Saddle for a super fat, flat backed, table top coblet?

DJ

DJ

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He`s only a pony, 13.1/13.2hh but as the title suggests he`s currently rather overweight.

I will start by walking him out daily when I get him, but I want to get him saddled up and working asap ... I have a couple of treeless that I may try in the short term, but I would prefer a treed saddle for him.

What do you find work better for your rotund, flat backed, no withers cobs?

Thanks in advance
 
I spent a long time looking for a saddle for my table top,flat backed,no withered horse and she now has a Silhouette (not sure about spelling) but they seem to cater for that shape of horse and not mega expensive either.
 
Thorowgood cob dressage works for my wide trotter x cob (she's thoroughbred front and cob back end!) very wide flat back (extra wide) and low withered, good thing about this saddle to is that it's adjustable so if your lad loses weight then you can adjust it with a new gullet bar. Leather seat and knee rolls so feels like riding in a leather saddle and not expensive second hand either. Not sure how small seat wise they go though.
 
I always go for Ideal Highland and Cob, but I'd be wary about getting a new saddle while he is overweight, once he loses weight then it probably won't fit.
 
Another fan of Thorowgood/Kent & Masters - my XXW cob is in one and it fits like it was made for her.

What seat size does your horse need? I think the Thorowgood cob only goes down to 17" so might be too big :/.
 
I have just had a Wintec wide fitted to mine as the T4 cob that came with him didn't fit very well at the front. Fitter said the wide has a flatter tree than the T4 cob, despite them both being advertised for cobs.

Mine is 13.3hh and as flat as pancake lol.
 
helbe said:
I spent a long time looking for a saddle for my table top,flat backed,no withered horse and she now has a Silhouette (not sure about spelling) but they seem to cater for that shape of horse and not mega expensive either.
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Thank you, I shall go and google :)

Princess Rosie said:
Thorowgood cob dressage works for my wide trotter x cob (she's thoroughbred front and cob back end!) very wide flat back (extra wide) and low withered, good thing about this saddle to is that it's adjustable so if your lad loses weight then you can adjust it with a new gullet bar. Leather seat and knee rolls so feels like riding in a leather saddle and not expensive second hand either. Not sure how small seat wise they go though.
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Wow, she`s a combination that must have been testing to get a good saddle fit. Thank you

touchstone said:
I always go for Ideal Highland and Cob, but I'd be wary about getting a new saddle while he is overweight, once he loses weight then it probably won't fit.
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Very good point. I shall be working him daily to get this weight shifted, so yes he is going to change shape quite quickly.

MyDogIsAnIdiot said:
Another fan of Thorowgood/Kent & Masters - my XXW cob is in one and it fits like it was made for her.

What seat size does your horse need? I think the Thorowgood cob only goes down to 17" so might be too big :/.
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Thanks, hmmmm, probably a 16", he is quite short backed ... :/ Maybe a 16.5 but i`d be pushing it with that I think.


katherine1975 said:
I have a thorowgood t4 con dressage saddle and Kent and Masters GP for my traditional cob. They are adjustable and fit well.
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Thanks, the fact they are adjustable is a good thing :)

littlecoblet said:
I have just had a Wintec wide fitted to mine as the T4 cob that came with him didn't fit very well at the front. Fitter said the wide has a flatter tree than the T4 cob, despite them both being advertised for cobs.

Mine is 13.3hh and as flat as pancake lol.
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Hmmm ok, something to ponder then, I may see if I can track down a fitter who has both so we could try them?

Pen said:
I have a Duett Rondo for my wide, no wither cob. They are built on a hoop tree which suits table tops.
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Oh, not heard of those before, something to add to the google list, thank you :)

CobsCanDo said:
My 13.3hh fell pony is very flat-backed and very wide. He is currently in a thorowgood T8 which we are both very happy with.
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Thorowgoods seem to be the preferred saddle for these larger ponies

Highlands said:
Agree
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Thanks

Bobbly said:
Have a look at the Thorn saddle pads, on FB, lots of photo's to see and compare with, have to say they look great for chubbies! http://www.thornsaddles-pads.co.uk/saddle-pads.html
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Oh, I`m not sure what I think to those? ... part of me thinks what a fab idea, but part of me wonders where the support comes from? I`d like to see an underneath shot? I suppose they`d be ok for 10-15 mins in a show ring, but long walks/trots and our hacking i`d be worried about seatbone pressure (unless i`m missing something obvious?)


Thank you all for your input, I think i`ll start with the treeless for now, and wait until I get him down to a more "normal" size for him, and then we can go from there ... hopefully a saddle fitter would have a few of the ones mentioned that I could try first.
 
I have a new wintec wide for mine! She's very flat backed and a barrel shape, that has somehow managed to pile on the pounds in the past few weeks! It's fully adjustable so can change gullet size/add or remove cair. Can also move the girth straps around to balance it.

Love mine, and have no more 'saddle slipping' issues :) x
 
Ive used a Shires Hi-Lite Elite self-adjusting Wide on fat/broad backed horses that need to lose weight, it's very budget priced (in case your horses changes shape so much you never use it again), lightweight and high withered. I love them.
 
Lots of people have had major issue with the self adjusting trees, they are just not recommended at all (do a search on here and the web). Synthetic treed (changeable headplate) saddles can work okay on some cobs but synthetic trees just do not stay flat once the seat is put on, wooden trees will always have flatter options, and most very wide horses and also pretty flat, no matter if they look like they have shape in their back "in the crossties". Once they are working a curved tree will rock in rising trot and/or canter unless it is propped up in front - ie too narrow or overflocked.
 
I suppose it is all very much dependant on the shape of the horse and no amount of recommending or not will make a saddle a good fit. A Western might be worth a try on a complete barrel of a horse too.
 
Westerns are flatter but it is trickier to find wide bars - wide horses need full QH or draft bars and they're not as common as the narrower ones. There are plenty of English saddles that are made specifically to fit flat wide horses, that's pretty much ALL I fit!
 
Thank you every one for your input, it`s now a moot point as he`s going on loan to someone else after all ... better decision for him, as he`s going to be driven. :)
 
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