Saddle for a broad cob, the minefield!!!

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Shib_xsx

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I’m after recommendations for a saddle for a very wide cob cross Welsh d, please. Saddle fitter fit a winter wide, 3xw, but the back panels are causing pressure points as is the gullet bar, it’s all just too angled. A cavelletti was suggested but I just don’t see how adjustable saddles will fit such extremes (I’d do it for average sized).
Been looking for an ideal h&c but in the size we need I’m lucking out. They’re being advertised as a xxw (so going down a size to the wintec because of the shape) but then when I get there (after a 4 hour drive) they’re stamped a wide. There’s a fwb out there I’ve seen, how do these compare to others like an AH supercob?
Someone has a Harry Dabbs on an ib tree but reading up she sounds more like a hunter. I’ve had bad experiences where fitters fit an “it’ll do” saddle and it’s cost me a fortune. I know I should trust professionals, and I do get saddles checked, but my trust is waning.
I’ve been offered a LM saddle but the sizes are odd, what’s a 4, and I stayed away with my tb because the idea of fitting to shim didn’t make sense unless there’s rehab to do.
She was in a saddle company one but it caused the same back pressure points.
I have no experience of hoop trees, my other horse is a tb 😅 this is new to me. In the absence of a specialist fitter in the area, what the frig do I do 😅 I don’t have a budget of 2k 😢 and even if I did, who’s fitting it…

After my rant, if you got this far, if a wintec wide, 3xw is causing pressure points but “ok, just put padding under it”, what size and model would you be looking for first for a good fit?
 
I know I probably harp on but the chunky monkey has been great for me. It’s adjustable (to an extent) and has specific models suited to cobs and flatter backs while also allowing shoulder freedom.
 
Wintec saddles tend not to fit chunky types even though they are sometimes ok. I was advised to try one about 5 years ago but had to sell it on. You really need a saddle fitter that fits a variety of makes and you’ll have to pay for their time but def worth while or you’ll loose money on lots of different saddles non of which will fit, Sometimes a saddle like a fylde ray will work but you’ll need a decent pad to go with it. Might be worth looking at one of the secondhand saddle surpliers such as sheep ham saddles. You can try a couple and see which works best.
 
you’d need a LM saddler to fit the saddle and explain the sizes but they are lovely saddles

But to be boring, the right saddle is the one that fits the horse

Im a fan of wow saddles as they are so adjustable
 
2XW very difficult to fit mare with short back and huge shoulders.
I had several saddle fitters, several fitted which didn’t fit.. returned 3.

I ended up getting a AH fitter and bought a dressage and a jump. Wish I did it 2 years prior! No more sore back, slipping.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
2XW very difficult to fit mare with short back and huge shoulders.
I had several saddle fitters, several fitted which didn’t fit.. returned 3.

I ended up getting a AH fitter and bought a dressage and a jump. Wish I did it 2 years prior! No more sore back, slipping.
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Following this thread as my youngster is exactly the same! He's about ready to sit on and I need to start saddle shopping, as my RID's old ones are too long on him.

I think my main problem is he has a wither, so the typical flat cob show saddles are unlikely to suit him. Thinking of an AH too.
 
I tried them all, black country and chunky monkey were good but cob changes shape too fast.

Ended up with a total contact saddle, had every reservation under the sun about it but its been nothing but brilliant for 4 years now.
 
Another Chunky Monkey fan here. Absolute game changer for me. It doesn’t move, my mare goes better than ever and it’s so comfortable.

I hated my AH saddle, if I’m honest. The more I rode in it, the more pain I was in. It was far too wide for me. It did also slip more than I’d like. I sold it and made a huge loss. Nice looking saddle but I wouldn’t touch one again.
 
And another happy Chunky Monkey customer.

I had them out to try something when my Ideal saddle simply couldn't be adjusted to fit. As soon as I saw my horse move with it (sharer onboard) I said I was taking that saddle. The difference was that obvious. Then i sat in it and it was the most comfortable saddle I'd ever sat in.

