Saddles & TB's! Aaaaah!

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ReefurG

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Anyone who has a TB, what make/model of saddle do you use? I am at my wit's end, have tried stubben, kieffer, prestige, jeffries, charles montfort & even a really old appaloosa on my boy, can't get anything to fit properly! I have spent a small fortune (unfortunately local saddlers are not up to scratch re.fitting) and I'm now seriously considering getting a made-to-measure (although knowing my luck he will then change shape!) He is quite broad but he has a hollow behind his withers and quite a short back. Help!!!
 
Well I have a kincade GP on my boy as his everyday saddle, needed a bit of flocking by saddler to raise back but otherwise fine and was only £120!!! What about the wintecs with the adjustable gullets or saddle co saddles all much cheaper options than a WOW saddle
 
WOW saddles are fantastic and fit anything, a cheaper option is a saddle company saddle as they are adjustable to fit anything - I've got one on my ex racer. http://www.thesaddlecompany.co.uk/ if you go on their website they will tell you who your nearest approved saddle fitting bod is - they are often independant of 'normal' saddlers - mine local chap is actually a bowen therapy practisioner (sp) who supplies these saddles as he believes they are better for the horses backs
 
Barrie Swaine's Semiflex saddles. will adjust with shape of horse (have cut-off points to allow this), and have flat trees (shaped like horse's back, not like a banana like most trees), serge-lining and white wool flocking, for ultimate horse comfort.
i have just had 2 of my old Barrie saddles, a jump and a dr, altered to fit my new t.b., and they fit perfectly. i won't put any other make of saddle on my horse's backs... with these, i know exactly how comfy they are, and that there is nothing confusing the signals from me to horse and vice-versa.
if you have time, have a look at this
http://www.bettersaddles.co.uk/saddle_construction_1.html
and especially this
http://www.bettersaddles.co.uk/saddle_construction_2.html

this is why i don't trust any other make of saddle now. i took 3 very expensive saddles of a very famous make to Barrie years ago, saw them taken apart like this, and was HORRIFIED at the unevenness, shoddy workmanship, protruding sharp bits, etc.
 
Andy is TB, i have a 'Saddle Company' dressage saddle - not as comfy for me as my albion was but miles better for him, physio said how much better his back is now when she was out mid Oct (have has saddle since mid Aug). i also have a Humphries and Swain jumping saddle (as per Kerilli's post) and LOVE it, fab to SJ and XC in, would have got a HS dressage saddle too but my budget couldn't stretch that far! bonus is that both saddles are fully adjustable and have serge lining which IMO is much better for the horses back.
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I have had two TB's with sharks fin withers and the only saddle I got to fit was an Ideal Jessica with a dropped template...you are in yorkshire and Patrick Wilkinson in Beverley is a stockist and will make arrangements for the adjustments to a new saddle.

The really good news is that the Ideal Jessical is a pretty cheap saddle comparitively speaking so a new one will be about the same as a good quality second hand one of a different type.

The mistake with TB's is to go for a narrow fit saddle to get the wither clearance....it just pinches and tips the saddle back... a med fit with a dropped template supports the saddle in a different place so you still get the wither clearance.

Good Luck...pm me for more details of the saddler if you dont have any...
 
Saddle Company - My Tb gelding has had 9 saddles in 18 month, all of which fitted at the beginning but not for much longer!

I got him a Saddle Co about 6 months ago and it was a beautiful fit, plus its adjustable so it grows with him. Got one for my TB mare too which is a fantastic fit, and my friend liked the fit of mine so much she got one for her mare, who has the biggest withers I have ever seen...! The trick is they are serge underneath and not rigid across the saddle flaps like most saddles so dont squeeze the shoulder.

Brand new they are about £500, I got both of mine second hand for £250 each from Ebay... fitting is £30.
 
Thanks everyone, have had a look at Saddle Co website and they look pretty good and won't break the bank balance! Anyone who has one, do the jumping ones have big knee blocks? (My TB is quite sharp so like a secure saddle!)
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I had EXACTLY the same problem when having my TB x Luso fitted! He has high withers, with the hollows behind the shoulder near the top and also was short backed. He actually bronc'd me off in any usual saddles because they were too long in the seat for him! We ended up finding only ONE saddle to fit - a Kings Event. It has TB panels so the panels underneath are much broader and thus "fill" in the hollows meaning it stays where it should and doesn't fall down onto the wither. It also has a slightly shorter seat although still a 17" for me. Cost me £750 brand new.

Although I must admit last year I ended up buying him a Wintec 500 CAIR Dressage! It was only cheap (£100 second hand but in brand new condition) so I figured what the hell, Ill try it. I always use a sheepskin lined saddle pad under it but its excellent. Somehow it fits and my horse loves it! I think it only fits as his hollowed area has filled out a bit as he's matured.
 
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Thanks everyone, have had a look at Saddle Co website and they look pretty good and won't break the bank balance! Anyone who has one, do the jumping ones have big knee blocks? (My TB is quite sharp so like a secure saddle!)
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They do, however I had one and found the seat a bit flat and I ended up out the side door a couple of times!!! I have the Gp which has a fab deep seat and I have put Wintec velcro knee blocks on to help me out - I put them high up for jumping and low down for dressage as the saddles have an area under the flap to stick velco knee blocks too... You can get knee blocks from Saddle Co with the saddles.

They are by far the best money I have ever spent on anything horsey...
 
What padding would you recommend (as a temporary measure) so I can still use my current saddle until I get sorted with a new one? Tried a Wintec front riser but it was no good whatsoever, he absolutely hated it.
 
My TB also has an Ideal Jessica which fits her very well. For jumping I have a Butet which was fitted for her but I suspect I will need to get it altered in the spring. She is a difficult horse to fit as not a typical TB shape - she's shaped like a barrel and low-withered, so you need something quite wide to fit her but they end up slipping forward, very frustrating!
 
Mine is now in a Barnsby and it fits her really well with plenty of wither clearance. From my perspective its also very, very comfy!!
 
the best padding if you need a front rise is two clean squares of fybagee (hindleg size), placed one on top of the other with one about 2 inches overlapping, then fold in half parallel to the overlap line. this will make a 4-step wedge for you to put under the front of the saddle. taught to me by the best saddler i've ever met...
 
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