V.wide cob. Long thighed rider. All saddles hurt!!!!

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hillbilly

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Hi folks. I am feeling very despondent. I LOVE my coblet Piggy. She is a Heavyweight, 14.2, with a barrel like a steam engine. I am 5ft10, long body, long thighs and short calves. Added to which, I was born with short ligaments, so that touching my toes, sitting cross legged or doing cartwheels were all an impossibility. (And most of the karma sutra, but we won't go into that!!).
Anyhow, riding her bareback is great. We can do all things bareback, as my legs can hang where they like. I also have a TC saddle - also fab, no pain. But there are also times when you need a conventional saddle - this cob can jump, gallop, and occasionally dressage.
She loves the VERY expensive balance Horizon saddle I got for her.
It kills me. I could weep (well I have tbh) . Thing is, I need a very wide saddle for her, but a forward stirrup bar as my long thighs and shortened ligaments mean I cannot just simply drop my legs like charlotte dujardin - unless I am riding something as narrow as a gate. This cob is the best equine I have ever had, and I would like to do more with her. Have tried Heather Moffet - stirrup bars too far back (I know, terribly bad to admit) - I need to jump, and it doesn't put me in a good position to fold, and sent me to physio. And before a Solution saddle is suggested - they need to have a budget range, or it's never going to happen! So bearing in mind I have NO bloody budget, and mainly just need something for jumping in, what saddles (wintec wide etc) would give me most room in the seat, and the most forward stirrup bars out of the ones you have tried, so that I can ease my over stretched sacrum and piriformis ligaments, which are currently on fire, and keeping my physio in holidays. 😢😢😢😢
And no, I couldn't bear to sell her and get a narrow TB. She is a labrador in a fluffy cob body. She would curl up beside the stove eating garibaldi biscuits if I let her.
Many thanks in advance. X
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I think you need to look for a wide saddle that has a narrow twist, most wide saddles are designed with a wide seat and that is causing you the extra discomfort, a client of mine had a similar issue and had a saddle made by Ideal that had a narrower twist to suit her, that may be out of your price range but the standard Ideal tends not to be as wide as many .
Probably not what you want but will give you an idea of the seat width.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ideal-Hi...573207?hash=item262a6d7317:g:M5sAAOSwGC9dtedK

Not wide enough but a lovely saddle that could suit on a wider tree.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beautifu...913952?hash=item2ad7309da0:g:Fw0AAOSwEX1dmL2S
 
My daughter had a similar problem with her 14.2. He would only take a 16.5" saddle and we struggled to find anything that would fit him and cope with her very long hip to knee. We ended up having a custom made saddle which was more forward cut than normal (if that makes sense) Probably not the answer you wanted though.
 
We have a black country bespoke for DD's wide Connie. She needs an ultra narrow twist so the tree was made specifically to accommodate it (and he grew out of the first one 9 months later and had to have a new one...!). We had despaired of finding a saddle which fit both him and her. We opted for a hunter profile which is really a forward cut GP with good knee blocks and rolls and a gel seat. She mainly hunts so it needed to be comfortable for long periods and give her security to jump. She doesn't have your issue with ligaments - she is actually hypermobile so the reverse! But because of that she needs to be absolutely in the right position becuase she can dislocate her hips and knees very easily - and indeed did do on him before the new saddle.
 
If you have enough funds you might be able to get a second hand WOW that will suit. They all have two stirrup bars, so you could use the forward one. If you got a GP with moveable blocks then you can set the blocks to suit what you are doing that day. They also have a unique shape which lets the top of your thigh sit in a sort of pocket below the twist. And you could put smaller panels on a bigger seat to give you more room. You'd need about £700-900.
 
A friend of mine rides all the time in her TCS - she has added home-improvised fluffy 'sheepskin' knee and thigh rolls to keep her in place while doing horseback archery. Those might help when jumping and galloping?
As Shay has said it might be worth looking at a Black Country saddle? The one I have isn't bespoke but has a fairly narrow twist though my cob is not as wide as yours . They are not as expensive as some brands and you may be able to find a suitable second hand one if you are lucky?
When my son started eventing we could only afford one saddle so he successfully rode the dressage tests in his close contact Whittaker jump saddle for the first 18 months. He didn't need to drop his legs down as far as in a dressage or GP saddle but the horse could still move well beneath him. A few weeks ago I got on his horse in that saddle following a hip replacement and found it quite ok - it was only my second time on a horse in two and a half years so my joints are still tight.
 
Firstly may I suggest that you get yourself checked over by a physio, or someone like an osteopath/chiropractor, as it may be they can give you some exercises & stretches to improve your flexibility. Also I would recommend something like Pilates which I think you would find helpful as it sounds like you may have some muscular imbalance somewhere in your body. Also I would recommend you consult a bodywork practitioner such as Bowen as they may also be able to help you with some soft-tissue work as well.

