'Proper' saddle for a Shetland..?

[catembi]

I am bored with plodding about on my sicknote ex-racer & am contemplating breaking his Shetland companion to ride for something to do! Not till next year as she's only two. Anyway, I placed Trev's saddle on her for 30 seconds a few days ago out of curiosity & it occurred to me that Shetlands usually seem to be ridden in 'pony pads' etc? But wouldn't all the same saddling principles apply to Shetlands that apply to horses, i.e. saddle fitter, properly fitted etc etc...? Or are they ridden in pony pads as their riders tend to be little kiddies and therefore too light to do any damage?

Florence is currently 9 hh & I am 5 ft 1 & weigh 7 st 12...a lot more than a little kid. So wouldn't we need a proper saddle so as not to make her back sore? Trev's saddle fits me (and him) but was obviously huuuuuge on her... Not sure how this is going to work! Wouldn't any saddle that was suitable for me be far too big for her? But at least I've now got a good year to think about it and get something organised!

She also doesn't appear to have any withers...

All suggestions appreciated!

 

[FfionWinnie]

My daughter had a Zoe snape pad for her Shetland which I used on various horses as well. I suppose it depends how much work you are intending to do with the Shetland really. You could break it to drive as well.

 

[NiceNeverNaughty]

as she is only 36” just now i doubt she will make a full up height. If she was 40” plus Id say go for it but it might be better to stick with driving. The ones of ours I have sat on my self have been of a big stamp and I use my son’s zoe snape.

 

[Amye]

Not very helpful but... someone I went to uni with used to ride her shetlands. She always seem to ride them in what I would deem 'proper' saddles (not pony pads) though they did seem very dinky (that might be just because i'm 5'10"!). She fit in them just fine though!
I'm not in touch with her anymore so sorry can't offer any more than I'm sure it's possible to get proper saddles for shetlands

 

[catembi]

Oh NeverEver, I wanted to ride her and teach her some proper dressage! I think she might be a bit teeny for me to jump under saddle though!

Let's hope for a growth spurt! And for some withers to emerge from all that fur.

 

[Merlod]

Pony Club saddles are good for standard shetlands. Though at 36" your is more likely a midi and even if she grows as a 3 y/o I wouldn't put an adult weight on her at such a young age (or at all to be honest) whilst she may have reached height she will still be growing.

I have a 35" Shetland who I drive, I also broke him to ride (without me getting on I hasten to add) and I am happy for him to carry children up to 5.5st in his wintec cub saddle. He is a proper chunky monkey and short in the back, no proper saddle will fit him. If you want to work your Shetland I would focus on driving.

 

[teddypops]

I had a proper saddle on my 40" Shetland but my 30" Shetland only has a cub saddle because she is too small to be ridden by anyone other than small children

 

[catembi]

H'mm, looks like the jury's out on the viability of pony squishing. Maybe defer the decision for quite a while & see how big she gets. I'd hate to hurt her.

 

[pennyturner]

I have a 36" shetland. He's usually ridden by kids from 4 - 11yo, in an old flat hunting saddle, with a crupper as the lack of withers causes problems otherwise.

Weight-wise, I can tell you that the little devil had no problem tanking off with me when I weighed 11st and sat on him briefly for what was supposed to be a momentary joke. Half a mile later, bareback, with nothing but a lead-rope at full gallop, (keeping my knees in the air to avoid catching my feet on the ground) - he certainly had the last laugh!
Whilst he was blowing a bit when he pulled up, he had a very pleased-with-himself swagger on the way home, and his knees didn't buckle or anything.

 

[ElleSkywalker]

Mine has a 15" Thorowgood pony club saddle that fits her quite nicely, I've ridden her in it, I'm 5'1 and weigh more than you and she carried me fine, even managed a buck! She's 40" though so think you will have to wait and see how much little Florence grows

 

[Equi]

My mare is 34" and I wouldn't dream of putting an adult on her. 2" don't make much difference.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I have a couple of Willis pad saddles for my tinies, they are what I learned to stick on with, and stay put quite well
We only ever put cruppers on for fast work or jumping when we had a number of shetties in the 70s.

Willis pads are felt saddles, with a proper stirrup bar over the top, with a leather skirt over, just like a std saddle. They also have a complete girth which goes completely round, through the saddle, between the 2 layers of felt. Part webbing with leather.

 

[Merlod]

I have a 36" shetland. He's usually ridden by kids from 4 - 11yo, in an old flat hunting saddle, with a crupper as the lack of withers causes problems otherwise.

Weight-wise, I can tell you that the little devil had no problem tanking off with me when I weighed 11st and sat on him briefly for what was supposed to be a momentary joke. Half a mile later, bareback, with nothing but a lead-rope at full gallop, (keeping my knees in the air to avoid catching my feet on the ground) - he certainly had the last laugh!
Whilst he was blowing a bit when he pulled up, he had a very pleased-with-himself swagger on the way home, and his knees didn't buckle or anything.

11st on a 36" Shetland. Sorry I don't find that funny.

 

[pennyturner]

Merlod. Believe me, it wasn't intentional - I was accompanying a child on another pony with him in hand, and she made a joke about riding together. In a moment of madness I decided to throw my leg over him (not difficult), expecting he would just stand there (tip toes on floor). He has a wicked sense of humour, and promptly decided to canter up the hill with his friend. He's quite forward going, and I underestimated him. It was very much his idea!

