Amerigo Vega and saddle fitting question

[Gardenhorse]

Several months ago I bought a used Amerigo Vega special jump saddle. I had it checked/adjusted by an independent saddle fitter. However, over the last three months my horse has begun occasionally stopping at jumps (very unusual for her) as well as some other weird behaviors, mostly while jumping. I had her scoped for ulcers (she has them and we are starting treatment).

However, since saddle was the main thing that changed, I also had a different saddle fitter check the saddle. She thinks the saddle in general fits well, but is too narrow for my horse. I have been talking to the Amerigo rep and am looking at the possibility of having the tree widened. But new saddle fitter also thinks the panels of the Amerigo are very hard. She wants to get the tree widened enough so that we can add a half pad to make it more comfortable for my horse. I am a little surprised by this, as most discussions of saddle fitting seem to encourage adjusting a saddle to fit without a half pad if possible.

So, I am wondering if people have found that their Amerigo Vega panels soften any with time? These saddles have the Swiss panel where the flocking is encased in felt, so I imagine that’s why it’s a little hard compared to a completely wool flocked saddle? This is a several year old saddle but it is in very good shape so I’m not sure how much it was really used. Also wondering what people think about widening it so much that it requires a half pad?

[no.stirrups]

I can’t speak to the brand-specific questions, but I do have some questions of my own.
Have you tried riding your horse in a different saddle to compare her behavior?
If the panels are too hard, why not reflock them? It would be a much more straight-forward solution than widening the tree and then padding up.
I can tell you that most Harry Dabbs saddles have a Swiss panel and they are not hard.
Good luck!

[Scribbler]

Is this a wool flocked or a foam saddle?

Regardless panels tend to be at their softest when they are new and if they’ve hardened up they need changing.

If the panels are foam they may need to be done by the dealer. If they are wool they can be replaced by a qualified saddle fitter.

The ideal solution as you know is a new saddle that fits. Unless you are dealing with a Wintec or other removable gullet plate saddle, a normal saddle tree can only be widened a small amount at the withers by putting it in a press. This strains the tree overall and shouldn’t be done much or st all, despite what the Schleese fitters say and do.

Whether you can widen the withers enough to fit a saddle pad to avoid the cost of new panels, is an open question.

Honestly I think that two strikes against the saddle, too narrow and hardened oanels, mean it’s time to get another secondhand saddle.

But I think trying out another saddle is a good idea. However if horse is sore from this saddle she might remain reactive. Also an idea to get a good massage bodyworker out to look at her back.

[Scribbler]

I googled and Amerigo is wool flocked. If they are hard they need to be replaced. A local saddle fitter can do this.

[Gardenhorse]

Thanks for the responses and suggestions.

As I said in the original post, they are Swiss panels, which means wool flocking encased in felt. In this case it appears to be synthetic wool, which may also contribute to the hardness. The saddle fitter did not suggest completely reflocking them - I’m not sure why. That is a good suggestion and I will ask her about that.

She thinks the saddle is too narrow, so would need to be widened in either case. The question is whether to widen it slightly or a bit more to allow a half pad.

I am starting to look for another saddle, but I am quite petite, and in the past have found small (16 or 16.5”) wool flocked saddles quite hard to find. If you know of any, please PM me! The widening is actually fairly inexpensive so I’m willing to give it a try.

The behavior has been quite sporadic, sometimes she’s jumped great in the Amerigo, so it’s not straightforward to just see how she goes in another saddle. Some of that may be the ulcers - hopefully we’ll get those cleared up soon.

I haven’t had a bodyworker out because neither the vet nor the saddle fitter noted any soreness when they checked her. But it is worth a try to see if they notice any area of concern.

[accidental_cowgirl]

Since your horse does have ulcers (which you’re treating), but does not have any apparent soreness in the saddle area, I would definitely wait until the ulcers had a chance to heal before I did anything to the saddle. The saddle might not be bothering your horse at all.

[Gardenhorse]

@accidental cowgirl

Since your horse does have ulcers (which you’re treating), but does not have any apparent soreness in the saddle area, I would definitely wait until the ulcers had a chance to heal before I did anything to the saddle. The saddle might not be bothering your horse at all.

That has occurred to me. But saddle fitter #2 is pretty convinced it’s too narrow. Sigh. Perhaps I need to get a third fitter out for an opinion.

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Amerigo saddles are made on a wood spring tree. Amerigo Vega saddles are made on a synthetic tree. Both are flocked with a mixture of synthetic and real wool.

If the tree and panel shape suits your horse’s conformation but the tree is truly just too narrow, widening will work. But if it’s not fitting because the tree and/or panel shape is not correct, widening it will just make it, well, wider, and still a bad fit. And you won’t fix that with a half pad. You may indeed make the horse temporarily more comfortable, but ultimately the pressure point(s) will show up again.

I’ve often found Amerigo and Amerigo Vega panels to be tight on either side of the withers even if the tree size was technically correct. It’s not a bad thing - not every saddle fits every conformation. But it’s something that won’t change if you widen.

Put the saddle on your horse without any padding, then reach into the gullet and explore how much room there is above the withers and next to them. If you can clearly feel the sides of the withers, free of the panels, next check the shoulder room by running your hand under the panel (like you’re swiping a credit card) from top to bottom.

And don’t discount that ulcers may be a result of discomfort/stress related to poor saddle fit . Horses are very good at putting up with negative stuff, but in the end something happens to point out there’s a problem.

Then again, nutrition, turnout, training methods, etc., can certainly create ulcers in horses who have perfect tack fit. And ulcers can certainly cause a horse to stop cooperating as they usually do.

[Gardenhorse]

@Melissa.Van Doren

Amerigo saddles are made on a wood spring tree. Amerigo Vega saddles are made on a synthetic tree. Both are flocked with a mixture of synthetic and real wool.

I suppose along with the tree material being different, the tree shape is also different? My dressage saddle (which fits her well and she has been going really well in) is actually an older Amerigo close contact. That is one reason I thought this jump saddle would work well for her, but I didn’t think about differences between the Amerigo and Vega line. On the Amerigo site it says that the Amerigo close contact dressage saddle is for “shorter straight backs with normal withers”, but it doesn’t have a similar description of the type of horse the Vega jump saddle fits, just that it “reflects the most popular measurements”.

[bip]

I’ve had a Vega for about 10 years and it was meant to fit with a Mattes pad on the the horse for whom I originally bought it (new, fitted by a rep). At the time, the rep mentioned that the saddles are really meant to be used with a Mattes pad, and that’s how I’ve always used it on the 2-3 other horses it’s fit over the last decade. However, I’m puzzled about the hard panel issue. I’ve had my Vega checked by the rep periodically and I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem with the flocking packing down and becoming hard.