I need a saddle under $1,000 that will fit a fat, wide haflinger. As I said, she is fat and overweight right now with not much muscling. I want a saddle that is either adjustable or has good resale value so I can resell it and buy a new one once she slims down and muscles up. I need an 18" seat and would prefer an all purpose saddle because we dabble in a bit of everything.
Thanks!
The Thorowgood Broadback might be worth looking into. I personally don’t fit them very well - the stirrup bar placement is odd for my short but thick legs. But they’re made for cobby types like the haflingers and such.
I ended up with a Santa Cruz Justin (CC) for my morganXhaflinger, in an xxxw+ tree. it fits him and his tabletop build better than a hoop tree. It fits him brilliantly, and my short legs make it work well for me on the flat as well as over fences.
I have a separate dressage saddle, a 42 year old Passier, flat as a pancake and brown with short billets, and it fits us both as though it were custom made. Not really what you’re wanting, but might be worth looking at old Passier saddles because you can get them for fairly cheap, they’re made well, last for freaking ever, and are adjustable by a few cms by a saddle fitter as long as they have the right equipment to do so (and the gullet plate is made by herm sprenger and has a lifetime warranty, so they replace it if it gets broken during adjusting).
Have you tried a card table? :-). It’s a hard horse to fit, can’t offer anything useful except to say good luck.
Darn, I was going to suggest a Duett then saw your price range (they’re a little higher depending on the model, low to mid $1k). Maybe a used one will pop up on eBay?
Fjords pose similar issues. I have had good luck with the Ascot International draft saddles (they sell a Haffie version IIRC) sold by Frontier Equestrian. They are inexpensive and a real value for the price. I have 4 of them that I have used for the last 15 years. The other thought is to look at the Wintex WIDE set on the widest width. That also has worked for me.
I agree that an AP saddle will work for now.
The Wintec wide AP with the widest gullet may do the trick. The angle on the panels with that gullet is really flat. I have one of these on the 3x for my gelding, and I was amazed at how flat the saddle becomes when the 4x plate is in. It’s the only configuration I’ve seen that will fit my DD’s table-backed Welsh pony/paint cross.
Edited to add: A Thorowgood cob also fits them both reasonably well.
