Saddle size good for horse but too small for rider

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showqa

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One of my horses is quite short backed and so is in a 16.5 inch Wintec Isobel Werth dressage saddle. Thing is, I find that due to it's small cut my knee sits off the knee roll and the stirrup bar is really in the wrong place for me to use my leg effectively.

Question is - is there a make in 16.5 out there that is better suited to the proportions of a five foot five adult? Thanks.
 
Some saddles have the seat set back from the panels (I think that is the right wording) so you can have a bigger seat than it is underneath if you know what I mean. 16.5 is quite small I am sure you will find one that she can take in a 17inch. Mine was supposed to only have 16.5 as short backed but fitter said she is fine to have the 17.5 which is good news as I am 5'10!
 
I am tall and long legged and have always found wintecs to be a totally unsuitable saddle for me i like the idea of them for the benefits for my horse but i can not ride in them they are cut completly wrong for me and my knees stick miles past the front of the saddle flaps and i can not get my balance in them i feel better bareback than in a wintec! like all cloths manufactures different brands suit different shaped people and the same can be said for saddles you need to find the one that suits your body shape as well as your horses.
Annoyingly my lankey legs have expensive taste and swear by old stubbens lol i would love a chepa low maintenace adjustable gullet synthetic but ive ridden in several wintecs and sadly there just not suited to my shape
 
My 15.3hh 4 yr old is in a 16 1/2 inch jump and dressage saddle, shes very short backed!
Im 5ft 6 and fit in both fine, even though im quite leggy!
The dressage is Kents & Masters and Jump is GFS Event, my knees wouldn't fit in a wintec smaller than 17 1/2 inch!
 
Yes, saddler told me close contact type saddles tend to be shorter in the back although enough room on the seat. I have a 16.5" thorowgood and a 17.5" barnsby and the barnsby is shorter on the horses back than the thorowgood (which was always too short and uncomfortable for me at nearly 5ft8).
 
Flatter seat, more forward cut flap (dressage saddles never used to be that straight cut!) and a higher placed thigh rather than knee block will all give you more space. A square cantle does indeed give slightly more space as well, but rare in a dressage saddle.
 
OK, so other than Kent and Masters and Barnsby, as a general rule which makes might solve the issue? Gives me a starting point, although I would get it fitted properly anyway. Thanks very much guys. Very helpful!
 
I'm afraid it's more about models than brands, for instance an Albion K2 is slightly shallower than most other Albions, Ideal has many different dressage saddles of different seat depths. Even the saddles I fit, aimed at natives and cobs in the main, have two different dressage seat depths. If you can buy new then you can use any bench made saddle company (Ideal, Black Country etc) and ask for 1cm or 2cm to be added to the front of the flap, look for moulded flaps over a high set thigh block, or a velcro block so that you can keep the block up away from your knee. I have a high set small triangular thigh block so my knee doesn't get pushed outwards. The seat depth is a little more related to the fit for the horse, and it will all depend on what suits the horse.
 
I had a similar problem, saddle too big for me, great for horse (big half Shire and I'm 5' 2"). Eventually bit the bullet and had a made to measure. Funnily enough, I had the same problems you describe but also my moving around like a rubber chicken!:D
 
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