Saddle for wide flat backed cob

lialls

lialls

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Hi guys

I was just wondering what saddles everyone is using on their wide flat backed cobs? I've been advised to go for an Ideal Highland and Cob saddle but i can't seem to find one second hand at the mo so wondered if there was anything else that might be suitable?
 
I also looked for one of these second hand and actually they weren't much cheaper used. I ended un with a Barnsby Haflinger and cob saddle in xxw. The other option is a Kent and Masters Cob which has good reviews too.
 
I have a Farrington dressage saddle for my wide flat cob. She has a really short back and it is also quite dipped, so she was very tricky to fit. I do everything in my dressage saddle, hacking, jumping, XC, Trec, I love it. I would never go back to a GP for a cob, as it just restricts her huge shoulders too much. I had a Farrington Show Hunter saddle before this one and that was really good too.:)
 
Native pony saddle!
I have a 16" one for sale at the moment after just selling my extra extra wide exmoor pony (she had no withers at all). It is about XW width although it fitted my spotty boy who is xxxwide almost perfectly (i think it is a tardis saddle). Pm me if you want pics. I am asking a reasonable price :)
 
Dont give up looking for the Ideal H&C, I searched for Ever and used a Thorowgood cob saddle in the interim, but eventually got one via ebay for £320 (and they are £1k ish new) - and its hardly been used at all judging by the condition.

They really are lovely saddles.
 
sbloom said:
I fit for Native Pony & Cob Saddles, if you can find one used then one of our Native Pony Saddle Company saddles should work, it's just a matter of finding the right one. If you can post or send me photos I could advise what might work. Our FB page lists the very few we have for sale at any time but you'll find them now and again on ebay, Horsequest, Horsegossip and PreLoved amongst others.
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My welsh cob is very wide and has no whiters and I agree native pony & cob saddles or pony saddle company saddles. They found me a great one after being desperate. Give it a go! X
 
I have also heard good reports about the K&M Cob saddle but didnt know if it would be flat enough. Know of a lady locally who fits them though so will give her a call i think.

Have had a look at The Native Pony & Cob Saddles website before but having not heard much about them I just glanced over it. Will see if there is a saddler in my area.

I want a good saddle but as my mare is a just broken in 3 yr old i don't want to spend a huge amount when i will have to change it a few times in the next year+. current saddle now dosn't fit hence the search for a new one but its proving tricky. Long term I think I will buy a new Ideal H&C, unless i find something that fits and lasts in the mean time.

Thanks for the replys guys, has given me some food for thought :)
 
As she's a baby and going to change shape, try the thorowgood/ K&M Cob saddle (same saddle, different material) and the new Wintec cob (not the older style!). They may not suit but if they do they'd be perfect for as she grows. You can also buy second hand much cheaper, once you've tried one for fitting.

Ideal (and prob Native Pony) can have their width adjusted a couple of times so have a little flexibilty as she grows.

For a very wide, flat cob baby cob type I'd use a decent treeless for the first year or so though.
 
I have a Kent & Masters cob saddle for my IDx Cob mare which I purchased new through my local saddler, spent ages looking for a 2nd hand one, they just dont come up that often as they are great saddles, very comfortable for the rider too, especially if you have a bony bum like myself :D

I tried Thorowgood/Wintec cob types, GFS & Ideal but the Kent & Masters fitted her like a Glove with minimal adjustment, Its also very easy to adjust, easier than the wintec, this saddle is perfect for those who has minimal patience fiddling with things like myself :D

I have had my saddle for just over a year now & the leather still looks brand new despite it being used a min of 4 times a week. Its not as cheap as the Wintec or Thorowgood to purchase new, however it is def worth spending that little bit more, im more than happy with mine :)
 
Any saddle with a traditional tree CAN be adjusted a handful of times a width or two, but it depends on finding a fitter who will do it, easiest if you buy one from a fitter who works that way.

Do google about Native Pony & Cob Saddles - we are very well known in our niche :). Many cob saddles are too curved from front to back, which is what is causing the lifting with yours, and others have much too small a panel at the front, despite front gussets. You need a decent amount of flocking at the points for most very wide horses to help stabilise any lift at the back, as well as help stop the saddle moving forwards, and a lot of saddles I replace might be wide enough (many have been fitted too wide in an effort to get the down at the front) but they don't have the right contact at the front.

Make sure when you look at the seats of any possible candidates, that they have a long flat "seet spot", the deepest part of the saddle wher eyou sit. This is the bare minimum you need for fitting flat horses, the very flattest will generally need trees which are also low in the cantle and pommel to help with stablity.

Look for moderately wide, fairly flat panels, but with a reasonable amount of flocking, and four girth straps. You will need the head of the tree, is the pommel, to be wide, and I find that some wide trees are then frog mouthed - the front of the tree scoops out slightly away from the horse, then it nips in a little narrower at the bars. This can cause instability - a lateral wiggle, as the contact is not even throughout, and again that lack of contact at the front can cause the saddle to move forwards.

In four years of fitting I've only had one saddle that I fitted become unsuitable in its fit, and that was a compromise at the time to give the rider something she found easy to ride in (stiff hips) - if I'd fitted the tree I wanted to in the first place then the saddle would still fit the horse. Not every horse needs a changeable gullet, and not all horses CAn be fitted with a changeable gullet saddle.
 
Kallibear said:
What thorowgood's did you try?! The K&M saddle is the exact same saddle as the T4/6, just made from different material. K&M are the leather subcompany of thorowgood, as Fairfax is the posh leather version of the K&M.
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Thats what I thought, whether that was because the T4 was 2nd hand I cant be sure? The seat on the T4 was a slightly deeper seat shape.

When we tried the T4 on my mare, it just didnt sit right, fit well at the front but was high at the back even when adjusted/reflocked, I felt like the seat was pushing me forward when I was riding in it and did not find it comfortable to sit in. My saddler was kind enough to let me try it for 10 days to see how I got on with it, it wasnt a bad fit but it just wasnt perfect.

I also tried my friends GFS (older model) was to forward cut for my mares big shoulders, the Ideal (highland) was a very similar fit to the GFS.
 
I have got a local saddle fitter coming out with some K&M saddles next week so fingers crossed something will fit.

If not, I will be back on here to follow up all the other sugestions. Thanks guys :)
 
I had problems with my cob and desperately wanted an Ideal Highland and Cob as tried a friends and it fitted a treat. Unfortunately they are like hens teeth to find 2nd hand. I tried treeless and, though my cob went well, it didn't agree with me and I felt like I had hip displacia every time I rode. Eventually bought a Wintec Wide (new version) and it's great especially as my mare is young and has finished growing yet. Very secure position and I've already changed the gullet twice as she develops with work. Good luck :)
 
I have a ideal H&C for sale its got a couple of scratches on the pomel but cosmetic i got it for my cob but i want a deeper seat anyone got any advice ive treid a few n they keep slipping ime tired of being in canter down at her side
 
Katin my ideal is a 17.5 wide its on ebay i agree they are a lovely saddle i just not that confident so want a deep seat i have a gp ideal on her at mo its great apart from slipping which the H&C Dosnt do typical i wish it had a deep seat
 
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