Saddle fitters too “cool” to fit cobs???

sbloom said:
Oh the number of times there's a sharp intake of breath because the saddle costs more than their horse - if you're buying a less expensive horse its breeding has had less focus on carrying a saddle, they CAN be tricky to fit, and you'll possibly need to pay a decent sum for a saddle. Still nowhere NEAR the cost of fancy schmancy European competition saddles though, and arguably better quality and longer lasting!
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This made me laugh!! We all suck our teeth here at the cost of saddles (any saddles!) but always have to accept the cost in the end. I am often riding for 6-8 hours at a time, over hugely varied terrain, serious gradients, occasional obstacles and at all speeds. I know exactly how important a really, really good saddle is BUT I am ever hopeful that somehow, somewhere there will be a fantastic, second hand saddle that will fit one of our horses to perfection, tucked away selling for pennies. Obviously if my saddle fitter can't find this unicorn then she is not looking hard enough!!! :p:p:p There are so many sorts of cob too that some will be better made as riding horses than others. My lovely girl is definately designed and bred to carry a saddle - clearly a very, very nice one ! :) :) The cost of the saddle was sadly one of the considerations when buying the young horse - my entire budget had to take quite a chunk into account for tack. Obviously the more expensive the horse, in relative terms the cheaper the saddle. :)
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Specific saddle-fitters for cobs and natives DO exist, AH saddles being one of them.

Perhaps OP was just unlucky with their choice of saddle fitter? I do understand a little of what I think is meant; sometimes a set-up can seem a little bit formidable to someone like myself with a hairy cob that's been dragged out of the field!
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Yes, I understand too. But possibly we all project our insecurities etc rather more than the saddle fitters, and you cannot tell by looking at someone, or their horse, how precious that animal is or how much care or money is available. At the same time a good saddle fitter will eventually be able to find a well fitting less expensive saddle but we all want that thing now!! Or preferably yesterday...
 
I haven't bought a saddle for a while, even then they were bought second hand. A second hand wide saddle has always been a rare thing, and anything for a short backed native even rarer. The good thing is once you have found one, even if in my case it cost as much as a thirty to ninety percent of the price of the pony, if well looked after they hold their value. I am reluctant to let go of my stash although nothing is being ridden. There are not many things that you can buy, use five days a week and sell 10 years later for 50% of its original cost, if its bought second hand perhaps even more than what you paid for it. I have a piece of furniture I paid £1500, that with luck would be worth £50.
I think the assumption may be that if you have a £2k equine you are not going to spend £1k on a saddle, which is a fair, because like cars as soon as it leaves the shop it loses 20% VAT that has been paid on it.
 
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sbloom said:
Oh the number of times there's a sharp intake of breath because the saddle costs more than their horse - if you're buying a less expensive horse its breeding has had less focus on carrying a saddle, they CAN be tricky to fit, and you'll possibly need to pay a decent sum for a saddle. Still nowhere NEAR the cost of fancy schmancy European competition saddles though, and arguably better quality and longer lasting!
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I can safely say that every single one of my horses has a saddle that cost me more than them :oops:. Arty's saddle cost a cool 3 x her purchase price.
 
A good saddle fitter will come out and fit the horse in front of them regardless of type/breed. They should also have asked you what you’re looking for before they come out.

Not all cobs are flat backed with no wither either. Mine is in a Kent & Masters GP slimline. ‘Cob’ saddles don’t work for her, the trees are typically too flat and don’t allow for her wither.
 
Mine has had a Fylde for backing ? Thorowgood T4 Dressage,Kent and Masters, Ideal ! Each one cost more than he did and I still have all of them.....just in case !
 
I have Arabs and I have found they are a lot of saddle fitters worst nightmare, I have known a few that wouldn't even come out to look at mine, luckily I have someone who doesn't have an issue fitting there saddles now, I have never known of problems with cobs and fitters though but I suppose they can be tricky to fit as well.
 
palo1 said:
I feel your pain and agree that perhaps saddle fitters find that actually the problem is the other way round - (no offence meant to anyone at all here) in that owners of cob shaped horses may possibly be a bit less precious about their horses which are generally more robust it would seem and so they are not so anxious about saddle fit or have less competitive ambitions so feel that precision fit is not so vital etc.
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Given you have a cob yourself, I find that a really strange comment. Whether looking at my old warmblood or my cob, I felt that the saddle was the most important bit of kit so was prepared to spend whatever it took using a master saddler.
 
Another who has spent a serious % of horse value on saddles. No regrets - worth it for both of us to be comfortable and in balance with each other. I would say that I learnt to check first that your potential fitter likes challenging fits.
The first fitter I had (recommended to me by my yard/trainer) gave the impression that she just wasn't interested. It was a bit 'that's the best fit you'll get as she's difficult to fit'. I had said I would spend what I needed to, so budget wasn't an issue. At the time I felt like it was a bit anti-cobs, but with hindsight, it was just her stock choices (she relied on K&M cob for cobs!) and what she was used to fitting (usually sport horses). As my first experience it didn't quite meet my expectations, and I wasn't willing to spend anything on something that both me and my horse found uncomfortable, so I walked away from 'it'll do'. Some research and a new fitter later, I got the fitting experience I needed - at least my current fitter makes spending £££ fun!! (and the comfort of the horse is the center of her attention).
 
Sorry if that came across strangely! I agree with you but have come across some inverse snobbery amongst horse owners tis all. ?
Cinnamontoast said:
Given you have a cob yourself, I find that a really strange comment. Whether looking at my old warmblood or my cob, I felt that the saddle was the most important bit of kit so was prepared to spend whatever it took using a master saddler.
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2XW traditional cob mare with wither and croup-high (and I have long femurs so no WH flaps for me!!) 8 saddles in 3 years and have ended up having a M2M Silhouette for her.... two months in and I *think* she's finally happy (boy did I know it when she wasn't!!). I do agree that for all the big, wide cobs around, finding a decent second-hand, very wide saddle that isn't synthetic or with a changeable gullet is very rare. And they do hold their value because of that rarity.
 
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