Saddles-what did you do when starting your youngsters?

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sugarlump121

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Can someone please tell me what they did when getting a first saddle sorted for your young horse?

I understand that they change shape loads and accept that a saddle that fits now may not fit in 6 months but no one will even help me with a saddle for my 3 1/2 year old :( something to do with insurance and they will only sell them 'off the peg'.

I only want either a wintec or thorowgood that adjusts- think I'll def need the wide or cob version but for a young horse just starting out I wanted it to be comfy for him.

Other horses I've had and started I've found ones and fitted them myself and thankfully they've always been perfect, so thinking I'm not going to be this lucky again I wanted a professional...

Help!
 
If he's wide and flat (assuming so since you say cob saddle) then steer well clear of the wintec 500. The wintec Cob saddles are better but the thorowgood cob saddle are a much better saddle all round. The thorowgood cob saddles come up regularly on ebay so keep an eye out (but make sure it's the newer version on the T4/T6 as they older ones don't have changable gullets). The thorowgood cobs fits most horses well although obviously not all.

I'll be breaking my young cob in a treeless first then he'll get a thorowgood T6 saddle once he's more established (already got one for my other horse)
 
I backed my coblet using a good treeless saddle and then used a Thorowgood cob XW saddle. Saddle fitter had to agree it was an excellent fit all round! Bought the treeless second hand and then resold it as the Thorowgood was sooo good! Still using it 3 years later!
 
i used a wintec 500 for my ssh mare and it was fab had to change the gullet 5 times over 2 years so worth every penny. But will say if it is a cob you have def go for the wintec cob saddle my Irish cob and highland needed this saddle as wintec 500 didnt quite fit. I bought the fitting pack and spare gullets well worth the extra cash. i am very lucky that my yo has been trained to fit wintecs.
My mare loved the saddle because it was so light and fitted her well
Good luck
 
Thanks for the replies, yes even the saddle fitter said the tgood prob best.

He's actually a knabstrup x wb, has little wither showing but there is some, he is quite flat backed too.
 
I got a saddle fitter out and he sold me a GFS (are they Fieldhouse?!), close contact saddle, which he said will fit my little man for quite a while. It fits him perfectly at the moment.....
 
My youngster's first saddle was a Wintec 2000, our saddler recommended synthetic because he'd change shape quickly. It fitted him well, and I've still got it :)
 
I bought my 3 yo a relatively cheap second hand leather saddle which was structurally sound and fitted beautifully but was not a pretty sight (very scratched and water marked). It actually lasted longer than I had thought it would, and didn't look too bad as long as I was mounted!
 
Yeah weight is another good point, you want it as light as poss! also my thorowgood cob has the breeching 4th girth strap which helps secure the saddle fromm slipping on the roly polys!

The only thing I have had to do in time was replace the most used girth straps with leather ones, as the synthetic ones eventually started to crack under the strain (!) and also werent too easy to do up firmly. But that was only £10 a strap
 
I bought a treeless for Stinky at 3 which he wore for the first 18 months (and still does when I want a very comfortable hack out). I then bought my WH for showing when he was 4 1/2, but got one slightly too wide to give him space to continue to grow and used a thick sheepskin under it so it has lasted for another 18 months, though I think he may outgrow it next year as he is really filling out now he is six.

If you do go down the treeless route, don't buy one of the very cheap ones off ebay and do make sure you have the correct pad for the saddle. Finally try riding in one as some people do not get on with them.

I also used the treeless on Farra when she outgrew the saddle she came with and have now bought her a WH saddle, and Cairo loved the treeless so much that I only used this on him or his western saddle.
 
I ride all mine (backing/schooling/competing) in Solution treeless saddles - not cheap to buy, but when I think of all the different horses that I've ridden in them (and backing in treeless is far far easier and a happier experience all round than in treed) they are amazing value for money :)
 
Have you seen the Saddle Company saddles? They are serge underneath and leather on top. They have an adjustable tree but it has to be done by one of the qualified fitters of them. I bought one for my youngster off ebay and then got the man (was actually owner of company in my area) and he came and fitted it to him for £60. He was lovely and not snotty that I had bought it off ebay. He spent about 2 hours with me and wasn't concerned that my pony wasn't broken in (he is backed so I did sit on him for a bit in it). My boy is very very wide (welsh x appy) and I had a lovely dressage version of it - really comfy. They can be moved a couple of sizes so no good buying a narrow one you would need to go kind of med/wide if you wanted to buy one. People love them or hate them but I'm pleased with mine and the service. Although you don't want to spend a fortune on a saddle for a youngster - neither do you want them to have a badly fitting saddle as their first memory. Amazes me the amount of people that will just shove any broken piece of **** on a youngsters back. Also my back lady approved - said they are kind to youngsters and she has seen much more damage done by big posh named saddles.
 
Thanks all, its really interesting to read all your different responses :) treeless sounds interesting now but I have no idea how they should fit, especially if the sellers refuse to fit them to a youngster! I'm no professional but I could fit a wintec/ tgood ok I think and would be ok monitoring its fit.

Martha- my other horses first saddle was a 2nd hand very old tgood synthetic (like 10 yrs ago!) and it also looked a state lol but it fitted perfect!

I'm not really wanting to spend over £400 as he will eventually have a nice posh one but his comfort is my main priority.
 
I think I am going to go for a Thorowgood T6 initially for my just 4 year old. My local master saddler is more than happy to come and fit one of them for him. He is away being backed at the moment.

Seems to have good reviews with people
 
NELSON11 said:
I think I am going to go for a Thorowgood T6 initially for my just 4 year old. My local master saddler is more than happy to come and fit one of them for him. He is away being backed at the moment.

Seems to have good reviews with people
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Oooh where about are you Im near the mids?
pm if you pref!
 
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