Saddle fit opinion (with pictures)

Could i ask were you got the rear riser pad from and is it actually called "rear riser pad"? Any particular make? I am looking for one for my boy. No advice re saddle as I dont know enough but horsey looking very good!
 
Patches - try www.divoza.co.uk - I bought a cord girth from them last year as my boys stubben cord girth got too big and for the money it's great. It's had a lot of abuse but is still nice and soft and always washes up great
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As for your saddle my saddle fitter (master saddler) said he could alter a saddle company saddle for me when I mentioned to him I was considering getting one.
 
No cob saddles definitely do not have a closer fit - they have to sit level on the horse regardless of width of horse. In fact many cob saddles sit far higher off the wither because they don't actually have a wither so you have to look for the saddle sitting level. I would go back to your fitter and insist they show you her original template and her current template. That will show you if she has change shape. Also flocking beds down and over a 2 year period I would expect to have reflocked at least once and refitted a couple of times. Even if she has not changed shape the saddle will still have dropped as the flocking beds down
 
It's in a foreign language!!!!!!!
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Edited to add.....Your link is actually English. The other link I had was German...well at least I think it was German.
 
I would be seriously peed off. The saddle obviously doesn't even come close to fitting without the riser (confirmed by her sore patch and it moving/bouncing), but appears to be lifted slightly high at the back with it.
 
its exactly what you had originally - the Stubben cord girths are nylon cord and are brilliant - I have used these DIVOZA ones for years and they are as good as teh Stubben ones for about a quarter of the price
 
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its exactly what you had originally - the Stubben cord girths are nylon cord and are brilliant - I have used these DIVOZA ones for years and they are as good as teh Stubben ones for about a quarter of the price

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Ooo thanks. I always thought the stubben ones were cotton.
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it depends on the type of saddle but some come very poorly flocked eg, ideal, farringtons (some saddlers then have to reflock befor they even sell) the flocking can bed down very quickly and needs reflocking within months... others start off better flocked so last longer... then some dont get flocked at all... it depends on the saddle (and the origional saddle maker sometimes!).
 
this is a saddle company saddle and they are soft flocked under serge and should be checked within 3 months, as the flock will have bedded down. Also they should normally be reflocked roughly every couple of years. Most flocked saddles should be reflocked every few years as the flocking with move - provided it was not over flocked in the first place
 
Hun, like someone has already you know Patches best.

You spend hours in that saddle ever day and I very much doubt you are wrong about it.

Did they see you ride in it by any chance? or was it just checked for fit on standing?

Patches has changed so much since you have had her (all for the best) and with the amout of time you spend in the saddle, I would doubt very much that no changes what so ever were required. Surley the flocking would have settled in that amout of time?

Don't doubt yourself! At the very least give them a bell and explain about her sore spot and see what they say. It certainly can't do any harm having a chat about your concerns.
 
I think I would be getting a second opinion. I have had a saddle company saddle for three years and the saddle fitter came out six months after first fitting it and it was reflocked as they do settle and also as it was fitted on a three year old obviously as she matured the saddle needed checking. I then had the same problem as you last year, had been fine all summer when the pony was fit but then at the end of the show season she was let down and when she was brought back in to work the back was lifting and the saddle was slipping forwards. The saddle fitter came out again and he adjusted it and its been fine since. I am currently having another saddle company saddle fitted tomorrow on my new horse as I was very impressed with the service that I receive from my local saddler and I find that these saddles are really good on youngsters as they are not too heavy and they can be easily adjusted by a saddle company saddler. However different types of saddles suit different horses.
 
It is very obvious that this saddle no longer fits. ANY saddler can adjust it, so get yourself a different saddler out to check. I think your current sadler is taking you for a ride
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PS. Just for info, if this is a Saddle Company Saddle, then it is made on the same tree as the Thorowgood saddles.
 
If she has a sore patch something is wrong. Did they watch you ride in it ? The ponys movement and your weight might change everything.
 
