saddle for a youngster

[asommerville]

Hi can anyone suggest a good saddle for my 3 year old who is in the rocess of being backed? He is growing all the time but i really need to get a saddle for him that will fit properly and don;t knwo what to do? i know whatever i get i will need to have checked on a regular basis but i am confused as to what to do as some people have suggested buying second hand saddles and then selling them on and some have suggested getting a changeable one. Any advice appreciated

 

[NELSON11]

I have just brought my 4yo who is away being backed at the moment a Thorowgood T6 with adjustable gullett so we can alter as he changes shape.

My local master saddler agreed very good for babies

 

[asommerville]

i was looking at them but how are they to ride in? i had a wintec a few years ago and thought it put your legs really far back, was forever falling off when my horse stopped at jumps...whcih she did a lot then lol i know they are a different make but still i think it has made me suspicious......

 

[NELSON11]

IMO ride totally different to wintecs. Put you in a much more secure position. A lot of Master saddlers fit them so why don't you get to try one and see how you feel when your youngster is being backed.

There are a lot of threads on Thorowgoods on here, if you do a search you will see others opinions and all seem to be in favour of the TW's

 

[Maisy]

I have a Fieldhouse (I think!) close contact saddle....I know very little about what fits what, but a saddler came, and I had an open mind as to what I bought. It is very comfy, seems to fit him very well, and, apparently, will have room for him to widen on the shoulder area.

I also thought that if I needed to change for any reason, a leather saddle would hold its value better than a synthetic one...

 

[hudsonw]

Personally I would get a synthetic saddle. After my last youngster, I bought a 2nd hand leather saddle off the saddler and although it fitted for a few months as soon as he changed shape it no longer fitted. I resold it but only got a fith of what I paid for it.
The saddler suggested a thorowgood as they are adjustable which is great for growing youngster but they are also lighter on their backs.
Somepeople look down on synthetic saddles but as a day to day/working at home saddle I think they are great and will be getting one for my youngster when he's old enough.