Saddle to back a wide, short backed, bum high horse

[Landcruiser]

My little mare is 5 now and ready to be backed. My bodyworker was out today and looked at the treeless I'd planned to use, deeming it too long for her. The trouble is, she's way bum high (14 1.5 in front, 14.3 behind) as well as very short backed and wide in the ribs. Bodyworker suggested Strada saddles as a possibility. I have never bought an English saddle (ridden Western since owning horses) , and I've never bought any saddle for an unbacked youngster. Looking at saddle fitter websites, they all want to see potential saddles ridden in, so that they fit the rider as well. So how do you do it? How do you get a well fitting saddle for an unbacked horse?

My stop gap is to use my TCS to back her with a view to getting her properly fitted once she's started and riding away. Does anyone have any input on this? I feel a bit overwhelmed by how little I know about English saddles.

She'll be used for hacking, fun rides, possibly longer distance rides, and lots of TREC so I'm looking at getting a comfy GP or endurance type of saddle. I'm 166cm, about 10 St 4, approaching my mid 60s and that's why I don't want to be lugging heavy Western saddles around any more..

 

[Landcruiser]

Here she is.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I used a christ lamfelle pad to back my youngster- the knee rolls keep you very secure although I didn't do much trot in it for both our comfort!
It meant that I could get her fitted in walk/ trot with me on board.

 

[Marigold4]

From the photo you have posted, I don't think your treeless looks too long at all. I had a similar shaped horse and a treeless worked well to start him with. Eventually, he evened out and I managed to find a treed saddle to fit, but that treeless looks fine for now to me (but I don't claim to be an expert). See how it goes?

 

[tda]

From the photo you have posted, I don't think your treeless looks too long at all. I had a similar shaped horse and a treeless worked well to start him with. Eventually, he evened out and I managed to find a treed saddle to fit, but that treeless looks fine for now to me (but I don't claim to be an expert). See how it goes?

Agree

 

[Jambarissa]

TCS is perfect to back a horse. Minimum amount on their back.

But agree that treeless looks fine. Your weight isn't distributed along the whole length because it doesn't have a tree so it's more where your weight is than where it ends that matters.

 

[Caol Ila]

Been there, done that. It's a bit of conundrum, isn't it?

I started my young horse in a Christ Lamfelle pad, but after a few weeks, I wanted stirrups for hacking and for general getting-used-to-stirrups. I bought a second TreeFree saddle for cheap-ish on ebay. The eBay special fit my other horse better than her, so she got his original TreeFree, and he got the eBay special (which is what I'm still riding him in now; it's a very good fit!). That worked for a while, but at the start of this year, her shape changed so much that I could not make the TreeFree saddle work anymore. She told me she was unhappy with it. I had someone come out to fit her with her very own saddle, a leather tree Iberian thing, so a totally different design. I'd been hoping to wait another year, but 5.5yrs and in work for a little over a year is still an easier job for a saddle fitter than totally unbacked.

Your treeless saddle looks like a very similar design to mine.

 

[Landcruiser]

All of that is very helpful, thank you. My worry with the TCS is the lack of any structure to help me stick on if she throws a few shapes. I've been practicing on my old horse, and can now trot and canter fairly confidently, but am not sure I'd stay on any sort of spook or buck. I'm so used to a deep seated Western saddle, it's a huge change.

My body worker admitted she doesn't know a lot about treeless saddles, she was concerned because this one extends beyond the last rib. It's very soft though, and as people have said, I'll be sitting where I sit, not on the back of it.

I have an IH trainer coming out tomorrow to help me get on board, and I reckon I'll use the treeless, not least because it's what she's used to wearing. I may switch to the TCS down the line once she's settled, and then a nice flex tree endurance type saddle when she's matured some more.

Wish me luck then!

 

[sbloom]

With every saddle you have to look at where the weight is. A treed saddle, designed to take weight right to the very back of the panel, must not be beyond the back rib, and in fact I believe it's in an effort to keep weight directly off T16/17. If your weight is hitting the horse forwards of that point then the length matters much less, but many saddles of all kinds sit the rider towards the back.

Unbacked horses should have a saddle that fits as well as possible but obviously without a ridden fitting you can't finesse the fit, so a second visit very soon after, once more trot is established, is always recommended. I've been present at a small handful of combined backings/saddle fittings, possible with the right timing and help on the ground.

 

[TheHairyOne]

My sister ended up with a Strada dressage for this huge thing, its actually a really lovely saddle to ride in and has never caused him any bother!

 

[Tarragon]

Very similar to me! I used a treeless barefoot cherokee saddle for backing and just starting, then now use a Strada. I liked the treeless saddle for starting off as I feel that it cannot not fit, so eliminating as many saddle fittings issues as I can to not complicate the backing process, then moved to the Strada when going enough to need the extra rider support. I ride on a 13hh stocky Exmoor pony, and the treeless can look "long" but there is no weight or pressure on the back of the saddle.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

All of that is very helpful, thank you. My worry with the TCS is the lack of any structure to help me stick on if she throws a few shapes. I've been practicing on my old horse, and can now trot and canter fairly confidently, but am not sure I'd stay on any sort of spook or buck. I'm so used to a deep seated Western saddle, it's a huge change.

My body worker admitted she doesn't know a lot about treeless saddles, she was concerned because this one extends beyond the last rib. It's very soft though, and as people have said, I'll be sitting where I sit, not on the back of it.

I have an IH trainer coming out tomorrow to help me get on board, and I reckon I'll use the treeless, not least because it's what she's used to wearing. I may switch to the TCS down the line once she's settled, and then a nice flex tree endurance type saddle when she's matured some more.

Wish me luck then!

I think your bodyworker should stick to what she knows, tbh!

 

[dougpeg]

My youngster was very bum high, he's levelled up somewhat now but its taken until his 6th year to do so. You may find what fits yours now will not in a years time.

I've used a treeless saddle called a Sensation throughout and it's been great. A bit tricky to find now but possible. Facebook have a group and you do see some pop up. It's super lightweight and doesn't move on him.

My sister has a Strada. It's a beautiful saddle and from memory the fitting service and after care was excellent.

 

[Highmileagecob]

As long as the treeless saddle puts you in the correct position, and you are not too heavy to ride in a treeless, you should be fine. I can only comment on Barefoot saddles. From memory, their information recommends a size 1 saddle for a size 10/12 rider and a size 2 saddle for a 12/14 rider. Any heavier and a treed saddle should be used. Make sure you have a treeless saddle pad to profile the underside of the saddle and allow shimming if necessary. Good luck!

 

[Landcruiser]

As long as the treeless saddle puts you in the correct position, and you are not too heavy to ride in a treeless, you should be fine. I can only comment on Barefoot saddles. From memory, their information recommends a size 1 saddle for a size 10/12 rider and a size 2 saddle for a 12/14 rider. Any heavier and a treed saddle should be used. Make sure you have a treeless saddle pad to profile the underside of the saddle and allow shimming if necessary. Good luck!

It's a Copper Beech which is very similar to Barefoot (I have previously owned a Barefoot Cherokee but sold it as the stirrup bar position tipped me forward). It arrived with my older horse 16 yrs ago and I used it on him before he had a properly fitted Western, and again recently just to get back used to it pre backing my youngster. Jury has been out between that and the TCS - the Copper Beech has won on "Most likely to stay on if she objects to being sat on."
I use a Barefoot Grandeur pad and Barefoot padded girth. The treeless will be replaced with a suitable flex tree once she's matured and muscled up.