I lost that horse a year later and got an unbacked 3yo. Saddle was reflocked to better suit him and it has been reflocked a few times since as he has grown and changed shape.

Both I and the horse are very comfortable in that saddle.
 
Foxford said:
Following this thread as my youngster is exactly the same! He's about ready to sit on and I need to start saddle shopping, as my RID's old ones are too long on him.

I think my main problem is he has a wither, so the typical flat cob show saddles are unlikely to suit him. Thinking of an AH too.
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Also WOW! I'll try and find a photo of my 2 cobs later (small enough to upload...) One is built like a table but the other is the type with a decent wither.

You do need a good fitter though.
 
A Lavinia Mitchell 4 width is pretty wide, sounds like you may need wider. I have a LM saddle, I like them.
Also Wow saddles can work well on all sorts of shapes but only if you find a good fitter. I really loved my Wow saddle but due to fitter error had to change to conventional treed saddle, hence the LM.
 
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There seems to be a blind spot with very wide saddles, that wide is no different to XXW and of course they're as different as a medium is to a narrow, and owners wouldn't confuse those! Ask for photos of stamps and photos from the front (I have a blog post on my site showing the photos that matter when selling a saddle).

The fitter is important too, it IS slightly different fitting very wide horses as the trees aren't always so rider friendly, and the back shapes are different, not just width, with different issues.

I think most of the recommended brands on here CAN work, then it comes down to your individual situation and the fitter. I would recommend working with someone who understands rider fit so you don't end up being pushed back by a very wide twist and seat and sitting way behind your feet. It's not only bad for you, making all aspects of riding more difficult (even though many of us have got used to it so it feels comfortable and normal) but it makes it much harder for the horse to carry you in a healthy way.
 
My Westphalian Kaltblut, built like a much oversized Shetland, loved her Solution saddle and so did I. It freed up her shoulders and accommodated her massive barrel. It was her 5th saddle and fitted her better than anything else.
 
Shib_xsx said:
After my rant, if you got this far, if a wintec wide, 3xw is causing pressure points but “ok, just put padding under it”, what size and model would you be looking for first for a good fit?
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I realised I missed this - there's no way we can recommend, we just can't, there are SO many factors involved. For sure a second hand wooden treed more specialist cob saddle is likely to work better, but there are some great flexible and treeless options around out there. I took on Ghost after specialising in wider horses for 15 years with treed saddles.
 
I bought an adjustable arena cob saddle for my round bodied heavy weight cob.It was fitted by a saddler and may have fitted her to begin with but definately doesn't now.I discovered rather late that its only the front of the saddle that can be adjusted not the whole saddle,I personally (not to try and tell anyone else what their decision should be) is an AH which I am having custom made.Fingers crossed.One of the reasons is that I am told that the whole tree can be widened if necessary and probably will need to be in a few months as her back broadens and muscle develops.
 
I feel your pain. I had a nightmare last year with saddles on my welsh d. He stated in a bates xw, grew out in a few weeks. Then a t8 xw to xxw. When that wasn't wide enough. He was in wintec wide with 4xw gullet. He was wasn't happy and had numerous saddlers out, some made adjustments and tried other saddles (one tried over 20 saddles) but no luck. He seemed happier in fiona cork saddles which have a wider gullet but they didn't fit me and I didn't want to buy new. Eventually tried a Heather moffat saddle and he is happy in that, has needed adjusted twice in 4 months!
 
sbloom said:
There seems to be a blind spot with very wide saddles, that wide is no different to XXW and of course they're as different as a medium is to a narrow, and owners wouldn't confuse those! Ask for photos of stamps and photos from the front (I have a blog post on my site showing the photos that matter when selling a saddle).

The fitter is important too, it IS slightly different fitting very wide horses as the trees aren't always so rider friendly, and the back shapes are different, not just width, with different issues.

