Show or working hunter saddle for a flat backed cob

[CloverRover]

Hi, I’m looking to start showing my cob x welsh D more and since I’m finally getting a proper dressage saddle (yay) I won’t be able to show in it… I am looking second hand but have no idea what will be flat enough for her. I’d prefer a worker as I will still like to be able to jump her and would sell my gp to pay for it. She needs a wide gullet and 17 (ish) inch saddle.
Pictures of the currently overweight pony below.
Also any opinions on whether or not she would be at all successful? I’d probably show her in light weight cob classes… open to suggestions for that too!
Thank you in advance.

 

[sbloom]

Some show saddles are seriously minimal, unsupportive through downright uncomfortable for the rider and have been thin panels, narrow Chanel and narrow head/rails for the horse. The most popular brand, as was, used to tell some customers they were showing RING saddles, ie not for use everyday, so look for something with "more" for both horse and rider. I can't recommend as, as a saddle fitter, it's advertising

Is there a good fitter covers your area you could work with? Recommending a saddle is very specific to your situation, your horses shape and size, and what you need as a rider.

As for type, that's where you might struggle. Show cobs are hogged and very much a type, often Irish breeding, with very different movement to a Welsh.

Do you have better photos eg a conformation shot, or ridden in half? I have fitted a ton of show saddles but can't process to being an expert in this, so will bow to others; you'll certainly be able to do part bred Welsh.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I can recommend Matt Marlow (heritage saddles) for a WH/show saddle- he mostly does made to measure saddles, but iirc sometimes has ex-display saddles available? I've got a lovely WH saddle from him, which was made for the old boy.

 

[VictoriaSponge]

I wouldn’t rush out to buy a show saddle just yet if you have a gp that fits. Either the dressage or gp saddle would be perfectly acceptable at local level as long as you present a tidy overall picture. It may be a good chance for you to get some opinions from judges as to whether she’d be more successful at a higher level before you make the investment.

 

[CloverRover]

Some show saddles are seriously minimal, unsupportive through downright uncomfortable for the rider and have been thin panels, narrow Chanel and narrow head/rails for the horse. The most popular brand, as was, used to tell some customers they were showing RING saddles, ie not for use everyday, so look for something with "more" for both horse and rider. I can't recommend as, as a saddle fitter, it's advertising

Is there a good fitter covers your area you could work with? Recommending a saddle is very specific to your situation, your horses shape and size, and what you need as a rider.

As for type, that's where you might struggle. Show cobs are hogged and very much a type, often Irish breeding, with very different movement to a Welsh.

Do you have better photos eg a conformation shot, or ridden in half? I have fitted a ton of show saddles but can't process to being an expert in this, so will bow to others; you'll certainly be able to do part bred Welsh.

She is only seven so is still a little bum high. I don’t have many good photos as she has been out of a well fitting saddle for a while.
I also would not call her movement very welsh like. It might be when she is stronger or in the right saddle as I have seen her do the prance and snort in the field but for now she is rather reluctant to move!

 

[blitznbobs]

I would hate to ride in a show saddle every day… no support, very minimal etc etc… a working hunter would give you more support.

She would need a lot of work and a serious clip out and could do with a lot more top line. A successful show con has manners to burn and a very light way of going and a super gallop…how tall is she?

 

[sbloom]

I would hate to ride in a show saddle every day… no support, very minimal etc etc… a working hunter would give you more support.

It depends on the brand and model, my WHs are just 1cm more forward cut with a slightly bigger block, the fit for the horse, the depth of panel etc. is identical. Either is suitable for every day use depending on the rider...on which note... slightly deviating but a useful discussion to have:

If the GP is neat and sits correctly back behind the shoulder, for a long legged rider it might be the better option, a better picture overall without the knee struggling to stay behind the block. If the knee does come forwards it's very destabilising for the lower leg and can put the rider very heavily on their seatbones. A long leg jammed in behind a straight cut flap and showing block can push the rider onto the cantle. Showing saddles are the worst kind of compromise really, sadly!

 

[CloverRover]

I would hate to ride in a show saddle every day… no support, very minimal etc etc… a working hunter would give you more support.

She would need a lot of work and a serious clip out and could do with a lot more top line. A successful show con has manners to burn and a very light way of going and a super gallop…how tall is she?

Shes 14.1 (ish). She does indeed need a clip and the lack of topline is because she is very hard to get into an outline in the gp, she bucks and bites me when i do up the girth which is very out of character, hence the choice to look for something new. Everyone says it fits but horse says otherwise and I choose to listen to her.
I had her in a Bates Caprilli dressage saddle that apparently did not fit but she went like a dream in it…
I would definitely be looking more at the go side of workers or a vsd type saddle… like the Jeffries worker or native pony company?
Im putting a picture of her fully clipped out as a 5 year old and a picture of her in the bates. She won’t have her feathers touched now, she gets quite dangerous and I won’t twitch or sedate her unless there is decent reason.

 

[CloverRover]

Another thought, she hasn’t actually got any pedigree… she was supposedly off a breeder but she certainly is not. Her passport just says ‘type: cob’. Could i enter her in unaffiliated welsh part bred class? Or does she not look welsh enough with the feather on?

