Still no saddle - 15 tried & £120 spent on fitters & trials :(

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Sandylou

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Please help.......
short, flat back, broad shoulder cob - cannot see why he is so different to other cobs but apparently he is and we cannot find a saddle to fit.
I've spent £120 on a couple of saddle fitters who have had nothing suitable on board and also one on trial from Patrick Wlkinsons (great customer service btw!).
Saddle fitter that has been to us twice has now suggested a close contact saddle so does anyone know of a good CC GP saddle on the market?
It doesn't help that I have a limited budget - £500-ish. Unless there's a saddle maker out there that does a payment plan option?

So far I've tried:-
Ideal H&C - several lengths and widths
Arabian saddle company
Mark Todd jump - this was CC and fit the best of all I've tried but swayed through the back in anything more than walk
Kent & Masters cob
Black Country cob GP
Wintec Wide
An old Thorowgood
Several unbranded XW's
An unbranded CC Jump saddle - sat nice but was too long.
And I currently have a Saddle Company Cob GP which doesn't fit at all now as the tree is too curved. t's too narrow now and the wider it goes the more it tips at the back and rocks.

Sbloom - I know you asked for photos of my current saddle before but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to upload them to here.

Please tell me there is hope and I'll find the perfect saddle soon x
 
Have you thought about buying one on an interest free credit card and making sure you pay it off before it attracts any interest?

Be realistic and don't over stretch yourself tho.
 
you don't need to upload pics on here, just pop them on facebook or photobucket and copy the .jpg codes here with
and they will show and hopefully sbloom can help!

I don't see why you should have to go the CC route tbh. There are also quite a range of trees in your list, the thorogood and K+M/wintec being the opposite for instance, mark todds and the ideal would be on the flatter side.
 
Sandylou said:
Not a bad idea. I don't like debt and don't own a credit card so this hadn't crossed my mind. Thanks.
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I think for something like this it's ok, as long as you can afford to do it. I don't have any debt either but did this for saddle so I could get on and ride. Would suggest you get an AH fitter out tho ;)
 
Sandylou said:
Not a bad idea. I don't like debt and don't own a credit card so this hadn't crossed my mind. Thanks.
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Money saving expert has a good guide on the longest 0% deals. Divide purchase price (or amount on card) by the number of months 0% credit you have and set up a direct debit to be paid on the day after you are paid. That way there's no risk of forgetting a month or being tempted to only pay the minimum as that's when the problems start!
 
Do you particularly want a gp saddle? If he has large shoulders then a straight cut or dressage saddle is more likely to fit.
 
I've got a very wide, flat backed, big shouldered warmblood. The best saddle on him was the Amerigo Vega. I do dressage but they do a jump model too.
 
Have you looked at Duett saddles? They are made in Germany. Don't think they are widely known in this country. I bought one from the US for my table top cob. Apart from treeless which didn't really suit me as she is so wide, the Duett was the only saddle that fitted her. They are built on a hoop tree to accommodate the wide, witherless and huge shouldered. All the other so called wide treed saddles she tried just perched on her.
 
Sandylou said:
Please help.......
short, flat back, broad shoulder cob - cannot see why he is so different to other cobs but apparently he is and we cannot find a saddle to fit.
I've spent £120 on a couple of saddle fitters who have had nothing suitable on board and also one on trial from Patrick Wlkinsons (great customer service btw!).
Saddle fitter that has been to us twice has now suggested a close contact saddle so does anyone know of a good CC GP saddle on the market?
It doesn't help that I have a limited budget - £500-ish. Unless there's a saddle maker out there that does a payment plan option?


Please tell me there is hope and I'll find the perfect saddle soon x
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What about trying a smart native saddle from solution saddles? They do 0% payment plans and the native saddle is aimed at flat backed cobs. I have one and it works brilliantly for my hippocob!
 
FfionWinnie said:
Have you thought about buying one on an interest free credit card and making sure you pay it off before it attracts any interest?

Be realistic and don't over stretch yourself tho.
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I bought my car on that basis! I had the cash but got a credit card, paid off the minimum which was only £25 every month and left the cash gathering a modicum of interest in an ISA account. Got a good few Tesco points for it too!
 
