Young horse saddle woes -- WWYD

[Caol Ila]

This week, Hermosa told me she thinks her saddle sucks baws (she is from Barrhead...). Downed tools, refused to go forwards. The trot program went completely haywire. I jumped off and lunged. She was absolutely fine. I hoped I'd reinstalled forwards and got back on. Nope, back to planting that would put a Highland to shame. I tried to get her to trot after a friend, and she wouldn't even have that. Normally, she loves running after other horses. I got off again and lunged. That was still fine.

I thought back to a few wee glitches we'd been having and realised she'd been complaining for a wee while, and I'm an idiot.

The next day, I put her in the Christ Lamfelle bareback pad. After a bit of faff reinstalling the forward program, she went well. Beautifully off the leg. She was even more forward today. No glitches (other than hail being blown into our faces but that's a different problem). Okay, point made.

Now what? I don't want to live in the bareback pad forever. I know some people do, but I'd prefer a saddle. Especially once we get more daylight and start our 2+ hour hacks again. I've been futzing with this saddle for a while because I've never been 100% happy, but now I'm wondering if I have to admit defeat, given she became basically unrideable.

My options?

1. Continue wrestling with the TreeFree saddle, but see previous paragraph. That saddle is great and I love it, but my horse does not agree. Dammit.

2. Bring out one of the local, regular saddle fitters to fit a trad treed saddle. I can probably get a £500-1200 saddle from them, but I've used a couple of them in the past for my old horse, and I didn't have the best experience. The fit was obviously not right after a week or two, and they said that they couldn't come back to the yard for another three months. However, other people on my current yard seem happy with them. Because youngsters change so much, I could be in the same boat in a year. Or two months. And be £500-1200 poorer. It was bad enough with my old horse, who was in her early 20s last time she had a treed saddle. If my young horse needs readjustment in three months, am I really gonna wait (and ride in the bloody bareback pad) for another three months? It doesn't seem feasable given she expresses her views about poorly-fitting saddles by refusing to move. Over the course of a few weeks, she slowly escalated her warning signs (and I was too stupid to see the subtle ones). But even if I was more on the ball, a saddle fitter who can't get there for the next three months is not going to solve that problem.

3. Bring out a certain forum member who I know is now in Scotland, and who I would totally trust. But she works with quite expensive saddle brands, and I'm worried I'd be in that same bloody boat in a year. Or two months. And a whole lot poorer. I don't know if the right treed saddle would resolve the young-horse-changing issue.

4. Bring out a saddle fitter who works with treeless and leather treed saddles. I used her before with Fin, but she didn't have anything that 100% suited him, which she was very honest about, and she gave me a week's trial on the best thing she had (which was still NQR but she was fine about it). Hermosa is obviously a very different sort of horse. She might have more options for Iberians. The saddles she works with are also quite pricey. While treeless saddles have a bit more adjustability, they also require the right fit, so I could still be in the same sh1tty boat and a whole lot poorer.

5. Sell the horses and buy a gerbil.

If the horse was a year or two older, I'd be more willing to just go for a super expensive saddle. But I'm mindful that 5 year olds are still very much developing. So I don't know.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Have you tried Cicily Jeffries? I highly recommend her. She is not expensive and wont try to sell you a saddle but she is in the Borders and it costs a wee bit to get her to you.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I have a traditional tree saddle for Faran, I paid a fair whack for it and I’ve had it a year and becomes it’s got no marks or wear due to being ridden in a cover all the time I’m getting back pretty much what I paid for it towards a new saddle for him, so swapping out trees saddles isn’t doom and gloom if you get a good fitter and I wouldn’t be without mine. He’s six in April so he still has another year at least of changes left in him I’m assuming.

 

[Goldenstar]

I always bought second hand treed saddles for my youngsters and accepted that some would only last a while .
I acquired a few saddles not expensive but serviceable saddles over the years I kept many so I had a range of options .
This an extremely difficult stage to manage with one horse .
I used to have a few with the flair system this is a good help when horses are changing shape .