 

[sbloom]

I would have to look up their exact heights but I've fitted Shetlands with proper 13" and 14" saddles, I'd be gobsmacked, sorry, if a 15" TG REALLY fitted, with tree points 2-3 fingers behind the shoulder blade and the saddle on and not beyond the back rib. I would agree that this pony needs to be at least 5 years old to consider an adult riding, and then you'd have to take into account height, amount of bone, length of back etc.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

You can get proper saddles that fit shetlands but they are a devil to fit. They don't get withers in the same way other breeds do. A proper saddle that fits a shetland won't fit an adult. You will end up sitting on the back of it pushing a it down into the ponies back. If your pony is 36" now i doubt she will get to more than 38" and unless she gets seriously chunky she won't be suitable for an adult.

I ride my sherries for 10-15mins at a time max in either my Snape pad or my Milner pad. Much easier.

 

[catembi]

Interesting...mixed opinions on whether she will even be rideable!

Never mind - I shall stick her in a gro-bag for a year /18 months & see where we are.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

She will be perfectly ridable just not necessarily with a proper saddle or an adult.

 

[pennyturner]

The old saddle we use is really VERY flat. The panels are stitched directly to the seat (makes fitting the crupper very difficult!), and the seat extends flat out behind the panels, rather than having a swept up cantle with panels behind. I don't think a modern GP would do very well. We tried various small pony saddles before settling on this, which is an absolute antique, but they all seem to assume a certain amount of wither which just isn't there. It spreads the weight well, and fits him about as well as anything can... you just need to do the girth up tightly, and remember the crupper if your rider is anything other than completely balanced, or they end up riding his neck!

 

[Hipo]

We ride our Exmoor in a Thorn saddle pad, she has zero withers. She is 12.2 and is 6 this week and really only just maturing. No one over 9 stone ever rides her but there is no way I would have wanted to be riding her at this weight before she was 5.

 

[webble]

11st on a 36" Shetland. Sorry I don't find that funny.

Me either

 

[rara007]

If she stays a midi- drive her
At 5'1 you will look fine on a well built full up standard but sub 39inches the size seems to dramatically decrease!

 

[catembi]

Pictures of the little lady in question on the day I got her as a 6 month old: https://1drv.ms/f/s!ArXRIdpOCNNFqmqiCwojqqmw4VuP

She was a little scrap of a thing, but now she's quite sturdy & has nearly outgrown her 'mini' headcollar, so I will shortly need to get her a normal Shetland one.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Pictures of the little lady in question on the day I got her as a 6 month old: https://1drv.ms/f/s!ArXRIdpOCNNFqmqiCwojqqmw4VuP

She was a little scrap of a thing, but now she's quite sturdy & has nearly outgrown her 'mini' headcollar, so I will shortly need to get her a normal Shetland one.

I find shetland headcollars don't fit shetlands at all! They are either too small or too big. All of mine have small pony/pony head collars and bridles.

P.S. We need some up to date pictures!

 

[catroo]

I have a Zoe Snape pad plus a 'proper' saddle. Pony is full up 42" stallion and saddle is 14", not sure on brand but it's an old fashioned type with only a half panel under neath to keep it slim. Took ages to find and it fits like a glove, having a stallion front helps keep it in the right place

Pony is ridden by both small adults and children. He's well behaved but being a stallion he has to have an older child or adult when we're out and about just in case.

Pad is used on all the other Shetlands and with kids of various ages

Before the stallion was broken in I did a lot of fittening work (ride & lead, long reining, lunging over raised poles) with some weight in the saddle so he had good muscle coverage before he had a rider on board.

 

[catroo]

I find shetland headcollars don't fit shetlands at all! They are either too small or too big. All of mine have small pony/pony head collars and bridles.

P.S. We need some up to date pictures!

My stallion has a cob sized head collar. . . . He's also in a 5ft rug . . . .

 

[frankster]

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

My stallion has a cob sized head collar. . . . He's also in a 5ft rug . . . .

My 42" ponies are all in 5ft rugs and 5" bits lol! But they all have neat wee heads. The only one who can get away with a cob headcollar is the 41" stallion and thats because of his crest! I also have a 14" Coleman Croft half panel next to nothing show saddle that I rode shetlands in for years! I love it! No one else does though! Everyone wants knee rolls and thigh blocks and a deeper seat to keep their legs in place these days!

 

[sbloom]

The old saddle we use is really VERY flat. The panels are stitched directly to the seat (makes fitting the crupper very difficult!), and the seat extends flat out behind the panels, rather than having a swept up cantle with panels behind. I don't think a modern GP would do very well. We tried various small pony saddles before settling on this, which is an absolute antique, but they all seem to assume a certain amount of wither which just isn't there. It spreads the weight well, and fits him about as well as anything can... you just need to do the girth up tightly, and remember the crupper if your rider is anything other than completely balanced, or they end up riding his neck!

Yep you need a flat tree and usually a super short panel, an upswept shape, with no gusset in many cases if the pony has curve to its back or is croup high. The style of saddle you describe is absolutely still available. Large rear gussets will be unhelpful in the extreme so true, most modern pony saddles won't fit, but that's true of many flat backed native types. And show saddles can look neater, plus the weight bearing footprint will be FRACTIONALLY shorter than on a GP which can help.