Saddles for the Iberian shape

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Sara field

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Anyone have experience with saddles suitable for a flat backed extra wide Iberian.
Saddle fitter has not been a lot of help apart from telling me those saddles that won't fit i.e. K and m, bates, wintec..
There seem to be so many different types it's become a mine field!
Or know if good saddle fitters in east anglia region?
 
My mare is flat backed and wide and Bates GP fits her well...Ive had a flat backed wide gelding fitted with a wintec...I think Id rather see physical saddles on a back before dismissing them as not fitting. I prefer to buy from a fitter who sells saddles - mine can hunt down ones if necessary.
 
I did go to a fitter, but to be honest not a lot of help.
Wintec or made to measure is all she could suggest, I'm sure there must be suitable saddles, it's just weeding them out..
K and m, bates, arnt wide enough, and I don't get on with wintec..
Saddle has to be wide through the entire gullet, she has big shoulders so plenty of room needed there too.
 
Our iberians must be related... welcome to the "I need and wider than widest saddle possible please" club. You might need to go specialist but I would recommend first of all finding a Lavinia Mitchell fitter/Balance if there are any near you. She is very experienced with Iberians. All her saddles have wide gullets and she can make to measure/do bespoke. Can't recommend her highly enough. It would be a good place to start at least.
 
Not even the Spanish would buy Zaldi :D they've gone majorly downhill I don't think there's even a stockist in the UK that would be happy to sell one.

OP, Sue Carson is another one I would recommend, however, I think if I point you to GBPRE or the PSL Facebook page you will find many more recommendations about saddling a wide Iberian...
 
Thanks, I did put an ask out on fb and it does seem LM, heather moffat, amongst others seems post popular, I just wondered if there were any other experiences out there..
Glad I'm not the only one with a tank shaped Iberian, mine is 4 and stands bum high at 16hh, so I think maybe a more adjustable saddle might be good?
 
I am surprised at your saddle fitter's statement that K&M won't go wide enough. The cob tree (may not be your cup of tea with a squared cantle) S-bar goes to XXW (silver) and that's about as flat as you are going to get. I am not affiliated with K&M in any way, but I had an extremely flat backed horse that was practically impossible to fit and this was the solution. K&M are helpful - they could actually make you one if you asked.

AH Saddles specialise in wide horses. http://www.ahsaddles.com/dressage-saddles

HTH
 
Sara field said:
Thanks, I did put an ask out on fb and it does seem LM, heather moffat, amongst others seems post popular, I just wondered if there were any other experiences out there..
Glad I'm not the only one with a tank shaped Iberian, mine is 4 and stands bum high at 16hh, so I think maybe a more adjustable saddle might be good?
Click to expand...

No idea, you'd have to ask a pro about that - depends on the make I would guess.
 
Yes the PRE I knew years ago had two. A dressage and an Iberian style saddle. They were really nice, but as you said that doesn't mean that they make good saddles now.
 
My half luso has a K&M. Luxury after I squished him in an Albion for years. The k&m can go veey wide and has a generous gullet. My sister's flat backed beast had a Barnsby monoflap.
 
I'm not sure why she said that!, maybe wanted me to go for a new wintec🙄
I've looked into more saddles and there seem to be a few that go xxw, I wont be using her again!
 
I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Bates. A friend of mine recently bought a big Lusitano stallion from the Bessa de Carvalho stud in Portugal - they use Bates saddles on all their horses because they fit the shape so well.
 
There is more to width than tree angle, though we don't call it width. Thorowgood, K&M and Fairfax headplates are all very narrow at the top, the opposite of a hoop tree. The wider the horse, on average, the wider the pommel must be, though all horses vary and just because a horse is very wide doesn't mean it always needs a full hoop tree. This may be what your fitter was alluding to, the TG/K&M cob will not fit all wide horses by any means.

I would search for wide saddles, some will come on flatter trees, though not all.
 
I think it's more the width through the length of the gullet, than across the wither, a lot of saddle taper off towards the cantle, my mare has a very wide spine.
 
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