What would you do about this saddle

[Shutterbug]

I bought an Ideal 1550 GP saddle for my horse about a year ago and paid just under £900 for it brand new. It was fitted by an apparantly experienced indivudual with 30 years experience.

Over the last year I have had some surgery and a really bad winter so I have done very little riding over the last year. Now that I am getting my boy back into work, I have realised how badly the saddle fits and have now bought a Thorowgood T4 GP 3D.

The Ideal saddle is bulky on him, slides to the left a lot and raises at the back. The saddle fitter who brought out the T4 mentioned that she thought is was bigger than 17.5" and seemed rather large on him. So while i was cleaning it I measured it and whatdyaknow, its an 18" not a 17.5" - my RI has said I no longer look lost in the saddle and my horse is now going much nicer in the new saddle.

My question to you is....I still have the receipt for the saddle which clearly states its a 17.5" saddle (its clearly not). Would you take it back to the saddler and ask them to buy it back and use this as leverage to see if you could get a good figure on the buy back - Im not looking for a refund, I have had it a year after all, but I am rather annoyed that they effectively mis-sold me the saddle and feel that they should buy it back from me at a reasonable amount considering I had had to pay another £400 for a new saddle.

Opinions please?

 

[AmyMay]

Perhaps at the time of fitting it actually fitted the horse very well - regardless of the issue of what size it actually is.

If the horse has been out of work for so long, I wouldn't be suprised to hear that it wasn't fitting too well now.

Just pop it on ebay.

 

[Shutterbug]

yeah i was thinking ebay, just cant be bothered with the posting part, Im so lazy.

Saddle fitter was happy with the fit when we bought it, Im not saying it didnt fit when I bought it - just a few people have commented on the fact that they sold me the wrong size and I should use that to my advantage - they do buy second hand saddles but are not renowned for being generous with the cash - just thought the wrong size saddle being sold might make them a little more willing to part with some monies.

 

[Alec Swan]

Hevs,

the post by amymay could well be right, as you've accepted.

You may already be aware of this, but the correct way to measure a saddle is in a straight line from the centre of the cantle to the saddle nail, which holds down the skirt. NOT from the head to the cantle. Heads can, to a degree, be cut back depending on the saddle's discipline style or the withers of the horse, and this measurement would be false.

Mostly, those who ride will have a horse which suits their height and weight. Again, you may already know this, but the saddle "size" is determined by the rider, not the horse. A tall person, with a big bum will need an 18" plus saddle where an elegant wand of a rider will need an 18" minus saddle!

I've watched so many people fit saddles, and been staggered by the pointless routine which they've so often gone through. There's been a great deal of BS attached to the process!

With the possible exception of some of the Continental makers who prefer a Hermes style cantle, then ..."generally"... when the rider is seated, then the cantle, certainly in a GP saddle should, from a side view, be 1.5" above the head. This will put both your seat, and your legs in the correct position.

If a saddle head and cantle appear to be level, then either the saddle is to narrow, which will pinch, and throw you to the back of the seat, with your legs pointing forwards, and then the rear of the panel will need re-flocking. This shouldn't be the case with a new saddle, which is a correct fit. Incidentally, re-flocking the rear of a panel can be done in about 20 minutes, or for a skilled man less than that! The one problem with re-flocking a saddle to make it fit, is that it generally lifts the saddle off the horses back, and it's only a poor compromise. Better to start off with a tree of the correct width.

The gullet should have at least 2" of clearance.

The panel should have contact with the back of the horse, over as large an area as possible. The best way to see if it fits is to take an un-groomed horse, with no saddle cloth, and trot it for 5 minutes on both reins, ridden. Look for the sweat marks. Where there is no sweat mark, there is no contact.

I suspect that if you're going to take your supplier to task and argue about the difference between 2 saddles which have a length difference of .5", then I'd be surprised if you'll make any progress! Sorry.

If you'd like to post two pics, both with the girth done up, and one with you seated, but the other not, then I'll give you a qualified opinion, if that's of any help.

Alec.

 

[millitiger]

imo it's a bit off to expect them to take the saddle back because it seems a bit longer than you thought when you bought it.

as you were happy with the saddle at the time of fitting (including the size of the seat) i don't think you would have much comeback at all.

if you bought a dress in a shop labelled as a size 12 and then a year later decided you didn't want it and actually it was really more like a size 14 do you think they would take it back?

i would eBay it- i have recently sold 3 x saddles on there with no hassle and posting is easy with a courier as they will come and pick it up from your address.

as for it not fitting anymore- you have said you hardly rode over winter so i expect the horse has changed shape since the original fitting?