Saddle Fitting & Big Horses

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missparis

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Heard from my YO that my new saddle is way to wide for my 17hh chubby boy (apparently the saddle sits around his neck when going downhill!), so I need to get him a new saddle :( My question is, she pointed out that the seat size looks to small for a horse of his size? I thought the seat size was more for the rider where the gullet was for the horses back? I should say that this seat is already too big for me - I normally ride in a 16.5" saddle and the current saddle is 17"! Should I be purchasing a 17.5" saddle for a 17hh horse?
 
missparis said:
Heard from my YO that my new saddle is way to wide for my 17hh chubby boy (apparently the saddle sits around his neck when going downhill!), so I need to get him a new saddle :( My question is, she pointed out that the seat size looks to small for a horse of his size? I thought the seat size was more for the rider where the gullet was for the horses back? I should say that this seat is already too big for me - I normally ride in a 16.5" saddle and the current saddle is 17"! Should I be purchasing a 17.5" saddle for a 17hh horse?
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yes, in theory, the seat size is for the rider... however, you also want to spread the weight of the rider over a big an area as possible... so sometimes people go for bigger seat sizes than they think they need - the problems that can arise are around the rider's balance point, and leg placement.

but.... lots of different saddle manufacturers = lots of choice... and if you get a saddle fitter out with a bit choice, i'm sure you'll be able to find something that fits you, and your horse.

p.s. a saddle moving up the neck when going downhill isn't a reliable way of telling if it's too wide... in theory a too narrow saddle could do that too as it'd be sitting too high or one that was placed too far forward in the first place etc... the only way to really find out is get someone experienced in saddle fitting to have a look... :D
 
clipcloppop said:
yes, in theory, the seat size is for the rider... however, you also want to spread the weight of the rider over a big an area as possible... so sometimes people go for bigger seat sizes than they think they need - the problems that can arise are around the rider's balance point, and leg placement.

but.... lots of different saddle manufacturers = lots of choice... and if you get a saddle fitter out with a bit choice, i'm sure you'll be able to find something that fits you, and your horse.

p.s. a saddle moving up the neck when going downhill isn't a reliable way of telling if it's too wide... in theory a too narrow saddle could do that too as it'd be sitting too high or one that was placed too far forward in the first place etc... the only way to really find out is get someone experienced in saddle fitting to have a look... :D
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Thanks for the advice, I am just cringing at how expensive this exercise shall be! In saying that, it is my horses back that we are talking about as well so I guess it will be worth it :)
 
If it's a new saddle your first port of call is with the saddler that fitted it.

Ask him back to review it and go from there.
 
I wouldn't want anything less than a 17" seat on a 17hh horse because you need enough bearing surface of the saddle to evenly distribute the weight.

Saying that, if he's particularly short coupled you probably wouldn't want to go bigger than a 17.5" in the seat as they can then get blocked behind the saddle, in the Lumbar back area.

Does he have a forward girth groove? have you tried different girths/girthing arrangements?

I have a 17.3hh horse and one make of saddle I had for him was a 17.5 seat and was fine and another make I had was a 17.5 and it was far too big for me to sit in!- so now I have him in a wide fit 17" seat, which seems to work really well.

Are you happy with the saddle though?- does the same thing happen when you ride in the saddle?-can you get the Saddler that fitted it to come out and take a look, it may just be something as simple as flocking that needs adjusting, as they can drop a tiny bit of weight at this time of year and that is when you can start to notice saddle probs.

Hope you get it sorted!
 
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Thanks everybody for your replies & suggestions. I think the saddle maybe too big sadly and I will have to sell. I think I will get a saddle fitter out and maybe go for a brand like Stubben that I hear is meant to be good for the taller horses.

I should have mentioned, yes brand new saddle that I purchased off eBay but didnt get it fitted :(
 
Thats the perils of buying unseen. The only way to know if a saddle fits is to try it on and ride in it. I would get a fitter out and try some different saddles with their help. The seat size is for the rider but the distance between the shoulder and the last rib is a major consideration because this is what size a horse can take. Its amazing how short this measurement can be for some big horses. How tall a horse is doesnt really have much bearing on the make of saddle though!
 
missparis said:
I should have mentioned, yes brand new saddle that I purchased off eBay but didnt get it fitted :(
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Well you can still get it fitted by a saddler - it's what I did with my saddler.

Purchased what he'd recommended of Ebay - then he serviced and fitted it.
 
amymay said:
Well you can still get it fitted by a saddler
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Not necessarily. If the tree or panel are wrong then with the best will in the world you cant make it fit. Flocking can fine tune the fit of a saddle to the individual musculature but it cant make a saddle fit if the tree and panel arent perfect for the horse in every other way.

Its worth the fitter having a look but no person in the world (other than a liar!) can make a saddle fit.
 
If the tree or panel are wrong then with the best will in the world you cant make it fit
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Obviously. However, if the saddle is the right make and shape and size for the horse the op may be lucky.
 
I sold my much-loved and admired jump saddle recently because it's a 17 inch & my saddler reckoned that my long-backed (7ft rug) mare would be better off with a 17.5 inch, particularly given that it's a close contact & the panels aren't as big and don't spread the weight as well as those on a conventional saddle. Luckily a 17.5 came up on eBay so I'm sorted now. This was an adjustable saddle though (Saddle Co) so I was pretty confident that unless the tree or panels had been damaged, it could be successfully fitted to her. I've had a couple of previous eBay 'close but no cigar' experiences with saddles that haven't quite fitted so I'm not keen to buy without trying first these days.

I would be pretty cross if a new saddle I'd recently bought were slipping forward & the horse hadn't changed shape drastcially, so as has been said, if I were the OP I'd be getting in touch with the saddler that fitted it.
 
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