Albion K2 Saddle Fit

[Daj1798]

I’m considering buying an 18”, W tree Albion K2 Jump saddle for my 4 y/o OTTB mare!

Fortunately, a friend at the barn I ride at has the same exact saddle in the same size, so I was able to throw it on my mare and take a few fit photos. I will be having a professional saddle fitter out in about a month and a half, but if this one seems to fit my mare decently I’d like to go ahead and buy it and have it tweaked when the fitter comes out.

My main concerns are that it might be a smidge too wide, and a bit too long for her back. Please share your opinions on the fit, thank you!

[Daj1798]

I can only add one photo at a time unfortunately.

[Daj1798]

[Daj1798]

[Mountainbellls]

Have you ridden in that saddle for a half hour or more, W,T, C and possibly even a little jumping? Does the saddle settle down over the withers and become too close?. I find my K2, and all others, settle a little after I’ve warmed up and tightened the girth.

[Bogie]

It looks like it’s going to be too wide with your weight in the saddle. However, it’s balanced so adding a suitable pad would help. I often start with a saddle that’s a tad too wide as you can pad it up.

[Bensmom]

One important thing to know about the K2 is that its tree size runs about a size larger than you’d expect. So, a Wide is actually closer to an XW. So, my horse that would typically have required a Wide tree went in a MW in the K2.

The good news is that you can pad the tree a bit, and a competent saddle fitter can tweak it, and if it is too wide but otherwise balanced, there are several good saddlers in the US that can narrow the tree up to a size or so.

It is a lovely saddle – I’ve had two, and seriously regret the day I sold my MW one.

Good luck saddle shopping!