Saddle recommendations for a Cob

E

ExmoorHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 January 2013
Messages
148
Visit site
I recently acquired a 7 year old cob mare with a very sad history. She's been with me a couple of months now and is in great condition. I've been using a borrowed saddle which is really not very secure so have now booked my saddler to come out next month to fit a new saddle. I wondered if any of you can recommend a saddle for a 15.1-15.2 hh, wide, flat backed cob with a big shoulder and not much wither. I will be her main rider and have long legs so normally need something forward cut. She will be used mainly for hunting so we both need to be comfortable. Thanks.
 
Possibly not suitable but I was a groom for a yard full of show cobs for a stretch and most had lovely old saddles - Flyde WH saddles and old barnsbys mainly. The more forward cut eventer type saddles just didn't work whereas the old English brands were much more forgiving on flat backs and cobby shoulders.
 
I have a KES for mine. Hes big barrelled with no wither and croup high, so he has to have something very, very flat with short panels. It cost me a whopping £270 off ebay and fits like its made for him :) It was only bought as an interim saddle but we both love it, depsite it only be 16.5" its more than big enough for my large bottom :lol: Before that he had a GFS XCH haflinger and it was gorgeous! But they come up big and it was too long for him :( I think they sell new for about £1,200 and I sold mine barely used for £400 which is about the going rate
 
I*HM said:
Possibly not suitable but I was a groom for a yard full of show cobs for a stretch and most had lovely old saddles - Flyde WH saddles and old barnsbys mainly. The more forward cut eventer type saddles just didn't work whereas the old English brands were much more forgiving on flat backs and cobby shoulders.
Click to expand...

Yep I'd agree with this.

Got a Lovett & Ricketts for £50 at a car boot........ got saddle fitter out to tweak - OK!

Have a rummage - and ask to see - the "old fashioned" Bargain Basement/breaking saddles at any second-hand tackshops you have in the area, they're likely to need a bit of a clean-up and some TLC, and obviously be careful and check the tree, but you might just find what you're looking for this way.
 
Agree with flyde saddles recommendation, best thing I have ever bought my mare. Fits fantastically and they take up the leg nicely. Keep an eye out for them second hand as there's some fab ones about.
 
Thanks everyone for the recommendations so far. I definitely want to go for a new saddle and will look at Ideal, K&M, Black Country and a couple of others. The saddler sells his own designs which are made by Ideal and I think he has a cob model that I can try. Sadly the saddler that C&M recommended is miles away and I am not prepared to buy a saddle without it being fitted for both her and me. I am using a Barnsby at the moment and find it terribly uncomfortable. I'm using a good gel seat saver which helps but I couldn't do a day's hunting in it - a 2 hour ride is enough for my backside!! The trouble is I am very long from hip to knee and like to ride short but be able to get my knees in for security! I really like the modern saddles - I bought one last year for another horse and love it.

I am going to look at the Fylde saddles though. A friend advertised one the other day on FB so it might be worth a look as it's very local.

I'll post a couple of pictures when I get the saddle as an update. I'm delighted with my little cob and think she's going to be a star! After a thorough hair cut she's looking rather smart.
 
ExmoorHunter said:
Thanks everyone for the recommendations so far. I definitely want to go for a new saddle and will look at Ideal, K&M, Black Country and a couple of others. The saddler sells his own designs which are made by Ideal and I think he has a cob model that I can try. Sadly the saddler that C&M recommended is miles away and I am not prepared to buy a saddle without it being fitted for both her and me. I am using a Barnsby at the moment and find it terribly uncomfortable. I'm using a good gel seat saver which helps but I couldn't do a day's hunting in it - a 2 hour ride is enough for my backside!! The trouble is I am very long from hip to knee and like to ride short but be able to get my knees in for security! I really like the modern saddles - I bought one last year for another horse and love it.

I am going to look at the Fylde saddles though. A friend advertised one the other day on FB so it might be worth a look as it's very local.

I'll post a couple of pictures when I get the saddle as an update. I'm delighted with my little cob and think she's going to be a star! After a thorough hair cut she's looking rather smart.
Click to expand...

If your close to Fylde your not too far away from PC&H :) they are only in Blackburn and Fulde is at Preston. Might be worth a ring, I'm sure they will come out to you. X
 
I think I've confused the issue! Not close to Fylde but close to a friend with a Fylde saddle for sale. I'm in Devon and definitely miles away.
 
We just got our built like a tank flat backed cob x a second hand leather Gallop Saddle and it seems to fit her rather well :) only saddle I found that didn't cost the earth and was 12 inches D to D. Saw another one for sale on FB recently which was 10 inches D to D and was tempted to buy it for the sake of having it but resisted ha :)
 
ideal jessica fits on p much all our cobs (we have them coming and going for schoooling and if in doubt, we use the jessica :))
 
Haha yes Devon is definitely far away from us up here! Hope your successful in finding your saddle, I know how extremely hard work it can be!
 