Although I can't offer much of an opinion on saddle fit as I'm useless at it, I can offer my experience with saddlers. My pony had SO many problems with saddles for nearly two years, and it took me a year to realise it was all down to my saddler. She told me I needed an extra extra extra wide saddle and the only one she could get hold of for me was an 18" KES event saddle (for my 14.1hh Welsh Cob, and me at about 14yo 6.5st and about 5'4") - very much not a good fit for either of us. Having been bucked off one too many times I got another (very well-known, respected and qualified) saddler to check the saddle, who said it was fine. I got bucked off again and got yet another, not-so-well-known saddler out. He showed me what was wrong with my saddle and sold me a Wintec with a wide gullet. Such a transformation, my pony was happy and stopped bucking me off (so often, lol) and my old saddler asked me about a year later how she was. She was very shocked to hear I still had the Wintec on her with a wide gullet and had bought another Wintec. I absolutely love my newest saddler and wouldn't go to anyone else (well until I save enough to get a Wow, then I'll have to!)
Don't be afraid to challenge your saddler, get a second opinion from someone else. Something is not right and as others have said, you know your horse best even if the "experts" are telling you nothing is wrong.
 
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Exactly. This is how the saddle fitted to her just after I bought it in November 2005.

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Looks the best in this pic. Lookshigh at the back in your first pic in original post. If it doesn't rub or cause prob with pad then I would personnaly use the pad & get a 2nd fitter for a different opinion. IMHO
 
i think even in the first picture the saddle does not fit correctly, obviously its hard to tell without seeing you on the horse. The Front looks too wide and the back is sitting too high up. I imagine it is now tipping forwards and causing the sore patch through movement.

I would seek a second opinion from another saddler , do not go for the riser pad as although it may seem a short term solution it may be causing problems in other areas.
 
My opinion is slightly different in that I think if the saddle is tipping forward and lifting at the back because its now too wide in front you would be better with a front riser pad. That would narrow the fit in front and tilt the back of the saddle down so it is no longer sitting off her back. A rear riser pad is just going to tilt the saddle even further forwards in front. I echo what everyone else says and agree I would get a second opinion on the fit or discuss it again with your regular fitter as it doesn't look a good fit in the first photo and especially if Patches is sore.
 
you need poohsmate from the newrider forum he is a fantastic saddle company fitter and really knows his stuff he travels anywhere and is highly recommended.He also does bowen therapy and reiki healing he has sorted my boy out and many others on the forum.
 
I haven't read any of the other posts, but to me the saddle looks to wide at the front, which could be causing it to rock to the back (and possibly forwards again) when you are using it. It may well need some adjustments with flocking?
 
I'm no expert but -
I would say that when you first got Patches she might have been quite dipped in the back (lacking muscle), and the saddle fitted may be quite 'dished' underneath which would have accomodated this. Now that she is more muscled and her back is flatter it is likely that the rounded profile of the underside of the saddle is no longer appropriate, causing it to rock around a centre pivot point causing rubs and discomfort. In the short term the rear riser would lift it off the pivot point and prevent further problems, but it isn't a long term solution
 
Well I have had my new saddle company saddle this morning . The saddle fitter fitted it on the horse then I rode her in it and he checked her three or four times after each change of pace and then my rather exuberant three year old bronked around the field with me and it stayed in place and he checked it again. I then untacked her and he checked her back. His last words before leaving were "Don't forget that I will need to come back in about three months as it will settle and probably need to be reflocked to rebalance it or the back will probably start lifiting" therefore Patches I think that if I was you I would definately get another saddle fitter out to your horse. Good luck.
 
I've not read everyone's replies yet -but I'd say that the saddle looks a lot more balanced with the riser pad??
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I'll go read everyone else's responses now!
Kate x
 
I took these pictures this morning and I've marked some circles to show where the saddle has made her sore.

She's clipped out anyway and is shedding her coat, so can look "pinky" skinned in areas anyway. However, you can see where she looks more pink around the back of her saddle area in this picture, inside the black circle.

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This is a close up, showing the few missing hairs. If I put my finger tip on this spot and scratch gently, she flicks her tail and jumps into me, with her back coming up and her looking like she wants to buck.
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I should say, I rode for three hours yesterday and she was absolutely fine to ride. I'm wondering now if the movement in the saddle, combined with the binding on the numnah (as it all moved when ridden) has caused this little rubbed area?
 
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