 

[sbloom]

So if you can't take her feathers off you can't do show cob. Changeable headplate saddles would not be my first choice for any much wider horse, the pommel and twist shapes generally aren't what I'd want to allow for optimum posture and movement in a wider horse or pony. Often a horse can go better in a saddle because it moves the pressure points elsewhere, even if it's not a great fit.

You can absolutely to part bred classes, you'll get plaiteds and all sorts in the class, feather isn't an issue as such.

I would work on her posture, have a search of that word on here to find suggestions (and on my FB page). Forget about outline, have a look at equitopiacebter.com for some guidance on why outline is an end result of the correct way of moving...her saddle is clearly an issue, with the girthing sensitivity, but posture and saddle are closely linked to each other. In fact almost everything is related to posture!

 

[pistolpete]

I always found my Fiona cork show saddle very comfy. Extremely wide Highland wore it. Plenty of support for me and comfy for him.

 

[Fastasflames]

for more supportive show saddles look at a fiona cork or black country classic - the black country grafter or wh saddles are also very lovely and suitable for flat classes too.

 

[holeymoley]

Can’t go wrong with an Ideal. They are my go to saddles. I’ve had a Ramsay model and the Working Hunter model. Both are ample enough to give a bit of knee support for jumping. Fylde are very popular with the showing community particularly show ponies and lighter types but these are very neat little things that I personally wouldn’t use for every day riding too. Black Country are beautiful too.

 

[dorsetladette]

I had a lovely kings working hunter saddle on my round welsh cob. I've still got it as it's the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden in. I'm hoping Reggie grows into it.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I had an ideal ramsay for Arabi when I did showing that was a nice saddle, I have also had a Black country working hunter which was lovely and a Heritage show saddle, all worked well in my wide Arab's.

I use Lavinia Mitchell Dressage saddles on them now which I love they are so comfortable.

 

[Beausmate]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if she is actually wider than a wide.

 

[CloverRover]

She needs 7-8 inch between the front panels. Does anyone have experience with jeffries or native pony company? Thats what I'm seeing in my price range and her size mostly…
Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[blitznbobs]

Shes 14.1 (ish). She does indeed need a clip and the lack of topline is because she is very hard to get into an outline in the gp, she bucks and bites me when i do up the girth which is very out of character, hence the choice to look for something new. Everyone says it fits but horse says otherwise and I choose to listen to her.
I had her in a Bates Caprilli dressage saddle that apparently did not fit but she went like a dream in it…
I would definitely be looking more at the go side of workers or a vsd type saddle… like the Jeffries worker or native pony company?
Im putting a picture of her fully clipped out as a 5 year old and a picture of her in the bates. She won’t have her feathers touched now, she gets quite dangerous and I won’t twitch or sedate her unless there is decent reason. View attachment 142440View attachment 142441

If you can’t touch her feathers tbh your chances in the show ring are very slim. Feathers need a lot of care and attention to get them show ready. Also she is a bit small for the show ring but at local level you will definitely have lots of fun!

 

[CloverRover]

If you can’t touch her feathers tbh your chances in the show ring are very slim. Feathers need a lot of care and attention to get them show ready. Also she is a bit small for the show ring but at local level you will definitely have lots of fun!

Her feathers do come away very pretty when they’re taken care of and shes good with them being touched she just hates the clippers. She doesn’t mind the trimmers on them as much but they can’t get through all the hair!

 

[blitznbobs]

Her feathers do come away very pretty when they’re taken care of and shes good with them being touched she just hates the clippers. She doesn’t mind the trimmers on them as much but they can’t get through all the hair!

Cobs are all the hair or none of the hair so if you are not going to clip them out then you need to leave as much hair on as possible… the more the better basically.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

She needs 7-8 inch between the front panels. Does anyone have experience with jeffries or native pony company? Thats what I'm seeing in my price range and her size mostly…
Thanks for all the suggestions!

Thats not wide that's probably x or xx wide and by looking at her she looks bigger than a standard wide, even my Arab's are xw and xxwide.

Also measuring just the front of the saddle does not mean it will fit your horse.

 

[CloverRover]

Would she be able to go above local level with the feather on? (Assuming she was successful which she very well may not be). Just curious because she isn’t really coloured? Can you show a non-coloured traditional? Also would type matter if i did ‘best riding club pony’ type classes? She has placed 3rd of 13 in one once so i know she has the manners.

 

[whirlwind]

Would she be able to go above local level with the feather on? (Assuming she was successful which she very well may not be). Just curious because she isn’t really coloured? Can you show a non-coloured traditional? Also would type matter if i did ‘best riding club pony’ type classes? She has placed 3rd of 13 in one once so i know she has the manners.

Welsh part breds are shown plaited so would need the feathers off. Traditionals can be any colour but she’s not really big enough. However at local level riding club type etc you’d be fine to show her with mane and feathers down

 

[Barklands]

I second all of the Black Country recommendations - they are more ££ but worth it, we have just switched all of ours to Black Country after using Fylde for years, feel they are much more substantial and comfortable