Re. saddle. I feel your pain re the Heather Moffat ones! When I started riding treeless, this was the first one I rode in, and it basically wrecked me! I could hardly walk for a week! Very bad choice!

I have short legs, so don't know if this would work for you, but the ONLY saddle (treed or treeless) that I've found works for me on a wide cob is the TreeFree Tor saddle. You can trial their saddles before you buy, essential IMO. Costs about £50 (a few years ago I did it). The Tor saddle has a much narrower twist than a great many treeless saddles out there, and is the only one that I can ride my chubby coblet on for any length of time. You will find that (if considering treeless) that the Barefoot range won't work on wide chubby cobs, your hips will start telling you that they're not a good choice!

Sorry, can't help with treed saddles: it may be that you need to somehow get hold of a good saddle fitter and be able to try out a lot of different saddles until you find something that suits you and your horse.

Good luck!
 
I have a wide horse and 2 dressage saddles, one is an Isabell and one is a barnsby close contact
There is so much difference in the cc I actually feel like I’m sat on a different horse that’s much narrower and it suits a longer thigh x
 
I have a very wide cob x welsh D. I am also 5ft 9 and have long thighs, also dodgy hips and an old injury to my left leg. I do a bit of everything but more interested in jumping. I picked up a second hand pony cob and horse jump saddle and the thing that has made the biggest difference to me is not having any knee rolls, but have thigh blocks. Don’t know why but I’m far comfortable in this than anything else I’ve tried.
 
I do surprisingly well in my Wintec 500 Wide - designed for wide horses but has a very narrow twist for the rider, and the blocks are velcro so can be put wherever works or removed completely. My mare is an XXW, if that gives you a guide.
 
Pippity said:
I do surprisingly well in my Wintec 500 Wide - designed for wide horses but has a very narrow twist for the rider, and the blocks are velcro so can be put wherever works or removed completely. My mare is an XXW, if that gives you a guide.
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i was also going to say try a wintec, you might be surprised! i have the pony pro dressage on my wide sec B and also have long legs and i find it mega comfortable, when i actually expected to hate it!!!!
 
Wow! Thank you all! So many replies and thoughtful, helpful comments. I am very heartened to have some saddles and ideas to follow up, I was beginning to think there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Short ligaments are bloody annoying, especially when people say, oh just stretch, try harder, you are just stiff! No I'm not, I've reached the end of my particularly non- elastic band! I am very thankful that I have an awesome sports physio who does the best she can with me!
I'm going off to google all these suggestions - as lovely and comfortable as my Total Contact is, being removed from a hunter trial Novice 70cm class aged 42 because of inappropriate tack is extremely embarrassing. As is a Pony Club DC wanting me to stop clear round jumping as she wasn't sure it didn't breach H&S. Hence the quest for a more conventional treed/treeless ensemble for jumping the cuboid coblet. The Balance saddle, incidentally, is a beautifully made piece of kit. I'm bitterly disappointed in myself for not fitting into it. Thankfully, my mother does!
 
hillbilly said:
Wow! Thank you all! So many replies and thoughtful, helpful comments. I am very heartened to have some saddles and ideas to follow up, I was beginning to think there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Short ligaments are bloody annoying, especially when people say, oh just stretch, try harder, you are just stiff! No I'm not, I've reached the end of my particularly non- elastic band! I am very thankful that I have an awesome sports physio who does the best she can with me!
I'm going off to google all these suggestions - as lovely and comfortable as my Total Contact is, being removed from a hunter trial Novice 70cm class aged 42 because of inappropriate tack is extremely embarrassing. As is a Pony Club DC wanting me to stop clear round jumping as she wasn't sure it didn't breach H&S. Hence the quest for a more conventional treed/treeless ensemble for jumping the cuboid coblet. The Balance saddle, incidentally, is a beautifully made piece of kit. I'm bitterly disappointed in myself for not fitting into it. Thankfully, my mother does!
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That's daft re: pony club and the hunter trial! People do everything in their TCs! You could try a Thorn? Nobody ever notices that mine isn't a conventional saddle and it's one step along from a TC. I ride my cob in one and use a hip saver. Anything with a cantle cripples me.
 
I have a black country on my wide cob - compared to other saddles the twist is fairly narrow and I find it super comfy. I have a problem with my lower back and hips and found other saddles just too wide and painful to ride in. I bought mine second hand on recommendation of my saddler (she told me what to look for) and then she reflocked it? Just a though.
 
As mentioned above, Chunky Monkey saddles look & sound amazing - will be may next port of call if I ever get stuck again!

I have a Welsh D 14.2/14.3hh built like a tank, no wither & big shoulders which I've had hell trying to fit something too they either slipped, restricted his shoulder or hurt me! I'm 5ft11 with very long thighs & have had an older hunter cut Cliff Barnsby saddle which is comfy for both of us cut wise & allows me to drop my heel & offers support - something unknown to me! lol They are very reasonably priced second hand on ebay. Good luck with your search & let us know hoe you get on!
 
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