Saddle for a very awkward shape! 18 inch NM!

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Destiny95

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Hi

We have a TB X WB who is skinny (we do feed him loads but he is a worrier so drops weight very easily) but with very high withers so needs a cut back head. Took him to a Master saddler yesterday and he has recommended a Narrow to Medium Albion K2 GP - but in an 18 inch! I've scoured ebay and the usual sites but can't find a single one! I found one 18 inch and that was a Wide : ( Any ideas would be appreciated as we would really like him to have a properly fitting saddle asap - but I'm not convinced its going to be straight forward!
 
I hope you don't mind me asking...how tall and heavy are the riders, as the seat size should be about the rider, it's seldom about the horse? Also, I personally have not met a horse that is actually narrower than a medium - in my experience high withers need a high head pommel (Albion do HH models but not in the K2 from what I gather, perhaps he is not THAT high?) and a deeper gusset rather than a narrower tree. The tree MUST be parallel to the horse's sides - not saying your sadde fitter is wrong , just that it's unusual to truly need a saddle that narrow.
 
I would try another saddler that has 18 inch saddles in stock that they can bring out for you to try, if they have one it can then be flocked to fit while they are with you.
The risk of buying a saddle without trying is that even though it may appear to be right often the horse thinks otherwise and a certain make does not always suit the individual horse.
 
I have the same setup. I had to get a saddle made for us in the end and that was 3 years ago. We both love it, people always comment on what a lovely saddle it is and it's proven to be worth every penny so far.
 
Many thanks for all yr suggestions. We tried some at the shop but there wasnt anything that would fit properly even with flocking. The saddler can order us a new one - but £1200 plus! The rider is my husband who is 6'2 and 16 stone hence the 18 inch I think. Perhaps the horses withers aren't THAT high - but he does look high compared to my horse. The saddler is looking out for a saddle for us too - its just that we want to get on and sort it. If we find one we will take it and the horse back to be fitted properly. The second hand saddle site looks good And I hadn't come across it before - many thanks
 
Ooh yes your hubby definitely needs at least an 18"! When you try saddles, try running your hand down the front, with it girthed firmly or your other hand pressing firmly on the pommel, and see if the pressure feels even from gullet to below the points - with the whole length of your fingers under the panel. If it is easy to get your hand down the very top of the panel and then it gets "stuck" with more pressure at the points, it is too narrow. The pressure should of course be even on a well fitting saddle - always good to be able to check the basics yourself. If too wide there would be more pressure at the top of the panel, sometimes it is impossible to get your hand to move down from the gullet!

On my fittings with various clients I do see saddles fitted too narrow in order to get clearance, it's very common, which is why I just wanted to express a very slight concern...
 
I have 2 ex racer TBs, one 17.2 and one 17.3. They are both skinny and high withered with big shoulders. Both are in Keiffer Garmisch 18" N-M with a cut back head. They were second hand saddles and although they are the same saddle in theory, they don't fit exactly the same as presumably they've been restuffed etc in the past, but it is a good design for that type of horse build. My hunter, 16.1 Irish TB x, who is a chunky chap with a high but skinny wither, is in an Albion K2 GP N-M which bizarrely enough also fits one of the above horses, and I have never ever had one saddle that fitted two horses properly. Its an odd science and you have to put yourself in the hands of a qualified saddler who has a good reputation and really works to get it right. I can't see your OH getting away with anything less than 18". I'm about 5'9 and I need 18" but my groom is only about 5'4 and she can ride in it comfortably and effectively.

Here's a Garmisch so you can see the style:

http://www.equinenow.com/english_saddle-ad-2962
 
I have to say I am shocked that all these horses measure narrow/medium. I am another person that has never met a horse narrower than a medium. I HAVE however seen TWO master saddlers fit a medium wide horse with a narrow saddle! The reason was high withers and muscle wastage! I was horrified. When I pointed out that the horse was actually a medium wide with muscle wastage caused by his too narrow saddle, the saddler conceded and fitted a medium wide with some extra flocking. In six weeks he was back again as the saddle was pinching. A template showed that the horse had widened by 1.5 inches on each side! The flocking was removed and the horse's performance was improved substantially.
 
I HAVE had narrow/medium horses before. They DO exist!
From my experience, the older (now totally out of fashion) saddles still do fit these types of horses. (have tried my old saddle on a few TB/TB types recently).
I have such a saddle sitting totally horse-less now.
My local saddler claims he will be lucky to sell narrow style saddles, so rarely has any in stock - you have to get them made.
Is it a sign of our more modern 'developed horse' or a sign that saddles are fitted differently now to what it used to be - if they were fitted at all??
 
I think too many people confuse the profile of the withers with the profile of where the saddle tree lies. As I said before, I have even seen a saddler do this. Some horses give the impression they are very narrow due to their high withers and 'wither pockets'. If a horse has pronounced dips either side of the withers where the saddle lies then this is muscle wastage. Horses that have never worn saddles do not have pronounced dips in this area. I am not saying that narrow/medium horses do not exist, just that I have never come across one in all my years with horses. I do think that real youngsters (3-4 year olds) can be narrower than a medium, but this is only because they have not yet developed fully.
 
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