saddle fit!!!

L

lizzieuk1

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 May 2006
Messages
857
Location
Oxfordshire
Visit site
ok so i'm still not entirely happy with the fit of my saddle on H so i wonder if you could give your opinions of the fit in the pics. its only the last 2 that are taken without the girth on.

DSC01079.jpg

DSC01080.jpg

DSC01077.jpg

DSC01076.jpg

DSC01075.jpg
 
I'm not a saddle fitter!! But It looks like its quite on the narrow side which is why there is so much clearance over the withers and I bet you feel like it is tipping you backwards?- I'd ask the saddler to come out again and take a look and do a template, and ride in some others to compare.
 
I would say your best getting a saddle fitter out asap, from looking at the pics (which can also give off the wrong impression), me personally I wouldnt be happy with that at all but thats just me...but I'm no saddle fitter.
smile.gif
 
I prefer to look at saddles without a girth.

Panels are too narrow for that horse and looks twisted - flap looks more forward on the off side in the first pics and the near side in the second pics.
 
thanks for that, when you say panels are too narrow do you think i need to look for a different make of saddle- or just a wider fit? and if so any suggestions? the wintec pro i have seems to fit quite nicely so are there any that have a similar fit to those?
 
Doesnt fit. It is too narrow, and the saddler has flocked the front up to disguise that the back would lift if it was sat correctly infront.
frown.gif
 
It looks as though they have only looked at the seat to see if it is even. Did you get a saddle fitter?

My feeling is that if the gullet were wider (and it needs to be widened at least 1-2 sizes) that the panels in front may drop a bit causing the cantle to rise. Although it is hard to see really.

The pic of the front shows that the panels are very close to the spine - he looks like quite a broad horse.

Its hard to say what would fit him from those pics. Although if the wintec fits I assume that he is actually a very TB shape, and therefore you need to look at saddle appropriate for TBs. I personally like Ideals and Barnsbys, and of course Saddle Company saddles!

What size gullet do you have in your wintec? I find these fit horses best that are a Medium.
 
wow very astute KAtB you;re quite right about flocking the front up thats just what happened although there was also some reflocking of the back aswell, so question is what next, i can;t keep going in the wintec as need to go jumping soon!
 
Yes it was a qualified master saddler and fitter, the albion is a medium fit and the wintec is med-wide at the mo- it does lift a tiny bit at the back but not unacceptable id say and its only a temp measure til i can sort this out, the wintec is the pro though so obv dressage cut rather than the more jump cut of the K2 he is quite a broad chap shoulder wise, he's ISH and 16.3 but i wouldn;t really heavy prob more med-light really. i do wonder if it was overflocked and so became narrower from that. admittedly hes prob a little chubbier than id like but the fit is the same as it was when the saddler came out.
frown.gif
 
Might be that I am used to different saddles, but that's got quite a big front gusset, I would expect it be useful for a horse with hollows behind his shoulder, but not for a rounded broad horse.

If the wintec fits, why not get a Bates jumping saddle?
 
The Albions have quite long tree points, my horse doesnt suit them as a result cos of his huge shoulder. The only way one would have fitted him is if we had done the same with the flocking as your saddler has done with yours. The bates will fit him better as they have shorter tree points, but teh dfact if it lifting at the back suggests the "banana" shaped tree of the bates isnt perfect for him either. TBH, I would be looking at ideal or barnsby saddles as the have fltter trees and smaller tree points. I have had a Ideal on my horse and a barnsby currently, both which fit his conformation (he is a 16.2hh ISH of similar type to yours I imagine).
 
Well I'm going to tell you some interesting information, I had a saddle fitter out last Saturday to check Mackenzie's saddle which was fitted by a very kind friend who works for a saddle company and has been trained to fit those particular makes of saddles therefore I trusted she would be far more knowledgeable than myself. However the first fitting was back in Jan/Feb this year, told me what size etc to get and I went and bought one which fitted exactly how I would of fitted it and I was happy with her opinion/fitting etc.

However I thought I'd have a qualified saddle fitter to come and double check that it fits (because I always like things double checked) not because I questioned my friends experience or anything like that plus he may changed shape from then to now as it was nearly 9 months ago, plus he's young etc.

The good news is that my saddle fitter said it fitted him very well and that my friend did a grand job of fitting it for me, which I told her last night bless her. Anyway all that is besides the point, (sorry I do waffle) the interesting thing is that she said my horse was actually wide and needs a wide/cob type saddle as he's got a wide spine etc...you wouldn't think so to look at him, in fact I'd say my horse is very similar to yours (as far as photos go) around the withers etc the saddle fitter said that if she was to fit a Wintec, then he's have to be in a wintec wide and thought that my saddle was indeed the wider version for cobs (until I told her it wasn't, just had the wider plate in) but to look at you would not consider my horse to be wide ..far from it, but too many people get carried away with just the front end of the saddle and the clearance, not every make of saddle (depending on size/fitting) will fit every horse, a 17'' medium to narrow for example wont fit like a 17'' m/n in another make, far from it. From looking at your saddle it looks very similar to how someone else I know, fits her saddles (she doesn't have them fitted) and you feel very perched and not at one with the horse if you see what I mean, despite looking like it fits ok.

I guess my point is, saddles have changed so much now and the way they are fitted, not everything seems how it is and because ist not blatently obvious things go unnoticed.
smile.gif
 
gosh that was a huge explanation!! thanks
the wintec is only in the med-wide plate and i def wouldn;t want it any lower on the wither. the thing is, i know that not all makes suit all horses but when i got H as a 4yo the saddler fitted the albion new to him and said it was fine, obv since then hes really filled out and his top line is huge now, not to mention his belly at times :P
so the saddler i had this time had to reflock anyway as the flocking was really compacted, but i really don;t like the height of it now and as said there is so little contact with the horse through that much flocking and it tends to weigh down at the back and make shim a little sore- hence stopping using it, i like the bates so may go for that, and also the ideal/barnsby,really i feel that its around his shoulder that the problem occurs as the dressage wintec is such a better fit as it clears the shoulder think i may have to go for the jumping saddle option so its cut a little shorter on the flap and leaves more shoulder clearance. its such a nightmare!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top