AppyLover said:
We just got our built like a tank flat backed cob x a second hand leather Gallop Saddle and it seems to fit her rather well :) only saddle I found that didn't cost the earth and was 12 inches D to D. Saw another one for sale on FB recently which was 10 inches D to D and was tempted to buy it for the sake of having it but resisted ha :)
Click to expand...

Looking at her tonight when we turned out after riding, I think the analogy of the tank is spot on!
 
ExmoorHunter said:
Looking at her tonight when we turned out after riding, I think the analogy of the tank is spot on!
Click to expand...

shes also lovingly called an overstuffed sofa as I'm pretty sure if she stood still you could take a pretty decent nap on her back haha :D (we are pretty sure shes got some type of big draft in her breeding but no idea at all what she really is) we love her to death (even if getting anything to fit her is a constant struggle and makes us want to pull our hair out at times)
 
AppyLover said:
shes also lovingly called an overstuffed sofa as I'm pretty sure if she stood still you could take a pretty decent nap on her back haha :D (we are pretty sure shes got some type of big draft in her breeding but no idea at all what she really is) we love her to death (even if getting anything to fit her is a constant struggle and makes us want to pull our hair out at times)
Click to expand...

Haha, I think mine's got shire in the mix but who knows - a good horse is what you want regardless of breeding IMO. I could've stuffed a sofa with the hair we clipped off! And I think she'll be a nice shape once she gets fitter. Now I just need a good saddle ....
 
ExmoorHunter said:
Haha, I think mine's got shire in the mix but who knows - a good horse is what you want regardless of breeding IMO. I could've stuffed a sofa with the hair we clipped off! And I think she'll be a nice shape once she gets fitter. Now I just need a good saddle ....
Click to expand...

We are thinking Shire or Percheron but like you said it doesn't really matter at the end of the day she has a home for life anyway :) haha I know what you mean clipping wise she had her first blanket clip a few weeks ago and there was huge pile of the stuff, sadly she was pink underneath so now we are dealing with a grumpy sunburnt tank :(

Hope you find a saddle soon :) (now we finally have a saddle our yards on lockdown as a precaution/to be extra safe for a few weeks as a nearby yard has strangles :( oh well it will be over soon :) )
 
Super close contact showing saddles can be very hard on horse's backs - they have thin foam or rubber panels in most instances, I recommend any customers of mine who can't afford to replace them to fit them with a thick sheepskin pad which may then need shims at the back, many of them tip back even without a thick pad underneath them.

Straight cut is often recommended but actually it's all about tree placement for most horses, on wide horses it's common for saddles to want to run forwards, so a straight flap looks better, and some horses will go slightly better, but unless they have a very prominent shoulder blade and no muscle behind then getting a flatter tree to be more stable and stay back is ultimately a better plan of attack. It's entirely possible to fit a GP flap to even very large shouldered horses, even a jump saddle to very many. A shorter seat size can help, plus a shorter "upswept" panel design at the back helps a lot on some shapes, especially if croup high.
 
I recently bought a Farrington WH saddle for my mare - I love it and it fits her perfectly! I also have an Andrea Hicks dressage saddle which also fits very well
 
Barrie Swain semiflex saddles worked well on my cob x brontosaurus and are a reasonable price 2nd hand. They do need to be fitted which can be expensive if you are a long way from Walsall but are also adjustable if the horse changes shape.

The Enlightened Equitation Vogue also worked for my boy and they also make a flexi finesse which is cheaper and great value 2nd hand.

There are facebook pages for all these where 2nd hand ones are advertised.
 
Tayto said:
I recently bought a Farrington WH saddle for my mare - I love it and it fits her perfectly! I also have an Andrea Hicks dressage saddle which also fits very well
Click to expand...

I have Farrigdon Henley for mine and it's brilliant. Saddle fitter did a template which was used to make it.....I'm delighted.
 
Swain and Humphries - you can pick them up fairly cheap second hand. Flat trees, wide owen half panels so you haven't got shoulder interference and most horses (all those I have known) love them and go much better in them - although I expect for all those that do, there will be some that won't, but that seems to be down to the fact that they have existing chiropractic issues. Annette Penny to fit them - she is North Devon (google her, or I can PM you her number if you need it) but travels all over the country. She is also a chiropracter so any issues she will be able to pick up - she was a godsend to us - doesn't sell saddles so has no vested interest and only wants the best for the horse. She is a bit marmite, she will tell you straight, but imo, that is for the best really!!

Have had a myriad of saddles personally. Black Country saddle, HM Vogue saddle, other treeless and treed. All hopeless on my flat backed boy - most say that have flat trees but actually they don't - not when you look at the massive gussets on the panels. Additionally you want the largest seat/panel length your horse can take. Most fitters will fit what they see, not what the back should be and the bigger the seat and panel area the better the weight distribution and the comfier the horse
 
Last edited:
Thanks to everyone for their replies. I've asked the saddler to bring a few of the saddles recommended. He's coming in two weeks so I'll let you know what we get.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top