[QUOTE=Mukluk;6839179]
Strongly preferring to not have to go custom. Saddle is for my boyfriend who is 6’1, needs at least an 18" seat and measures about 18" from crotch to knee (where knee contacts saddle). He is beginning (improving fast) rider and we would like something he can eventually use for jumping (probably never over 3’). The horse is a shark fin withers TB who looks to have a fairly flat back otherwise. My ainsly pro national- medium tree- fits the horse but I don’t think they make those anymore. He and horse are not in same town so we will need to use wither tracing (or other methods- perhaps a paper mache mold:winkgrin: so he can look at saddles where he is and have his trainer assess fit for him. Then bring saddle down to try on the horse. Any wisdom that might be offered would be greatly appreciated.
By the way we just tried a Stubben Wotan (I know this an AP saddle) but it did not work for the withers (also not good enough contact between back of saddle and horses back). Possibly it had a wide tree so that could have been part of the problem).[/QUOTE]
Rather than shooting in the dark (a very frustrating process - saddle hunting is difficult enough even when you have a good idea of tree width & shape needed for the horse), touch base with some online saddle fitters, take the photos (views etc are described), do a back tracing & THEN begin looking for a saddle that is likely to fit your BF out of the likely to fit the horse pool.
In the meantime, search out every post jn4jenny has ever made on here about fitting the shark-finned thoroughbred & saddles in general :yes: :yes: :yes:
(to fit your BF you’ll want to consider where the balance point is on the saddle & where the stirrup bars are - chances are the saddle he instantly loves at this stage in his riding, is not going to be the same saddle that he prefers as he advances in his riding abilities: hopefully your coach is good at this aspect 
)
Choose a realistic budget for the saddle vs a budget for fitting & shipping saddles or having a saddle fitter in - the latter is often well worth the $$ IF the fitter has suitable saddles for your BF to try that are also a half decent fit on the horse (i.e. can be fit with a shimmable pad - much better than free floating shims or the multiple pads that some attempt to use: these generally begin to move as the horse moves, especially with a rider that is also moving).
As your BF wants a saddle that he will be able to jump in & not just hack, fit for both horse & rider become more important - talk to your coach about the practicality of just getting something for now vs getting a saddle that will continue to work for him as he progresses (also consider if the horse he’s learning on will be the horse that he will be jumping).
In general, if the saddle fits the horse very well (ie is stable no matter how the rider moves), then as long as the saddle is not truly awful for the rider - a novice will feel far more secure & balanced than in a saddle which fits the rider better & the horse worse …
As you’re looking in a market for 18.5 - 19 (or even 19 - 20) saddles, the pool of used saddles that will fit the horse is going to be pretty small, so you may need to increase your budget or just look to get one saddle that will work as he progresses (resale is likely to be limited if you decide to pursue a saddle for now & then a saddle for then)
If you post (saddle fit style) photos of the horse in question & then of your BF sitting in the best saddle (for him) on the horse, that may generate some particular saddle suggestions that are actually likely to fit both horse & rider.
Also include a budget & general location (readers may be able to suggest saddle fitters that travel though your area).
If there are any saddle reps in the area, use that source to again get an idea of what’s going to fit horse vs BF - just ensure that the rep actually has some demo saddles that are at least a generous 18 (rep may be able to have bigger saddle shipped in prior to the visit).
Happy Saddle Hunting :winkgrin:
Sadly, he has stopped riding and the horse retired, so the saddle sits, awaiting sale… 
