Tall rider - Small horse - Saddle recommendations please?

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Brief backround - horse is about 14.3hh/15hh and my (6'0" tall/11stone) husband would in the not too distant future like to have some lessons, starting off with flatwork and quite possibly moving onto jumping, but not sure yet.

Currently I am riding in a 17" (or it could be a 17.5") Wintec Isabell dressage saddle, but am looking to buy a GP/Jumping saddle for this horse. I am only 5'1" though so saddle size isn't a problem for me!

I have tried a 17" Ideal Grandee GP/Jumping saddle on the horse - but it's too long for his back in the panels, which is a shame as I know my husband fits in this saddle and rides fine with it on another horse.

So I'm looking for a saddle which accommodates a tall rider in seat and leg - but that isn't too long in the panels underneath to suit the more compact shorter backed horse.

Is this possible, I know I've just got to try loads on to find out, and have a saddler booked to come out in a few weeks time, but thought I would ask on here to see if anyone else had faced and solved this dilemma before successfully.

It would be even better if the saddle was in any way adjustable as the horse is bound sure to change shape over the next year or so with work. Or I may look out for a secondhand saddle if I have an idea of what might just possibly suit or worth trying for fit.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Hawks27]

i'm 5ft9 with a 34" inside leg (my freakish legs are longer than most of my 6ft plus mates) and I use to ride my short backed 15hh in a 17" stuben seigfried saddle.
I have found wintecs do not suit long legs my knees always stick past the knee rolls and I can't balance in them feel safer bareback!
I currently have a gfs pro jump as my wide withered paint horse won't fit into stubben gullet width and this is equally suitable for my long legs, length wise though am not sure if its as companct as my stubben as my new lad is much longer in the back than my mare was and as she has now gone I can't compare where it sits length wise.
Both saddles very comfy and secure though

 

[Bobbly]

My daughter is 6ft with 36" legs, we bought a Mark Todd jumping saddle for her horse as the shape/position of the knee/thigh rolls allow for longer legs and give good security, and the width was adjustable by the saddler.

 

[poiuytrewq]

My daughter is 6ft with 36" legs, we bought a Mark Todd jumping saddle for her horse as the shape/position of the knee/thigh rolls allow for longer legs and give good security, and the width was adjustable by the saddler.

Was It really? That's very interesting. Ive looked at a few second hand as would love one but am so dubious about buying off the internet incase they don't fit (which is more probable than the other way round) If I could gat it adjusted though that would be brilliant.

OP sorry hijack!
The saddle Company do a saddle for tall people and little horses.

 

[Hen]

Well I could always recommend a Western saddle - works for me, anyway, at 6 foot + on a 14.3hh, places you an inch or two higher than an English so fab for the long-legged rider on the shorter-legged horse!! But seriously, when I rode in an English saddle on a barrel-shaped and short-coupled 15.2hh, I did like my Black Country one (can't remember now whether it was a GPD or GPX but it accommodated my longer hip-knee measurement very well and was so, so comfortable.

 

[Fransurrey]

When I spoke to the WOW people at Hickstead, they did say that you can have a longer seat on a shorter panel. The flaps and blocks are also changeable, so you basically build a bespoke saddle.

When I got Henry's last saddle, I simply had the saddle design it around me (5'4") riding on a 12hh exmoor, so the flaps are adult size, the panels are 15" and the seat is longer and sweeping to accommodate my bum!

 

[MileAMinute]

When I was looking at saddles for my boy I was considering a Dever Teenager GP saddle - it's designed for adults on ponies, compensates the shorter backed horses with longer panels to accommodate longer human legs.

Might be worth a look?

 

[Bobbly]

Was It really? That's very interesting. Ive looked at a few second hand as would love one but am so dubious about buying off the internet incase they don't fit (which is more probable than the other way round) If I could gat it adjusted though that would be brilliant.

OP sorry hijack!
The saddle Company do a saddle for tall people and little horses.

The saddler we used had a special machine tool for altering the gullet width, not all saddlers have them apparently?
Typically, we tried lots of second hand saddles then he plonked this one on and from the other end of the yard I said, 'That sits nicely', 'Yes' he said.....but it's new...', £990 later...

 

[Fifty Bales of Hay]

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will certainly google and take a look at the ones' mentioned.

I was really hoping someone might have recommended either the Thorowgood, Wintec or GFS genesis which are all synthetic/changeable gullets and very reasonably priced. I am not 100% convinced on a synthetic and would prefer leather, but from what I have seen these have improved over the years.

Any views - good or bad - please on these?

 

[sbloom]

When I was looking at saddles for my boy I was considering a Dever Teenager GP saddle - it's designed for adults on ponies, compensates the shorter backed horses with longer panels to accommodate longer human legs.

Might be worth a look?

Longer flaps, I know lots of people mix up panels and flaps but the panels are entirely the problem for this OP, a long panel is a long footprint on the horse's back, the part that is flocked is the panel.

Any bench made saddle maker (Native Pony who I fit for, Black Country, Ideal, Baines etc) can make a flap longer on a given saddle.

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will certainly google and take a look at the ones' mentioned.

I was really hoping someone might have recommended either the Thorowgood, Wintec or GFS genesis which are all synthetic/changeable gullets and very reasonably priced. I am not 100% convinced on a synthetic and would prefer leather, but from what I have seen these have improved over the years.

Any views - good or bad - please on these?

If they fit then go for it, but an adjustable headplate does not mean it will fit anywhere near all horses, and even if it fits to begin with, it may change in ways that a headplate change cannot compensate for. Nothing intrinsically wrong with them, though I prefer straight shaped headplates (ie. not Wintec) and a light synthetic saddle and synthetic tree actually has less stability on a wide flat horse. PLus of course there is only so much choice in tree shape, panel shape etc, much more choice within the non-adjustable leather saddle market.

If the horse can only take a 16.5"-17" all is not lost, but a jump saddle with a flat seat will give the most bum and leg room for your hubby but not swamp you too badly. A moveable velcro mounted block will help as well. Won't be the ideal saddle for a beginner but he'll learn to develop his own seat, not being held in.