Saddle advice needed - Please help!

m3gan

m3gan

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Advice needed please;

My Arab has lost some weight this winter, thankfully, as he was a bit tubby. As a consequence his saddle is now a bit loose, and has rubbed a bit of hair away at the back of the saddle, where I am guessing is the saddle is moving a bit, it is not severe just a bit of hair lose. I have put a lambskin numnah under the saddle to help prevent any more rubbing, and have contacted my saddler to come out to check the saddle for me. What I am wondering is if it would be better to get an adjustable gullet saddle so that when he changes shape this can be altered to fit him, if so what saddle do any of you recommend?

My current saddle is an Ideal 17 1/2" which I think is probably a bit to big for me; a size 10 , 5ft nothing and ned who is 14. 2. Would a smaller saddle be a better bet for me and ned?

I am looking to buy second hand.

Any help would be gratefully received!

Many thanks for reading.
 
Size seems a bid big for both or you ( by the sound of it anyway)
But I would wait for the saddler to see you with advise really

Sorry can't be any more helpfull but I did want to reply so I could say what a lovely pics of you and your horse. Pretty!!!!!!!!

Good luck
 
Kikke said:
Size seems a bid big for both or you ( by the sound of it anyway)
But I would wait for the saddler to see you with advise really

Sorry can't be any more helpfull but I did want to reply so I could say what a lovely pics of you and your horse. Pretty!!!!!!!!

Good luck
Click to expand...

Thank you ! Glad you like my pics! Hopefully saddler coming out this weekend.
 
My 15 connie x takes a 17". He is short coupled and saddler says 17" is the largest he could take. Good luck getting a second hand one - I have failed and ended up shelling out for a new one today - ouch!
 
My 14.3 arab couldn't take anything bigger than a 17" saddle- so at a guess I'd say a 17.5 would be too big for yours.. but a saddler will be able to tell you for sure!

My saddler had a great range of second hand 17" saddles, but I still ended up buying a new one for my girl ;)
 
I would say that the saddle is much too big for you and probably too long for your Arab who are always short backed (they have one less rib). If you can find an adjustable saddle that truly fits then great, but don't sacrifice fit for adjustability, they don't fit everything by any means.

I fit traditional wooden treed saddles to wide horses including arabs, and for horses who change shape from summer to winter (and this winter has been espeically bad for horses getting temporarily narrower) then I use a Mattes correction pad with tapered shims for the winter, and keep the saddle wide for the summer.
 
Thank you all for your replies. I did have concerns about getting an adjustable saddle and compromising fit, I wish I was nearer Somerset and I would ask you to come and see my boy! ATM I am waiting to hear from the saddler, who might be able to come and see ned tomorrow, I will update on progress.
 
Update!

The saddler is unable to come until 29th April! When I rode today for 2.5 hrs I used my le mieux lambskin numnah hoping it would stop rubbing and slippage , but it didn't help, my friend said that I was lopsided, which has happened before as saddle seems to slip to the right, and the rubs on neds back look bigger.

I contacted another saddler and they could not come out for 5 weeks! Getting worried that rubs may get worse and I will be unable to ride at all. FfS!
 
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