Saddle fit advice for hard to fit horse!

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

At the risk of being lynched I'm going to throw the TCS (Total Contact Saddle) into the mix.

A bit of a marmite thing, you'll either hate them or love 'em. They suit my pony but not me, sadly.

Might be worth a punt.

There is a FB group "Total Contact Saddling Solutions" if you want to investigate further.

 

[sbloom]

At the risk of being lynched I'm going to throw the TCS (Total Contact Saddle) into the mix.

A bit of a marmite thing, you'll either hate them or love 'em. They suit my pony but not me, sadly.

Might be worth a punt.

There is a FB group "Total Contact Saddling Solutions" if you want to investigate further.

I would always advise against, unlike good treeless. I've seen way too many problems from these, as have bodyworker associates.

 

[AntiPuck]

At the risk of being lynched I'm going to throw the TCS (Total Contact Saddle) into the mix.

A bit of a marmite thing, you'll either hate them or love 'em. They suit my pony but not me, sadly.

Might be worth a punt.

There is a FB group "Total Contact Saddling Solutions" if you want to investigate further.

Another vote for a TCS here, it has done wonders for both me and my horse. They do 2 week trials, so may be worth a go and could save you an awful lot of money if it's suitable.

My horse used to move away from her fitted normal English saddle when being tacked up, but has never done that with the TCS, so she made the decision for me, really. Her head carriage was also very high in her old saddle, far more relaxed all round in the TCS.

I have also never personally suffered any hip or leg pain in the TCS on long rides, but normal saddles (multiple that I tried on different horses) had me in pain by the 1 hour mark, reliably, due to an old injury.

When it works, it's fantastic.

 

[Widgeon]

Would a TCS really be suitable for someone who jumps a lot? (I assume the OP's daughter does, if she's wanting a jumping cut saddle).

Sorry OP, not related to your post, just thinking out loud

 

[musk]

To reply to some posts- to be honest I will say placing the saddle too far forward was my fault and I had placed it further forward than the saddle fitter intended. He still seems happier with it placed further back than the saddle fitter would ideally like though but hopefully as long as it is not interfering at the back this should be fine.
Daughter events so needs something forward cut and will hopefully move to 1m/1.10m eventing when horse is ready and confident in the xc phase, just want to ensure he is happy with his tack before we ask more of him

 

[planete]

I am now the proud owner of a Solution Smart saddle and wish I had bought one years ago. The Harry Dabbs will be for sale. Woody has huge shoulders and a short back, suitably fitted for him the Solution has given him a love of being ridden. I was lucky enough to source one second hand locally but had it fitted professionally. They do trials of new ones too. I am beginning to feel the sheer hassle of maintaining a perfect fit on a treed saddle is like chasing your own shadow .

I regret to say the TCS did not work for the pony or myself. He has now had a TCS, a Flexee and a made for him Harry Dabbs. That's over the course of two years and I really hope the quest is at an end.

The TCS did not work for us probably because we were both unfit and he had multiple physical problems including a sore back when he came to me. I know it can work but I would always have regular checks from a physio for the horse if using one.

 

[DawnS]

I had the same issue, even saddles which looked to fit moved forward, pressed into the space behind the wither and impinged on the shoulder after 5 minutes work. My solution for now has come from a Lavinia Mitchell fitter who fitted wide (wider than even they thought would be needed) and put a shimmable pad underneath. Fingers crossed, that seems to have done the job. I also use a curved girth.
I should add that the problem was so severe on my horse he had lost muscle mass behind the withers. He had 5 weeks of rest and physio before attempting to fit a saddle, by which time he'd bulked up quite a bit.

 

[AntiPuck]

]

Would a TCS really be suitable for someone who jumps a lot? (I assume the OP's daughter does, if she's wanting a jumping cut saddle).

Sorry OP, not related to your post, just thinking out loud

I love it for jumping, my horse has a big jump and I get pinged way less in the TCS than I did in her other saddle. I dreaded trying it as I expected to be unstable with no knee blocks and to feel like bareback jumping (which I dislike) etc but no it was great fun and I just "forgot" about it, which is what you want really. I think it was actually originally designed by a showjumper specifically for the sport.

If you mean more, would it be allowed in comps, though, I don't know anything about that and haven't tried to enter with a TCS.