 

[planete]

Can you work out why she objects to her Treefree? Perhaps a change of shimming is all that is needed? Could the maker help? Or she is ok being lunged but something gets aggravated by a rider's weight, ie. It is not a saddle problem?

 

[Jambarissa]

Buy a TCS and use it over the CLF pad.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Have you ever thought about getting into WOW Saddles? I don't care much for them, but I know some people and horses like them. They are adjustable and you can sort of piece together a saddle from various parts that suit you and the horse (seat, flaps, etc).

Otherwise, I've been in this boat and will soon be in it again. My last horse went through a few saddles, and I think our Fairfax lasted the longest...or was a close tie with the Amerigo that he had toward the end. I love how many of the Amerigo saddles suit me, but I'm not thrilled about forking over that cash for my 3 year old that will surely change.

It sucks. Then finding a fitter that is good, reliable, and available is a whole 'nother headache.

 

[Caol Ila]

Can you work out why she objects to her Treefree? Perhaps a change of shimming is all that is needed? Could the maker help? Or she is ok being lunged but something gets aggravated by a rider's weight, ie. It is not a saddle problem?

I can, in fairness. No matter what gullet, girth, or shims (and I have a saddle pad with pockets so I can faff with them) I’ve used, it gets pulled forwards onto her withers and shoulders. That’s been ongoing for like eight or nine months and I haven’t fixed it. A mate who doesn’t stare at her ever day idly commented yesterday that she’s getting a lot more wither, so maybe the saddle getting pulled forwards is just becoming untenable for her.

 

[planete]

I can, in fairness. No matter what gullet, girth, or shims (and I have a saddle pad with pockets so I can faff with them) I’ve used, it gets pulled forwards onto her withers and shoulders. That’s been ongoing for like eight or nine months and I haven’t fixed it. A mate who doesn’t stare at her ever day idly commented yesterday that she’s getting a lot more wither, so maybe the saddle getting pulled forwards is just becoming untenable for her.

That is a pain. I had the opposite problem of the saddle working its way backwards no matter what I did when Woody muscled up and I had to sell his Smart saddle. We are ok with the Torsion now. The absence of a gullet seems to enable them to fit the more awkward shapes but they are probably not so nice to ride on. I had a TCS for a while and the pony was happy with it, I only sold it because it was too much like hard work when trying to ride in a correct position.

 

[Caol Ila]

That is a pain. I had the opposite problem of the saddle working its way backwards no matter what I did when Woody muscled up and I had to sell his Smart saddle. We are ok with the Torsion now. The absence of a gullet seems to enable them to fit the more awkward shapes but they are probably not so nice to ride on. I had a TCS for a while and the pony was happy with it, I only sold it because it was too much like hard work when trying to ride in a correct position.

It’s a nightmare. When I make the saddle narrower, it pinches her shoulders. When I make it wider, it gets pulled forwards even more, and then it pinches even though it’s perfect when we start. I recently put a soft gullet in it which stopped it from moving forwards as much, but it just ends up squashing her withers. I’m losing the will to live.

Whilst in the bareback pad today, I really worked on my position. The bareback pad really makes you think about it. I schooled my Highland afterwards (he also has a Treefree), I felt like I was riding him better. Silver linings, huh?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Book decent traditional saddle fitter but for 3 appointments on a monthly basis before they attend the 1st fitting?
Backside is then covered for subtle early issues.

 

[sbloom]

I'm not up there yet (don't ask, I'm trying not to think about it) so at the moment I may not be able to improve on every 3 months though. I do advise on used saddles, frequently (see my blog post on the subject).

Have you tried https://www.facebook.com/RidinginBalanceScotland?

And there's another treeless fitter whose name escapes me, but I know the above lady and she's lovely, plus definitely holistic.

