pictures of my hard to saddle mare !

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horseandshoes77

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After lots of saddle fitters etc i still have not got a saddle to fit my mare, shes only 4 so has a lot of growing so dont want to spend a fortune but obviously want to get her into work more and be comfortable..any ideas on what tree saddle may suit much appreciated....first saddler said as she short coupled she only can take 17 inch so thats limiting in second hand saddles anyway i am not sure how straight backed she is but apparently a flatter tree will suit shes had wide in a lovatt and ricketts saddle but they sit just a tad too high on her and i feel perched, however in tg she was an extra wide but saddler wanted to pad the saddle out?? so shes still got no saddle that i and her feel comfy in, im 5ft 8 and have long legs im around 10 stone, PLEASE can anyone give me an idea of what may suit sorry if the pics arent great just quick shots from today i can put more on if needed, and yes i know shes slightly over weight but no saddle= no work lol thanks.. ps tried jeffries and tree okay but dnt have suitable width length to ride her in !

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You could try a thorowgood. We had great success with these with a couple of our hard to fit horses. They do several different styles of trees, and they aren't too expensive.
 
I have the same issue with my connie x TB, I used a Thorowgood cob saddle for a few years and it was OK but did slip now and then. Then I went for a Barefoot treeless saddle and it is brilliant.
 
Thanks for replies, no not tried wintecs as 3 out of the four saddlers really disliked them for one reason or another, have had her in thorrowgood in xwide but slipped with the padding and the wide was just not sitting right, have been on ebay looking at some ideal saddles which say they are a good fit for cobs..but she is actually not flat backed ,(well no table top cob type) shes still growing so adjustable prob would be sensible but if i could get a leather one cheaply i would even if it just fit for a few months, i have read so much on google my eyes hurt and im still not sure what saddle maybe suitable..has anyone any idea if the gfs would be suitable as lots of these for sale reasonably priced? and think they have flattish tree ?
 
Native pony saddle company as a suggestion, or if you don't want to show try a podium (an endurance saddle). Based on the old calvalry saddles, very kind to horse & rider. Are few about second hand at not expensive prices.
 
horseandshoes77 said:
Thanks for replies, no not tried wintecs as 3 out of the four saddlers really disliked them for one reason or another,
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thats because the amount of people using wintecs thats dont fit the horse (tree shape wise) and cause problems. Adjustable or not, it is the tree shape thats the issue. Barnsby have a nice broader/flatter tree shape and mine is a 17" my horse has a very very simular shape back to yours.
 
Thanks pip6 will def have a look, also can i say shes out of a tbx mare and a wb x sire... at least thats what we were told..we saw mum but not dad lol, she has tb legs but not withers and back lol
 
looks like she will need a saddle that has good spine clearance, a straight tree and panels that curve around the back. (some curver back up towards the saddle) you want one that the panels are in full contact with the horses back.
 
i dont want to go down the route of treeless as i want to hopefully jump her and im not convinced on them tbh.

thanks pixie..can you reccommend other saddles that may have the same tree panel shape you describe..ie jeffries, ideal , etc..just i seem to have spent more on saddle fitters than i would have on a new saddle so im planning on buying second hand and checked/ fitted by saddler :)
 
this is the barnsby i was refering to, you can see how straight the tree is and how the back of the panels are in contact with his back, he has broad shoulders but drops away at the back and most trees were too curved and the saddle jumped up and down at the back as a result, even if it was the correct width. (excuse my expression, I was on concentrating mode)

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jeffries probbaly wont fit, mine came with a jeffries and whilst it was a lovely saddle, the tree shape was just too curved to sit right. I would say kent and masters adjustable since you can adjust the actual tee too rather than just width,but choose a model with wide surface bearing panels. I will have a think on other brands now.
 
for compariosn, this is the jeffries saddle he came with, the correct width but you can see the panels are sat off his back, the tree shape was too curved. This is why I strongly recommend panels that sit on the back and not curve off as this saddle gave my poor horse a very sore back.

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thanks very much, will have a look round see if i can find any barnsby saddles, yes i can see better from the pic thanks , do you know what they are like on width sizes? as i think with right tree shape she may just be a wide thanks:)
 
mine is a medium, you will be suprised what width yours is, it thought he would be a wide and the jeffries was a medium so i though it was too narrow, turns out the saddler from barnsby said the medium width was right!!!
 
Ideal saddles are good for the lower withered, broad backed type. Have you tried the SaddlesDirect website? They sell good quality 2nd hand and will send out 2 or 3 saddles on trial without you having to pay in advance for them. They have a few Ideals on there.

It is better for a young horse to pad out a slightly wider saddle to allow for muscle development, than to get one that fits exactly and will have to be changed in a few months!
 
Tammytoo said:
It is better for a young horse to pad out a slightly wider saddle to allow for muscle development, than to get one that fits exactly and will have to be changed in a few months!
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barnsby offer a free saddle adjusting service 3-6 months after initial fitting. No I dont work for barnsby, just found their service and saddles outstanding. My horse has gone from hollowing his back/running out at jumps to working rounded and jumping pretty much anything since being fitted with barnsby!
 
thanks for all the advice will have a look on saddles direct :) when trying the thorrowgood in larger size with padding the saddle seemed to slip and move a lot, so would like to get as good a fit as poss but without being too restrictive
:)
 
horseandshoes77 said:
i dont want to go down the route of treeless as i want to hopefully jump her and im not convinced on them tbh.
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I jump in mine and use them on everything from backers to advanced, which makes treeless a very cost effective way to go. I use Solution saddles (the original ones, not the SMART). They would definitely suit your horse.
 
I had similar problems when I first got my mare, nothing fitted :( She is wb x with wide flattish back but also short coupled. It took her till roughly age 8/9 to grow into her 'proper' shape, with established withers so after much help from my lovely saddler I now have a Nathaniel Underwood event that fits her perfectly & doesn't move. Sorry that doesn't help your current problem!
 
well tbh not tried one on the youngster but have tried one on my chestnut mare and didnt feel comfortable at all, and tbh she never bucks but did quite a lot in the treeless, it was a bf cheyanne sp? but wasnt impressed with, and the top of the range treeless are way out of my budget at min :)
 
Tammytoo said:
Ideal saddles are good for the lower withered, broad backed type. Have you tried the SaddlesDirect website? They sell good quality 2nd hand and will send out 2 or 3 saddles on trial without you having to pay in advance for them. They have a few Ideals on there.

It is better for a young horse to pad out a slightly wider saddle to allow for muscle development, than to get one that fits exactly and will have to be changed in a few months!
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Can definitely recommend Saddles Direct -very good service and we paid a very reasonable price for a saddle in excellent condition.
 
Have you tried Joe Thompson at Thinford Saddlery (I notice you are in County Durham) He sells Ideal saddles and usually has some second hand in.
 
Touchstone i was at joes today lol(not with horse tho ), yes he said he thought ideal would suit her but had nothing in 17inch altho im going to pop back next weekend to see him, and obviously try..but was just wondering what flatter trees were out there...as this saddle fitting /trying is getting expensive..iv spent nearly 300 on saddle fitters and still have no saddle !! At this rate i wont be able to afford a saddle !
 
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