Saddle for backing youngster

[JudgeD]

I have a lovely unspoilt warm blood x sec d 3yr old ready for backing and having a major first saddle dilemma. She currently stands at 15.1 and is quite short backed, hence dilemma. Not wanting to ****** her back up, a regular 17 or 17.5 looks too long on her but at 5ft 8 in with a size 14 butt i will struggle in anything smaller. So looking at good quality treeless saddles such as Heather Moffatt and the Barefoot Cheyenne to back her and for her initial education, whilst giving her time to grow and mature when I would look at having saddle made for her. Any thoughts, advice or opinions much appreciated. Thanks

 

[kaiserchief]

I backed my youngster in a Libra treeless saddle and it's been super. The Libra is similar to the Barefoot Cheyenne (but a more budget saddle) so something to be aware of is that they have a dressage girth, which can be a pain to do up on a baby (but is great for training your horse to stand still while you hang off the side, and to be patient about having the girth done up). I'd recommend toe stoppers or safety stirrups if the Barefoot, like the Libra, has closed ring stirrup attachments rather than a bar - although to be honest I'd recommend toe stoppers or safety stirrups on a baby anyway.

You need the recommended pad and girth with treeless saddles - the combination works as a whole and skimping on the pad and girth will render the whole kit less useful.

Other than that, just try a few and see what you both think. I tried various treed saddles on my youngster before buying the Libra and none of them were quite right. The Libra was great on him from the off. Good luck!

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Why not wait until she is four and will have lengthened out a bit? Do the groundwork and have a saddle on her and leave it at that? You have a mix if two slow maturing breeds in there why not just wait?

 

[JudgeD]

Thank you for the replies. Much appreciated. I am not in any rush to get a saddle on her, just currently weighing up possibilities.