 

[SEL]

I tried Solutions, AH and then went down the WOW route for my tricky one. Still tricky but by adjusting the head plate and the air I'm getting stability.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

There is a saddle fitter in north east England who fits saddles on “balance pads” under a wider fitting saddle with the view that we should fit saddles to the shape of a moving back rather than a static one ..maybe worth thinking about. I’m going to be honest and we ve tried it with our youngster..changing shape regularly etc..but asked to go back for traditional fitting without the pads because the rider and trainer felt disconnected from the feel of the horse under them..but some people swear by the system and we may return to it when the baby is more established.

 

[Marigold4]

I have found it very difficult to find a saddle to fit my young horse and I really sympathise. I tried really hard to get a saddle to fit - Solutions, Stride-free, AH saddles, Black Country custom made ... He was really good at telling me if the saddle didn't work, although usually made this clear several days after the saddler had gone! It's cost me a fortune and really slowed down our progress. Horse is 8 this year and at last his back is a better shape for a saddle. I don't know if this is a thing, but as his chest has widened, his back seems to have come up and wither less prominent. Anyway, I used a Torsion saddle until last year and then found a saddle that I was able to shim to about the right fit. I am hopeful that I will find a saddle that fits without shimming now he's stopped growing. The Torsion doesn't have a gullet but you have to use a special pad. I have found it to be very stable and doesn't slip at all - I just hate riding in it - but was grateful for it as at least it meant we could do something rather than nothing. They are quite cheap secondhand.

 

[sbloom]

Chest widening will usually mean the thoracic sling is working better which is always a good thing, though often there is more not less wither. Depends where you started from though .

 

[maya2008]

I have the same issue with my bigger one - Torsion gets pulled forwards (and with her, if it doesn’t get put forwards to start with she makes it go there by scooting forwards into a dead stop - so it ends up there anyway). Then I feel like I am sitting on the edge of a cliff! She doesn’t seem to mind it when it’s forwards, but we’ve not done much so far and I can’t see that it would be ideal long term. I was just hoping she would finish growing this Spring and fix the problem herself.

Once a horse has been under saddle a while treed saddles fit for longer, so you should get a few months out of anything you buy. I just stick to inexpensive synthetic and buy second hand while they are young. We have treed for jump saddles for the kids’ ponies and I just have three similar models that I switch between depending on what fits at the time! None cost me more than £100.

 

[ycbm]

Have you ever thought about getting into WOW Saddles? I don't care much for them, but I know some people and horses like them. They are adjustable and you can sort of piece together a saddle from various parts that suit you and the horse (seat, flaps, etc).

Otherwise, I've been in this boat and will soon be in it again. My last horse went through a few saddles, and I think our Fairfax lasted the longest...or was a close tie with the Amerigo that he had toward the end. I love how many of the Amerigo saddles suit me, but I'm not thrilled about forking over that cash for my 3 year old that will surely change.

It sucks. Then finding a fitter that is good, reliable, and available is a whole 'nother headache.

Young horses constantly changing is why I ended up with WOWs. A bit of air (you can buy your own pump) and a £50 gullet plate was all it took to refit to a change of shape. It saved me thousands of pounds over 20 years or so.
.

 

[Hackback]

I went through a similar situation with my eldest horse (Arab) although it turned out his shape changes were due to him developing Cushings. However he's always gone best of all in the CL pad and the nearest I've got to replicating that in a saddle is an old Ansur Konclusion. It has panels but they're quite flat. It did need regular checks and minor tweaks by the Solution saddle fitter (Emily Howe, who is a genius) to keep it at optimum performance. Sadly in later years his withers got too pronounced for the amount of padding required to be feasible, but I've kept the saddle, hoping it will suit the baby.

 

[SEL]

Young horses constantly changing is why I ended up with WOWs. A bit of air (you can buy your own pump) and a £50 gullet plate was all it took to refit to a change of shape. It saved me thousands of pounds over 20 years or so.
.

