What types of saddle do you use on your ex-racehorses?

Doormouse

Doormouse

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As title really, I am looking for a saddle for my boy and was just wondering what types of saddles you have found to be best for tb's? In the past I have always had a pessoa but having not had a tb for a few years I had sold it and am now wondering if certain types seem to fit tb's better than others?

He is only 15.1hh and narrow ish but with a very big shoulder.

Also looking for a good saddle fitter in the Somerset/Dorset area if anyone knows of one? Thank you.
 
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I have a Wintec Pro 200 Dressage saddle and a Bates GP for my TB.

Saddler i used was Martin on 07770751810. He was brilliant with my two. Not sure where he is based but i'm Dorset, and he came out to me.
 
Sammi, that's great thank you I will give him a call.

I have been using a Bates with the medium narrow gullet but it seems to catch on his shoulders so I got a saddle fitter who gave me a riser pad to stop this but it now seems to have made him really sore on his back so I'm a bit confused as to what is going on? I tried the narrow gullet but the saddle then seemed to be perched up on top of him and still catching his shoulders.
 
I had a Hastilow made to measure for mine. Was fab.

Have you tried Unicorn Saddlery? They have a huge range of second hand and new saddles from what I have seen.
 
My chap has a Bates gp, but with flock rather than cair, which seems to make small adjustments easier. He also has big shoulders but is a 'chunky' type thoroughbred, rather than a skinny beast - his saddle is a MW and he's not especially well muscled either (happy hacker for the moment!).

Getting a really good fitter out to take a look sounds like your best option! :)
 
Doormouse said:
Sammi, that's great thank you I will give him a call.

I have been using a Bates with the medium narrow gullet but it seems to catch on his shoulders so I got a saddle fitter who gave me a riser pad to stop this but it now seems to have made him really sore on his back so I'm a bit confused as to what is going on? I tried the narrow gullet but the saddle then seemed to be perched up on top of him and still catching his shoulders.
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Are you sure the saddle is not size bigger than it really needs to be, could be the the tree is a bit too long, but it could be the fact that that particular make and model doesn't fit him no matter what width you select.
 
I had a thorowgood (which I hated TBH), Albion (which we both loved) and then a wow. I thought the Albion and Wow fitted both of us the best and truly loved my albion.
 
The TB I used to ride had a Wintec 250 and it was SOOOOO uncomfortable. However I have also ridden in the equisuede Wintecs (Isabelle and 2000) and they were much more comfortable.
 
Jeffries falcon gp high wither ..... i bought mine 2nd hand as no way could i afford new!! :eek: its lovely and fits mine really being a typical high withered tb and seems really happy in it

if you can afford a nice quality leather one then i would always go for them, i couldnt go back to synthetics

also comfy on my bum too which is always a nice plus :)
 
I use the same saddle on both of my ex-racers:

Bates Close Contact - it has Cair and Flair so spreads weight evenly on the back and the gullet can be adjusted when they change shape.

I also use the dressage one but they both seem to go better in the close contact.
 
Have got kentaur jump saddles on mine, the olympic and naxo's versions. Also had a stubben on one really narrow one we had. All fit my antill dressage saddle, and also have a racing saddle for them too which is just chucked on anything :P

All fit them well, the kentaur's are latex pannelled so fit most things :)
 
Doormouse said:
Sammi, that's great thank you I will give him a call.

I have been using a Bates with the medium narrow gullet but it seems to catch on his shoulders so I got a saddle fitter who gave me a riser pad to stop this but it now seems to have made him really sore on his back so I'm a bit confused as to what is going on? I tried the narrow gullet but the saddle then seemed to be perched up on top of him and still catching his shoulders.
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Sounds like your horse has some muscle wastage as this always causes such problems due to saddles being fitted to the wasted areas and they are really far too narrow. Wintec and Bates saddles are ideal for TBs, but what you need is to have a wider gullet fiited and something like the Korrector saddle pad (which is air filled) to fill in the gaps until his muscles recover. They will only recover and fill out again if he is fitted with a wider gullet. This will also solve the problem of the saddle catching his shoulders.
 
Digger66 said:
We have a black country event saddle, custom made and it has extra diamond shaped panels in the front to allow for muscle wastage.
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Huge shouldered and sharks fin withers. Love my Black Country event, was secondhand but clearly intended for a similar horse, it's a medium with inserts/gussets at the front so probably similar.

I also have a Kieffer Kiel dressage saddle which fits him brilliantly. Another secondhand bargain from my lovely saddle fitter.
 
Both of mine have made to measure dressage saddles as they are both very high withered,but with huge shoulders. Sounds expensive, but £850 each for a perfect fit was well worth the money, and saddler will do alterations as their shape changes. I see saddles for well over £1k for sale and they're not even made to measure! No thanks!
 
In the end I went custom made. My horse is very wide at the shoulder, but has a high wither and hollows just below the wither.

Before we got his made to measure, I had a medium albion k2, and a 32 stubben and used front risers, but it put pressure on the area just below where he hollowed, and started to cause even more muscle atrophy.
 
Wagtail said:
Sounds like your horse has some muscle wastage as this always causes such problems due to saddles being fitted to the wasted areas and they are really far too narrow. Wintec and Bates saddles are ideal for TBs, but what you need is to have a wider gullet fiited and something like the Korrector saddle pad (which is air filled) to fill in the gaps until his muscles recover. They will only recover and fill out again if he is fitted with a wider gullet. This will also solve the problem of the saddle catching his shoulders.
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That sounds exactly it, he does look as though the muscles beside his withers have got some wastage but when I mentioned this to the saddle fitter they said it was just his shape! Air filled pads would be great cos I am starting to get really worried about him and I am fairly sure all the back problems are coming from his withers. I am going to ring the people in the H&H article this week and get a recommendation for a saddle fitter from them. Poor little man, he is being very patient about it all.
 
Misinterpreted said:
In the end I went custom made. My horse is very wide at the shoulder, but has a high wither and hollows just below the wither.

Before we got his made to measure, I had a medium albion k2, and a 32 stubben and used front risers, but it put pressure on the area just below where he hollowed, and started to cause even more muscle atrophy.
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Yep, that's my horse too. Proper saddle fitter and I expect a made to measure saddle coming up!
 
I got a Thorowgood synthetic saddle made for high withered horses, its also pads that fill in the hollow bit below his wither. my horse has a really badly dipped back with a very high wither, and my saddler came to fit him and said this would probably be the only saddle to fit him without paying thousands for a custom made one. I love it, it fits him great and he seems happier to be ridden now.
 
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