I think most of the recommended brands on here CAN work, then it comes down to your individual situation and the fitter. I would recommend working with someone who understands rider fit so you don't end up being pushed back by a very wide twist and seat and sitting way behind your feet. It's not only bad for you, making all aspects of riding more difficult (even though many of us have got used to it so it feels comfortable and normal) but it makes it much harder for the horse to carry you in a healthy way.
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Any suggestions 😅 at this rate I’m going to be travelling hours
 
Thanks guys.
asmp said:
Either a Harry Dabbs on a hunter tree or a Wow.
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My tb is in a HD (obvs different model 😅). With her I know enough to recognise I’m being fobbed off. This hoop/not to hoop lark is confusing.

There’s a fitter with an IB which is said is great for wider ones, which I don’t disagree with, but from the read up the hunter sounds more suitable on paper and I know she’ll push the ib because that’s what she’s got and it’ll do, just like the wintec wide.

Did you compare the HD to others like the ideal h&c or an AH?
 
Shib_xsx said:
Thanks guys.

My tb is in a HD (obvs different model 😅). With her I know enough to recognise I’m being fobbed off. This hoop/not to hoop lark is confusing.

There’s a fitter with an IB which is said is great for wider ones, which I don’t disagree with, but from the read up the hunter sounds more suitable on paper and I know she’ll push the ib because that’s what she’s got and it’ll do, just like the wintec wide.

Did you compare the HD to others like the ideal h&c or an AH?
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Yes I have found that some fitters will push one brand or type more than others for whatever reasons.My excellent trainer and I had quite a struggle to convince the current fitter that the saddle she fitted and sold to me just before the last Christmas no longer fitted her.She insisted it just needed more and more widening.Eventually she had to admit it just didn't.
 
eahotson said:
Yes I have found that some fitters will push one brand or type more than others for whatever reasons.My excellent trainer and I had quite a struggle to convince the current fitter that the saddle she fitted and sold to me just before the last Christmas no longer fitted her.She insisted it just needed more and more widening.Eventually she had to admit it just didn't.
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Comes to something when we have to convince the professional… this is why I have no faith. We are just at the start of our journey and I need confidence she’s not sore and she needs to not be sore 🤦‍♀🤷‍♀️
 
sbloom said:
I realised I missed this - there's no way we can recommend, we just can't, there are SO many factors involved. For sure a second hand wooden treed more specialist cob saddle is likely to work better, but there are some great flexible and treeless options around out there. I took on Ghost after specialising in wider horses for 15 years with treed saddles.
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What differences are there between the h&c tree and the ah supercob?

Also, been told that the ideal fwb, which is hooped, is very extreme and rarely needed. Is this the same for the supercob in your experience?
 
Having had a saddle fitting nightmare with my wide cob - he came with a chunky monkey which slipped whatever we tried

Saddle fitter recommended I source a gfs cob which doesn't slip and he seems much happier in it
 
Shib_xsx said:
Any suggestions 😅 at this rate I’m going to be travelling hours
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I really only love the brands I fit, so any suggestions would be seen as advertising!

Shib_xsx said:
What differences are there between the h&c tree and the ah supercob?

Also, been told that the ideal fwb, which is hooped, is very extreme and rarely needed. Is this the same for the supercob in your experience?
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It's just not possible to really describe differences, there are so many, some subtle, some not so, and panel shape makes a HUGE difference. The H&C would be closer to the AH Sport tree IMO, the Supercob may be closer to the FWB but the fitter and the maker who I've mentioned the FWB to didn't feel it was a great tree, for horse or rider. We have to remember that on wide horses how the saddle helps the rider is crucial and sometimes a semi close contact saddle, which most British saddles for wider horses are, will have to have a wide rail spacing and angle to fit the horse, which won't suit many riders, and the trees can be very flat front to back which gives no natural support for the rider's pelvis. Rider fit is a fine art at the best of times, sometimes going down a seat size may help the rider sit better, more support from pommel and cantle (which are the same height in all seat sizes of the same tree) and sitting you on a part of the horse's back better able to carry you.
 
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