Saddle fitting help

[Wishfilly]

Hi Everyone

I had the saddler out today, we agreed a new saddle was needed, but none of the saddles she had brought with her to try were a good match for Blue. She only does second hand, although I would consider new, but most of the people around me who fit new only do one or two brands.

So, I am on the look out for a saddle that meets the following criteria, and would like some advice on brands/saddles to keep an eye out for!

Looking specifically for something that comes with a 16" seat. Blue's spine is very flat, but he does have a wither. Wide, but I'd ideally like something with a changeable gullet, as he has changed a lot since I've owned him and will probably change further when in more work with a decent saddle. He's got a forward girth groove if that's relevant.

Thank you in advance for your help/ideas.

ETA: Is it a completely stupid idea to buy a cheap treeless saddle to ride in in the meantime?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I ride my wide pony in a treeless *but* I didnt get on at all with any of the cheap treeless saddles I tried. With some of them, I didn't even put it near him and had serious questions about weight distribution too.

I would have liked to try a HM Flexee but the HM fitter emailed once and I never heard from them again!

I love my treeless saddle but it wasn't cheap...

ETA: I can highly recommend the agents I trialled a few treeless saddles. Happy to PM you their contact details.

 

[sbloom]

The ideal is to do the work before the saddle, as much as possible, to improve the posture, so less change happens with the new saddle. Consider a good secondhand saddle, changeable headplate saddles don't have as flat a tree as good, specialist cob/native type saddles, though many fitters will adjust the latter at least a little.

Forward girth groove - the way I fit them is as flat a tree as possible, as short a footprint as possible, perfect balance, perfect width and flocking, point strap and third.

No treeless isn't a stupid idea but don't go cheap, again go good but secondhand if necessary. Could she not advise you of models (treed/treeless) she thought would work?

 

[Wishfilly]

I ride my wide pony in a treeless *but* I didnt get on at all with any of the cheap treeless saddles I tried. With some of them, I didn't even put it near him and had serious questions about weight distribution too.

I would have liked to try a HM Flexee but the HM fitter emailed once and I never heard from them again!

I love my treeless saddle but it wasn't cheap...

ETA: I can highly recommend the agents I trialled a few treeless saddles. Happy to PM you their contact details.

I'd definitely be interested in the contact details of the treeless saddles- I've just seen a few second hand, e.g. a barefoot one which are reasonably priced? I've ridden a very similar pony in a barefoot saddle in the past, so it crossed my mind as an option? When I say cheap I mean <£500, not the ones that are, say, £100 or so on ebay.

The ideal is to do the work before the saddle, as much as possible, to improve the posture, so less change happens with the new saddle. Consider a good secondhand saddle, changeable headplate saddles don't have as flat a tree as good, specialist cob/native type saddles, though many fitters will adjust the latter at least a little.

Forward girth groove - the way I fit them is as flat a tree as possible, as short a footprint as possible, perfect balance, perfect width and flocking, point strap and third.

No treeless isn't a stupid idea but don't go cheap, again go good but secondhand if necessary. Could she not advise you of models (treed/treeless) she thought would work?

Bearing in mind he's (just) 8 and only really been in work for 2 years, most of that pretty light, is it not inevitable he'll change shape with more consistent ridden work? I assumed it would be- I'm happy to lunge etc, but can't easily access any real hills etc on foot, but we do have access to some good hills out hacking.

I'm definitely happy with second hand and willing to replace if necessary- but this has already been quite a stressful process, so I thought a changeable gullet might be a good idea, and it was something the saddler mentioned.

She wasn't willing to advise on models that she felt would work, but said she would try to buy some in, hence me asking on here! She's recently taken over the business from a very well respected local saddle fitter, and some people on the yard don't have complete trust in her- which is why I'm after some ideas as to makes that might suit.

Do you have any suggestions of specialist cob/native saddles.

 

[sbloom]

His shape will change as his posture changes and that can be done on the ground, pm me your email address and I'll send you the groundwork links I send to all my saddle fitting customers.

I'm just not a fan of changeable headplates, the tree shapes offer much less choice, they tend to be rigid for horse and rider and have so much foam etc added that you can feel disconnected from the horse. I seldom see them work really well on flatter backs, half of them are out of balance and/or on the horse's shoulder or even visibly up the horse's neck!

A good fitter would help you buy and sell each time in plenty of time, and, say, £5-800 tied up in a used saddle may mean you have another £5-800 (I know, if you're lucky) to buy the next one before you have to sell this one. I usually give my customers an idea of what might be needed next.

 

[Wishfilly]

His shape will change as his posture changes and that can be done on the ground, pm me your email address and I'll send you the groundwork links I send to all my saddle fitting customers.

I'm just not a fan of changeable headplates, the tree shapes offer much less choice, they tend to be rigid for horse and rider and have so much foam etc added that you can feel disconnected from the horse. I seldom see them work really well on flatter backs, half of them are out of balance and/or on the horse's shoulder or even visibly up the horse's neck!

A good fitter would help you buy and sell each time in plenty of time, and, say, £5-800 tied up in a used saddle may mean you have another £5-800 (I know, if you're lucky) to buy the next one before you have to sell this one. I usually give my customers an idea of what might be needed next.

I've pm'd you, thank you!

 

[catkin]

Hi Everyone

I had the saddler out today, we agreed a new saddle was needed, but none of the saddles she had brought with her to try were a good match for Blue. She only does second hand, although I would consider new, but most of the people around me who fit new only do one or two brands.

So, I am on the look out for a saddle that meets the following criteria, and would like some advice on brands/saddles to keep an eye out for!

Looking specifically for something that comes with a 16" seat. Blue's spine is very flat, but he does have a wither. Wide, but I'd ideally like something with a changeable gullet, as he has changed a lot since I've owned him and will probably change further when in more work with a decent saddle. He's got a forward girth groove if that's relevant.

Thank you in advance for your help/ideas.

ETA: Is it a completely stupid idea to buy a cheap treeless saddle to ride in in the meantime?

It's a very good idea to have a treeless saddle available if possible. I would have been completely stuck without my ancient Ansur to keep Fellboy ticking over this winter.
However, treeless are not a 'fit all' thing, they need careful fitting and not all will suit every horse or rider. You also get what you pay for, and you may need to play about with the best combination of saddle and pad. I've used the ansur/solution and freeform treeless on natives and both the ponies and I have found/find them comfortable (but beware the some Freeforms can be a bit long for short backs) - but what suits us could be all wrong for someone else!

 

[sbloom]

It's a very good idea to have a treeless saddle available if possible. I would have been completely stuck without my ancient Ansur to keep Fellboy ticking over this winter.

A bareback pad is definitely useful, a treeless can be IF it fits and doesn't slip. The bareback pad, with no stirrups is a lot cheaper than a decent treeless (look at Christ Lamfelle). Horses do indeed change shape and to have a plan, and relevant kit, to keep them going when your saddle needs an adjustment, is definitely a good plan. A good groundwork programme is the ultimate!

 

[GoldenWillow]

I bought a Christ Lamfelle bareback pad when I was having trouble with saddles and love it. Even though I've had my saddle problems sorted for the last few years I've kept hold of it as it's been an invaluable way to check if saddle or something else was a problem over the years.

Having trialled quite a few treeless saddles (and owned a few) I actually prefer the CL pad.