Saddle for backing

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Allie5

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I'm thinking in advance here, my boy is only 16 months old!! I was musing the other day about how to go about fitting a saddle on a horse who has never worn one? Do you take a rough guess for the intitial introduction to a saddle? Ie the right length and width. What happens when you start lunging/long reining? The saddle will need to fit then! Will a saddle fitter come out when the horse can't be ridden in any prospective purchase? I'm thinking about going synthetic until he has muscled up properly so I don't spend a small fortune changing saddles. Also think they might be lighter on a babies back. Or is it worth getting an adjustable leather one? And pray he doesn't change drastically! How did you lot go about it? I've backed horses for other people but never my own so this is a bit new to me!!
 
I bought a very cheap synthetic saddle on ebay for breaking my 3 YO. There's no way it fitted him as he had no wither but I figured this would be ok as there was no weight on it. It just gave him the idea of a saddle being that much larger than a roller & something to attach stirrups to. I've since bought a adjustable wintec - again I know its not really wide enough even with the extra wide gullet, but at least it will be ok to sit on, and as he will change so much in the next few months there seemed little point in have one specially fitted. I will of course have it all sorted once I am spending any time on board. Now just trying to summon up the courage to get on
 
I got a new Wintec for my 4yo who'd never worn a saddle before, nice and light and can change the gullet easily enough when the change shape which happens really often!

I lunged with the saddle and a pollypad under it so he was bearing the weight of it but there was no pressure on his back if that makes sense? Then the day before I wanted to start sitting on him I got the saddler out to flock and change the gullet as best he could as I explained that me riding in it whilst he was there was impossible.

The saddler was fantastic told me to keep going with the polly pad underneath and gave me discount on my next call out due to him only doing a half visit this time!!

Hope this helps and good luck x
 
Safe bet is to get a synthetic saddle but one which you can easily adjust in a variety of places, take into account the correct size though, then adjust to fit, if however the saddle still doesn't offer a good fit (because many of them are just not the right shape tree etc but even a backing saddle needs to fit well) then at least you can sell it on again with ease without loosing too much money.

Wait till your youngster has muscled up even without ridden work, they need to develop a certain amount of muscle along the back for any saddle to sit and fit right, then some detailed photos and templates, bob along to a good saddlers and talk about which makes are more likely to fit, then keep your eye out for a nearly new one, one which has not bedded in to another horses shape.
 
Maybe, but it's quality and it would come in handy when your horse's shape changes. The thing is, if you back a young horse with a saddle that isn't comfortable, you're setting yourself up for problems aren't you?
Don't worry, you've got another year and a half or more to save. (grins).
 
Yep I still have plenty of time to think about it! Tinypony that saddle actually looks interesting. Yes it's pretty pricey but may be worth it if it will do him through introduction/backing and riding away. I think I'll get him something synthetic that fits as best I can to introduce weight and long reining etc. Then get a saddler out before I actually sit on him.
 
I use a treeless. They fit most horses (not all styles suit all horses so you'd need to have a think) and they mould to the horse. They give enough support for the rider and are very comfortable for the horse. They are also very stable (with the right pads and a breast plate).

I've backed both my boys with a Freeform. They were perfectly happy with it and I used it for 6months or so until they'd finished changing shape dramatically.

The most important thing to bear in mind with treeless is you get what you pay for. The cheap ones are crap. You also need a decent pad for any of them. However you could pick up a decent second hand one on ebay for a couple of hundred and easily sell it for that again without loosing much.
 
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