Saddle sizes

[shadowboy]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place but i found a really nice dressage saddle today- in a saddlers that dont fit saddles yet supply them (wierd i know) but they do refund if you buy and it doesnt fit. Problem is i dont usually shop at this particular saddlers (its 200miles from where i live) so i want to make sure the saddle has at least a chance of fitting. Basically the question is whether a 18inch saddle is likely to be too long for a 15.3/16hh Warmblood cross ID who has a 17inch GP and a 17.5 inch dressage. It is a saddle with one of those keys that you can adjust at the gullet by a qualified saddler- but is it likely to be too long? He is neither long nor short in the back to be honest. Anyone used one that length on their horse of a similar size and build?

 

[Bosworth]

TO be honest I would suspect it would be too long for him. I would normally only fit an 18 inch on a 16hh plus horse. My 15'3 has a 17inch and he is ID xconn.

 

[flyingfeet]

Depends on the horse and how it looks

I have a 15.1hh Hano cross who can take an 18" with no problems.

17.5" saddles are pretty much to protect riders vanity and make very little difference to the horse when compared with an 18".

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

As has been said there is little difference in reality between a 17.5 & 18" saddle. The saddle width is to fit the horse...the saddle length is to fit your backside. There's no point having a saddle that looks great on the horse but you can't ride in it without sitting on the cantle or sliding around in it. If the saddle can be adjusted to fit the horse fine, but you really need to sit on it & see if it is too big for you.

 

[Santa_Claus]

also dressage saddles can come up shorter that a gp of the same length. My 14h2 had a 17inch gp but an 18" dressage saddle.

compare
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/austens_minime/my_pones/dressagesmaller.jpg
with
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/austens_minime/my_pones/santasj2.jpg

i know hard to see much but the panel size was almost identical and the majority of the extra length was due to the deeper seat of the dressage saddle with so higher cantle.

Worth actually measuring the panel length as that is what will be sitting on your horses back.

Katie

 

[WelshRareBit]

Murphy is 17.1hh and we use a 18" wide saddle - my old 15.3 had a 17.5" - as the others have said I really cannot see it making a huge deal of difference as its only a 1/2". x

 

[RobinHood]

My 15.3 has a 16.5 so I would have thought an 18inch would be too big.

 

[KatB]

REALLY!? You must have a little a**e

My short backed 16.1 has a 17.5", but could easily take an 18". As long as it doesnt got over the last rib, you'll be fine, and I wouldnt think it would.

 

[PapaFrita]

I had a 15.3 TB who had an 18" saddle, and PF, who is 15.2 takes a 17.5 (I don't think I'd fit into anything smaller anyway!) and could cope with an 18" no probs.
Has anyone on your yard got an 18" sadde you could check for size?

 

[RobinHood]

[ QUOTE ]
REALLY!? You must have a little a**e

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't say it's something I've ever noticed! Saying that my instructor saw me riding in it for the first time yesterday and said it looked a big too long, but how on earth could I put a 16 inch saddle on a 15.3, he'd look stupid. Ah well I'll just have to eat lots at christmas so make my bum fit my saddle

 

[Law]

I was told that a 16.5 was the right size for mine and me in a GFS 'tweenager' saddle (not that i'm a tweenager) My hoss is a 15hh medium narrow cob. As it is the same saddler sold us a beautiful 17.5 charles Mountfort instead as i couldn't afford the GFS. A 16.5 would nefer have fitted my bum in any other make I don't think!