Thorowgood and KM cob dressage saddles

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Horsekaren

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Evening all,
Has anyone had any experience using these saddles? we noticed my Thorowgood GP cob saddle slipped back slightly when riding this weekend. It may well be that he has lost a bit of weight or it could be his broad shoulders pushing it back... saddler is due again soon.

I am really enjoying flat work at the moment and dressage is my main goal for the foreseeable :) my question is do dressage saddles make flat work easier for the horse as they are straighter cut? i have read they also help the rider to sit in the correct position... i know a new saddle isn't a magical fix but im wondering if i should get my hands on a cheap second hand TG saddle to see if there is any improvement.

This is for a rather flat backed cob, he is in a 17.5 Thorowgood cob gp at the moment which i am told is a good fit every time the saddler comes out so im thinking a Thorowgood Cob Dressage saddle would be similar. He is 15.3 and in 6'3 rugs, current saddle is 17.5 does this seem to long? (again saddler has said its fine but sometimes i look and think there is a lot of empty space behind my bum possibly unnecessarily ...

Has anyone found their cob type horses preferred a straighter cut saddle over a GP one?

As a lot of you know i have had a tough few months with my horse, girthyness has always been an issue and he is being treated for hind gut issues at the moment. That being said i am curious as to how he would react to a different saddle. Obviously he treatment is key at the moment, he seems to be on the up and its only early days :) he can be worked and enjoys it so my mind has wondered to saddles :/

I know these are all questions for my saddler but curious to see if any cob owners out there found much difference.
 
My big Traditional was backed in a Thorowgood Cob Dressage saddle, he was very happy in it. He now has a Kent and Masters cob Dressage saddle as I could not miss a bargain. The Kent and Masters is even better, it seems to make his shoulders feel more free and his big trot has become even bigger ! To answer your question, 17.5 does seem big for your cob and mine prefers a straight cut saddle.
 
I've just bought a dressage saddle and my light cob mare seems to love it. She has a very big shoulder and the straight cut gives her much more freedom. Keeps me in a better position too :-)
 
How tall and heavy are you? It can be perfect for him (though clearly it's not at the moment and as a minimum needs an adjustment) and too big for you, it seems that riders sometimes get put in 17.5, as it's so readily aavailable, as an example, when a smaller saddle would be much better for them. TG/K&B cob tree will fit some horses some of the time, but is certainly not a saddle that suits all wider horses.

There is a train of thought that thinks that a straight cut saddle, or a cut away panel or swept back points, is crucial for shoulder freedom, it's not. The tree shape, the tweaked fit, is all much more important, so often the saddle is ON the shoulder instead of behind it, and then all these things mentioned can make a tiny difference, but the biggest difference will come from the right fit that stays off the shoulder.
 
sbloom said:
How tall and heavy are you? It can be perfect for him (though clearly it's not at the moment and as a minimum needs an adjustment) and too big for you, it seems that riders sometimes get put in 17.5, as it's so readily aavailable, as an example, when a smaller saddle would be much better for them. TG/K&B cob tree will fit some horses some of the time, but is certainly not a saddle that suits all wider horses.

There is a train of thought that thinks that a straight cut saddle, or a cut away panel or swept back points, is crucial for shoulder freedom, it's not. The tree shape, the tweaked fit, is all much more important, so often the saddle is ON the shoulder instead of behind it, and then all these things mentioned can make a tiny difference, but the biggest difference will come from the right fit that stays off the shoulder.
Click to expand...

I'm aprox 5'8 and around 10, this is the best pic i have-
20638439_10155867647694063_7741503997937090020_n.jpg


saddler says its fine, but something is niggling me that it could be to long
 
Seat looks a bit too big and, though it might be the moment in the stride, it is tipping you forwards to the front of the saddle. You could probably do with a smaller seat and then the right flap to suit your leg length, flap cut and block placement is the best way to fit the leg, not a larger seat for a longer leg.
 
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