What saddle to get youngster???

[Pinkpeeper]

Pony is only 3yrs old and not backed yet. Want to start getting her going soon, but the only saddle i have is slightly to wide for her. All she has done so far is go for little walks in hand in it using a thick pad underneath.

So what does everyone else do, i dont want to spend much money at all as im sure anything i buy wont fit next year and all we want to do with her this year is very short light hacking with rider. Have no plans to school her untill she is more mature.

If i get a saddler out are they likely to try and sell me one for a few hundred pounds or do they have cheap/2nd hand saddles for situations like this?

Or if i bourght a cheap wintec off ebay would a saddler mind fitting it to the pony?

 

[DollyDolls]

I got a 2nd hand synthetic from my local saddler. It lasted 6months, but I'm now having to take a HUGE hit on the price to sell it on.
IMO, I HATE wintec (cair), they do a job of being able to make do for a few months, but I would never own one long term.
I bought a quality saddle off ebay recently & my saddler fitted it -I did lie and tell him a friend was selling it to me. I basically got a fantastic saddle which luckily fits (I was taking a huge risk) & due to the peanuts I paid (compared to his prices for the same) I cannot make a loss.

 

[Pinkpeeper]

Do you mind me asking how much was the 2nd hand synthetic from the saddler?

I no some people dont like the wintecs. In a couple of years we will splash out on a dear saddle but just not yet.

 

[teddyt]

It is vital that the saddle you use to back and bring on a horse fits well. It is totally false economy to 'make do' with a saddle that doesnt fit perfectly when you are starting to educate a horse and teach it to accept a rider. Any pain/discomfort at this stage has a huge bearing on behaviour and ability to learn and develop correctly.

Getting a saddle off ebay is very risky. There is a very small chance it will actually fit, unless it is the exact make, model, age and size that you have tried and know is ok. A saddle fitter cant necessarily make a saddle fit. They may be able to adjust the flocking to fine tune a fit but the tree and panel needs to be right in the first place.

You are better off fixing your budget then speaking to local fitters, show them photos of your horse and ask if they have anything in your budget worth trying. If you draw a blank you will have to increase your budget. Say you buy a saddle for £200 and look after it you could sell it for at least £100 6 months later. Thats a cost of about 50p a day to make sure your horse is comfortable.

A new thorowgood pony saddle is only about £250 and may be worth considering because for the same money you will get a much older leather saddle, with the associated design faults from old fashioned design/tailoring.

 

[Pinkpeeper]

I know the saddle must fit well (this is why pony is unbacked at mo).

However if i get a thorowgood or similar, when the added costs of the saddler are thrown in its likely to be over £300 which seems a lot of money for a saddle that is hardly going to get used. It could well be that in 6 months it dosnt fit and its only be worn a few times for walks round the block.

I guess what i want to know is do many saddlers have a range of 2nd hand saddles at reasonable prices that they could come out and fit one to pony? Idealy id like a synthetic, simply because they are lighter for baby pony.

 

[Chavhorse]

I have to agree with Teddyt here.

My youngster was origionally started (not by me may I add!) in an ill fitting saddle and it has taken us months to stop him associating being mounted with pain he was so cool about everything but looked genuinely terrified when he was mounted.....we had all the assocaited standing still to be mounted issues to contend with as well.

He is now 4.5 and I have the saddle fitter coming out tomorrow to fit him for his very own grown up saddle like you I did not want to buy one last year as I knew we would have grown out of it by now. Luckily my tainer has a selection of saddles one of which fitted him near damn perfect which we have been using.

So if poss see if your saddle fitter has any second hand ones that will fit her and and talk to him about a trade in for a bigger one once horse has grown.

 

[teddyt]

If the saddle hardly gets used and you look after it then you will get a reasonable amount of the £300 back. That is not alot of money if it fits and enables your pony to be comfortable. Remember, a well fitting saddle is also a safety item for you! As i said, ask around, some saddlers do have second hand synthetics, some dont touch them. But you need to try them, you cant just guess and buy from an advert because chances are it wont fit.

 

[Chavhorse]

Cross posted with yours.

Most saddlers will have second hand saddles that they have taken as trade ins....ring round a few and if you end up having to pay for a more expensieve one just make sure that you try to work a trade in price into the deal.

Mine is giving me 200 Max against my old TB saddle tomorrow dependnt on the cost of the saddle I buy. I have told him to leave the Stubben at home!

 

[Pinkpeeper]

Thanks for all the advice, trade in price, didnt think of that.

One other question tho, how does a saddler fit a saddle properly when the pony in question isnt backed so i cant jump on for him to see it being sat on/ridden in?

 

[JM07]

i back, and use Saddle Co saddles on all youngsters..

these saddles are very adjustable/versatile and have a nice soft lambswool flocking undernesth.

if you take this route, be sure to get a decent SC fitter though.

 

[Rowreach]

I use Solution treeless saddles on all mine, so although the initial cost is expensive, I know I can fit the saddles to any horse on the yard regardless of its shape or how it develops over time. The youngsters love treeless and are much quicker to accept saddle and rider.