What a nightmare ... you're not local but have you tried any Fylde saddles? i have them for my natives and they are a wonderful fit for table top chunkies. Worth a try? Not overly pricey either. Good luck :-)
 
Had a similar problem but a bigger budget and ended up with a dressage saddle by solution, they do a payment plan and they hold their value as easily fitted to a variety of horses.

Otherwise did you already try the thorowgood cob saddles?
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. Despite considering taking a credit card out I don't think I can justify spending over £2000 on a saddle......as much as my heart says yes, my head says no.
I haven't tried Fylde or Thorowgood cob yet so will look into those.
 
Pen said:
Have you looked at Duett saddles? They are made in Germany. Don't think they are widely known in this country. I bought one from the US for my table top cob. Apart from treeless which didn't really suit me as she is so wide, the Duett was the only saddle that fitted her. They are built on a hoop tree to accommodate the wide, witherless and huge shouldered. All the other so called wide treed saddles she tried just perched on her.
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Do Duett have UK fitters or do you have to order and try?
 
honetpot said:
I would look at show/WHP saddles, M&M tend to be short backed, flat withered and round so saddles have a short twist and flat panels . If you buy a Fylde or an Ideal Ramsey if it does not fit or you do not like it they are fairly easy to resell.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ideal-Ram...635312?hash=item5b1c2b7a30:g:aKQAAOSwAYtWPdyH

Older cheap saddles GFS WHP, Barnsby Hayden 5 fit
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What's the difference in riding in a WH or show saddle compared with a GP? I've only ever ridden in a GP saddle as I'm just a leisure rider so mostly hacking, schooling and the odd jumping lesson.
 
Am not a WH saddle fan particularly but my GP is actually a VSD, so a bit straighter than a usual GP but still jumpable in etc (I have velcro/changeable blocks in it).
 
You tend to have no knee rolls in a WH or show saddle. Have a look at VSD, straighter cut than a GP but with an open seat and knee rolls.
 
Oh do I feel your pain!!
I have spent 2 years plus substantial vets bills in trying to fit a saddle / find a saddle that was right for my horse!
After him flipping out completely then ending up terrified of having a saddle on I finally sent him to a professional to re-back (once his damaged back was treated).
They found he much preferred a CC saddle and, although he went well in a Lavinia Mitchell CC jump saddle ended up buying a Barnsby CC jump saddle.
So far so good. They have a really nice wide gullet and very soft flocking and, although I will always be on the watch for signs he's uncomfortable I am happy with it so far.
So, maybe a LM or a Barnsby would suit?
 
ladyt25 said:
Oh do I feel your pain!!
I have spent 2 years plus substantial vets bills in trying to fit a saddle / find a saddle that was right for my horse!
After him flipping out completely then ending up terrified of having a saddle on I finally sent him to a professional to re-back (once his damaged back was treated).
They found he much preferred a CC saddle and, although he went well in a Lavinia Mitchell CC jump saddle ended up buying a Barnsby CC jump saddle.
So far so good. They have a really nice wide gullet and very soft flocking and, although I will always be on the watch for signs he's uncomfortable I am happy with it so far.
So, maybe a LM or a Barnsby would suit?
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I'll add these to my list of saddles to research, thanks.
I hope your boy continues to recover and stays happy with his saddle :)
 
Why don't you have a saddle custom made for your cob? I did and it fitted perfectly. Mine was made by Red Rae of Ware Hertfordshire.
 
Sandylou said:
I'll add these to my list of saddles to research, thanks.
I hope your boy continues to recover and stays happy with his saddle :)
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Me too! I had a saddle custom made but was really annoyed as it turned out not to be right at all despite the company insisting it was. They refused to take it back to sell on so I am left with a saddle that does not fit myself horse at all and is proving difficult to sell!!
 
My go to for impossible to fit horses are the Ansur/Solution/Smart saddles expensive but brilliant the only treeless saddle I'd recommend without reservation. I've used them for all types of horses for all sorts of activities including eventing and hunting. New ones are 2k I think but i've always bough 2nd hand off ebay/classified and you could probably get one for £600.
 
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