too. Anyway thanks for your help honey - really appreciate it

 

[nianya]

I've no experience with the fitters you mention. But I have a short wide-backed Arab and got a Black Country fitted to her. I wasn't able to get a used one because I wanted an endurance and people just don't sell those back, but there were a lot of used dressage saddles available when I looked.

 

[tallyho!]

Would highly recommend Lavinia Michell. Vey nice woman who knows a lot about horses backs.

 

[ponyfide]

Thank you everyone for all your help and advice. I've got so many new ideas and options to try now, yeeay!! Hopefully I'll find one to fit him very soon.