Short Coupled with a tall rider - advice!

Denbob

Denbob

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Dear lovely horsey people,

At 5ft 10 I have been, some would say blessed, with long legs. With previous horses it's been a gift (plenty to wrap round and squeeze with!) however, I now find myself with a short-coupled 4yo IDxISH and am in desperate need of saddle advice!

He's currently being ridden in a 17inch Wintec GP (not entirely sure what type as came to me second hand) with a wide gullet, and a fairly straight cut panel and it's a good fit for him, however I'm now being told by my (lovely) saddler, that I should look into changing that because as she, rather diplomatically put, I have "too much leg" (and potentially bum!) for said saddle and it's forcing me to sit behind the ideal position which I was kind of already aware of.

She has recommended a 17.5inch MAX saddle in a jump style so it's got more panel for my great gangly limbs, but not a proper jump saddle since ideally I need it to serve the purpose of a GP and be good for hacking and schooling until he's ready to start jumping. Anybody with experience of anything similar and how they coped/any specific reccomendations would be greatly appreciated! :) x
 
I have 17" saddles, 34" inside leg and ride ponies!!

I have very flat saddles, don't be fooled in to thinking they aren't secure. They are far more secure than the big blocks as it makes your seat far better.

I have a Barnsby Milton, another Barnsby that I've forgotten the model of, and a Prestige Paris D.
 
Ooooh that's good to know! Mine is quite high at the back which isn't ideal so definitely looking for something flatter. (I do better in a flat saddle anyway, was more a jump fanatic as a kid so much more at home in that rather than a dressage style!)
 
you can also get a saddle made with shorter panels. A friend of mine has a short backed pony but she has comparatively long legs, and this has been the solution for her.
 
I am also tall (5'9") with ridiculous legs, and have several shorter, small horses with short backs. I also use a Barnsby saddle, funnily enough; a dressage one (I think it's their cheapy "Club" version), 17.5in, that seems to fit these guys really well. It doesn't have the big blocks or a really high cantle (don't like those at all); I like to be able to move on the horse's back, not be locked in. The only thing I find is that the flaps are too short on many saddles and they catch on the top of my boots (not the Barnsby, though).
 
I would be looking for a flat tree, a short panel, or upswept panel for a croup high shape or shapely back, and a high set thigh block rather than knee block for your long legs. You can add a leather loop to stirrup bars to turn a jump bar into a GP bar and bring the leathers slightly back under you.
 
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My friend is I would say at least six three and he hunts Tatts who is very short coupled .
He uses a 17.5 patriot jumping saddle and has learnt to jump a little longer that he preferred .When he rode shorter Tatts was getting a sore back at the back of the saddle after a long day .
Going I think two holes (it might be three )longer has hade a huge difference it dropped his knee below the knee role and it all looks so much better now and the horse is not getting sore .
If I where buying a saddle for him alone I would choose one with less knee roll because it was that that pushed him back .
The other horse he hunts has an 18 inch saddle ( and I have a 17.5 I can use on that horse ) but he's a bigger longer backed horse .
You need to try before you buy if at all possible .
 
My son is around 6' and his horse is a short-coupled Anglo-arabxcob. His preferred saddle is a 17 inch jump saddle (it is a John Whittaker). He hacks in this as well as jumps and before he got a dressage saddle he also rode Novice BE tests in it! He also has a nice Equipe dressage saddle but doesn't enjoy hacking out in that so much as he cannot adjust position in the saddle as much.
 
I’ve got a short coupled polo pony and I’ve got a lot of leg/bum, I am not especially tall but just long legged. Husband bought a wintec as a gift and was way too long on her. Saddle fitter went back to shop and managed to find this GFS XCH saddle which was not too long for horse yet still had room for me, it is a 17.5 and was a lucky find and saddle fitter says we will be lucky to find anything else that fitted her. This saddle had been in shop for a while and didn’t fit anything. It was brand new but a bit scuffed and I got it for less than half price ��
 
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