And if you do need something pony specific then wow can make it - extra wide, extra short panels for the odd shaped pony

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just get someone who understands the wider more tricky horse to fit which it sounds like she is, if the wither is becoming more prominent its because the muscle underneath is going which you don't want and it shouldn't happen so you need to get on top of that.

I had similar with Arabi had years of saddles not fitting and the result was a badly muscled back and he just didn't want to go forwards, I was not knowledgeable enough to realise alot of what was happening.

Eventually I found someone that identified he had muscle wastage and the difference in him in a proper saddle that fitted was amazing.

 

[Landcruiser]

I bought a TCS ready to back mine later in the year to avoid this exact issue. Holding off for the moment as she's gone even more bum high. At almost 5 I think she's changed so much in the last 6 months that I'd be a couple of saddles in already had I backed her earlier in a tree saddle.

 

[Goldenstar]

Young horses constantly changing is why I ended up with WOWs. A bit of air (you can buy your own pump) and a £50 gullet plate was all it took to refit to a change of shape. It saved me thousands of pounds over 20 years or so.
.

And it’s why I used the flair system on my young horse saddles you have easy option to make small changes some young horses sail through this stage with no issues others are very difficult and it’s very challenging with one riding horse and without a tack room full of things you can try .

 

[SpeedyPony]

I'd be inclined to try a second hand treed saddle- I've had success with the adjustable ones- they don't adjust as much as they say they will, but it does give a bit of leeway. With a young horse I also book a saddle fit appointment for 3 months time at the first appointment, so if it stops fitting after 1-2 months, I only have a few weeks of bareback pad to deal with!
If you buy second hand you can usually get at least 80% of your money back when selling them on IME- which means that the cost to use them for 3/6/12 months is pretty low. Obviously selling on is a bit more difficult if it's an odd shaped/sized saddle.

 

[Goldenstar]

As SP says I often bought saddles and then sold then on and I don’t it ever cost me more than the commission to do that if I parted them after a short period.
Usually I bought a not often cleaning number looking a bit sad and sent it back to sold unrecognisable .
I looked at this as the cost solving short term issues and much less expensive than the failure of an expensive new purchase I sometimes bought while waiting for something to be made to keep me going then sold it .

Its a extremely frustrating stage .
saddles moving forwards are a pita.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I would look for cheap second hand, preferably local which you can try on. If it seems ok then buy and keep watching out in case anything else crops up. If you have a pool of saddles which are pretty close to fitting then a good saddler with suitable shims should be able to keep you riding as the horse changes shape. Probably not the ‘correct’ answer but works for me!

 

[Palindrome]

I have several adjustable synthetic saddles, Thorowgood, Wintec and Tekna, and can usually make something work for the horse. I like that they are lightweight too. Treeless hasn't worked for me in the past but I am heavier than you.

Although it might not be the saddle at this time of year, it could be her seasons. Have you checked over her back if she is sore? You can run your hands pressing down a bit firmly along the back and if you see an area that bulges out it is generally where they are sore.

 

[Caol Ila]

I might contact Riding in Balance. She was the one who came out for Fin and was very honest about not having many suiting native ponies. Just a Ghost saddle, which did weird things to my riding position on him.

She may have more that suit Iberians. She carries some that seemed aimed at that type of horse.

If I decide to go the used treed route, how would I even begin to find one? I have no idea what type of treed saddle would fit her. How do you figure that out without a pile of saddles available to try?

Her chest has got a lot wider in the last year. Looks like a different horse. I had to go up a rug rize (and if anyone wants a couple 5'9 Amigos with the disc closure, drop me a line).

 

[Caol Ila]

I found this guy while footering around on the web. A new saddle fitter based in Midlothian. Anyone know him? https://www.facebook.com/kbsaddlery

Still might go with Fran at Riding in Balance.

 

[YourValentine]

I'm not quite sure of Hermosa's shape, but mum had a round barrel shaped horse with a decent wither (QH x Heinz57) and eventually found a Kent&Masters (adjustable) that worked.