Saddle woes. Advice needed.

[abi31]

My horse is proving to be a ridiculously difficult man to saddle:-( I have tried several makes on him now and can't find anything to fit. He is a 17.2 ISH who has a big shoulder. His withers fit a MW gullet well but the saddles don't fit at the back as they rise up. In a wide gullet they fit perfectly on the back but slip down and press onto his withers at the front.
I need a jumping saddle recommendation from anyone with similarly tricky horses. I have tried Ideal, Stubben, Parianni, Jaguar, Granville Grand Prix and a couple of others who evade my memory. I have a list somewhere.
My budget is about £800 and am mopre than happy with quality second hand. However, the one saddle that fitted him perfectly was a Butet which I currently ride him in but cannot afford, even second hand!
Any help gratefully received. I have tried 2 local saddlers who have nothing to fit him. Please can anyone offer help and advice?xxxx

 

[wench]

Where are you based? Someone on here may be able to suggest another saddler, although I think the trouble is with jump saddles is they are not in abundance second hand like gp's.

Other options include saving up and maybe getting a new one fitted by manufacturer. Think Barnsby do this. Treeless maybe?

Or there is a company on eBay that do "made to measure" saddles for about £600. I can't think they are actually made to measure, but might be worth a punt on. I have previuosly done a search on here for the make, and they seem to get good reviews. Alternative to that would be try Matt Marlowe from Hertiage saddlery. Think he offers a similar service

 

[millitiger]

Sounds like he needs a wide saddle but with a really cut back head?

Maybe try something like a Passier as they suit horses with decent withers.

Or I think some models of Albion have very cut back heads- I can't stand Albions but lots of people like them and there are tonnes of them around secondhand.

 

[longdog]

I think you need to save more money. As a previous poster said, S/H jump are FAR harder to come by than a gp. I would recommend looking at a Keiffer jump saddle, but you will need to have £1400-1600 in the kitty.

 

[BigRed]

I just bought an XW Falcon Adler from Spragg Saddlery. It was new and cost £700. My horse is wide and had very big shoulders. They say they do a made to measure saddle for that sort of money. I found the Ideal saddle did not sit on his back either. The jefferies was a good fit.

 

[Chamfrom]

Just a tip - always look at the country the saddles come from and you will see that the saddles are made for the types of horses from that country ie Stubben are made for warm blood types, Passier, French warm bloods etc etc - go for an English make as you have an ID. Lots of people dont realise that plenty of saddles from abroad may look fab but they will never truly fit ie you wont ever get a Stubben of Passier to fit a cob The shape of the tree from front to back is equally important - it not bridging, not rocking if its shaped more than your horses back...
You need to look at panel construction ie drop panel, gusseted front and rear
- their is far more to saddle fitting than meets the eye. I have messaged you to see if we can help you

 

[Chamfrom]

Oh and ps forget treeless unless you want to give your horse a bad back in around a years time - they do not spread the weight and you have stirrup bars that drive down straight into the horses back - not great, most horses need sorting out after a year of this - if you are jumping you need a treed saddle as you must disperse the weight from when the horse lands and your weight drops down on to the back and stirrup bar area

 

[sbloom]

It's not the gullet width that is causing you issues, the trees are too curved for his back. Wide flat backs can be easily fitted, I specialise in fitting cobs and natives and fit jump saddles but as others have said, you may need a higher budget, ours are seldom found second hand.

 

[Polotash]

Try a Wow saddle, then you can get the panels, headplate etc all to fit. Air flocked too, so you can inflate as needed. £800 should get you a second hand one.

 

[abi31]

Thankyou all for your advice and comments, it just goes to show the wealth of professionalism on these forums. Chamfrom, thanks for your PM. I will email you tomorrow.xx

 

[Chamfrom]

Not a problem