Recommend a saddle please.

marmalade76

marmalade76

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Posting on behalf of a friend. She has a 14hh New Forest mare, five this time. She is still a little croup high and has a flat back and no withers. My friend is having trouble finding something to fit them both (friend is 5'6").
Anyone know of a make/type of saddle to fit a native who carries an adult?
Thanks in advance.
 
Ideal saddles, they are great for flat backed low wither horses/ponies (donkey backs as I like to call them) its all about the shape of the tree, Ideals have flatter wider tree than a lot of other makes of saddles, also Frank Baines Balance saddles are another make that suite natives, but there not easy to come buy and tend to be a bit more pricey.

If your in the Yorkshire area I can recomend someone, however they are also online, the saddle fitter has a good eye for what sort of saddle your after providing you explain in great detail what your looking for and take template of your horses back.
 
We have a Saddle Company saddle for our 13.1hh sec c mare. My sister, who mainly rides her, is about 5'5" and this suits them both well. Lovely and comfy too and is easily adjusted by a fitter if they change shape.
 
Off hand I like native pony saddle company saddles for flat backed natives - these are not the same as the saddle company saddles (which I fit). I have fitted a few new forests around 13 - 14h with saddle company saddles, and they tend to be like round barrels on legs with no shoulders which can be difficult. A lot of saddles end up slipping one way or another, or being fitted too tight to stop them moving forward. It is very important to make sure that the girthing arrangement (invariably pony will need point and balance straps) are right, and also saddle length, I find them short backed so trying to squeeze a 17" on something that needs a 16.5" isnt going to help although I do know of someone who has a 17.5" on a 14hh!!

also, has she looked at thorowgood? the cob version might suit, and they have changeable gullets / shims / girth straps etc.
 
Thanks for the replies.

She is currently using a Dever GP, wide fit which she had fitted for her older horse, an IDx. This saddle has a point and balance strap and from what you have said, CBA, it sounds like she is best to stick with that for now, as I am sure the pony is yet to change shape. It does slip forward, but this is not helped by the fact that where we ride, it's very hilly! The length of the saddle looks fine to me, as being a mare, she is not too short in the back. Whatever saddle she has is bound to slip a bit as the pony has nothing to keep it in place. Hopefully she will grow some shoulders soon!
 
CBAnglo said:
I have fitted a few new forests around 13 - 14h with saddle company saddles, and they tend to be like round barrels on legs with no shoulders which can be difficult. A lot of saddles end up slipping one way or another, or being fitted too tight to stop them moving forward.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify - I didnt fit saddles that slipped one way or another or too tight to stop them moving forward! That is what I saw that had previously been fitted to the ponies in question.

I remember that one of them was a particularly round pony who had a habit of sticking her down and letting her little rider roll off. On that particular pony I fitted a saddle company saddle but the flocking was adjusted (very large flat panels) as "normal" panels just didnt fit her at all and she was set to the widest setting possible for that saddle. She eventually managed to get even rounder (!) and I told them that the saddle just could not be adjusted to fit anymore so they had to look for another saddle.
 
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