Ellietotz
Well-Known Member
I am feeling a little at my wits end now and would appreciate some advice please!
I changed saddle fitter for a second opinion on the saddle I've had for 3 years as my mare started reacting to it going on and it was ending up on her shoulder plus it seems from going back through my videos, her tail swishing under saddle and shortness behind only seemed to start when I got this one so this may be related to her other issues that we just thought were normal as it had been so long, regrettably, my memory only remembered it as always being like that. Original saddle fitter said it was her perfect fit and forever saddle but turns out from pictures even two years a go of it, it never did fit and she had been out multiple times to check it too.
Anyway, fast forward to now, new saddle fitter let me trial a Falcon Jump saddle which fit her nicely but my ankles didn't agree with it. We have since tried a Thorowgood Compact GP which just didn't really work for her, panels were a touch too small and the flocking didn't come up high enough on the front so it was almost digging in. It fit me okay but wasn't the best I suppose. I felt a hand taller than her being sat on it. We then tried an Ideal VSD which seemed okay on her but not enough knee roll for me and flaps were too long. Tried a Farrington wide seat something or other which was just horrible for us both and I think possibly a GFS but can't remember which or what was wrong with it, I just know the saddle fitter wasn't happy with any of them. The best one was the Ideal so he suggested finding a secondhand GP style one with the h&c tree but also said the DT tree would possibly work too.
He said she has a standard wither but a flat back and she is croup high. 17" is the max we can go but the panel can't be longer than where the cantle stops as it goes too far on her back then and something with an upswept panel may be too curvy of a tree.
I did find a nice Ideal International Event saddle with a DT tree which arrived today but I'm worried the tree is twisted ever so slightly and where the gullet plate stops, its almost half way down my thigh so my knees can't actually get to the knee rolls as the end of the gullet plate seems to stick out further than the knee rolls are.
I swear I have never had this many issues with saddles before!
I really don't have a high budget, £650 absolute max.
The Ideal I bought was on Ebay from a private seller but I'm hoping to get a refund if it is twisted because it isn't fit for purpose.
It has a crease in the seat too and I feel like I can get it to flex too easily.
The saddle fitter is coming out to look at it on Wednesday but I can't decide if I should just try to return it or not. It needs to be narrowed slightly too which could solve the thigh/knee issue and it may not be twisted, it could just be the seat which isnt exact all the way round making it look odd but I don't know.
Thank you if you got this far! I'm happy to supply pictures to anyone who wants to PM me!
Advice on what might be suitable or what to do would be very much appreciated! Thank you!
I changed saddle fitter for a second opinion on the saddle I've had for 3 years as my mare started reacting to it going on and it was ending up on her shoulder plus it seems from going back through my videos, her tail swishing under saddle and shortness behind only seemed to start when I got this one so this may be related to her other issues that we just thought were normal as it had been so long, regrettably, my memory only remembered it as always being like that. Original saddle fitter said it was her perfect fit and forever saddle but turns out from pictures even two years a go of it, it never did fit and she had been out multiple times to check it too.
Anyway, fast forward to now, new saddle fitter let me trial a Falcon Jump saddle which fit her nicely but my ankles didn't agree with it. We have since tried a Thorowgood Compact GP which just didn't really work for her, panels were a touch too small and the flocking didn't come up high enough on the front so it was almost digging in. It fit me okay but wasn't the best I suppose. I felt a hand taller than her being sat on it. We then tried an Ideal VSD which seemed okay on her but not enough knee roll for me and flaps were too long. Tried a Farrington wide seat something or other which was just horrible for us both and I think possibly a GFS but can't remember which or what was wrong with it, I just know the saddle fitter wasn't happy with any of them. The best one was the Ideal so he suggested finding a secondhand GP style one with the h&c tree but also said the DT tree would possibly work too.
He said she has a standard wither but a flat back and she is croup high. 17" is the max we can go but the panel can't be longer than where the cantle stops as it goes too far on her back then and something with an upswept panel may be too curvy of a tree.
I did find a nice Ideal International Event saddle with a DT tree which arrived today but I'm worried the tree is twisted ever so slightly and where the gullet plate stops, its almost half way down my thigh so my knees can't actually get to the knee rolls as the end of the gullet plate seems to stick out further than the knee rolls are.
I swear I have never had this many issues with saddles before!
I really don't have a high budget, £650 absolute max.
The Ideal I bought was on Ebay from a private seller but I'm hoping to get a refund if it is twisted because it isn't fit for purpose.
It has a crease in the seat too and I feel like I can get it to flex too easily. The saddle fitter is coming out to look at it on Wednesday but I can't decide if I should just try to return it or not. It needs to be narrowed slightly too which could solve the thigh/knee issue and it may not be twisted, it could just be the seat which isnt exact all the way round making it look odd but I don't know.
Thank you if you got this far! I'm happy to supply pictures to anyone who wants to PM me!
Advice on what might be suitable or what to do would be very much appreciated! Thank you!
