My horse has historically been very challenging to fit and it is bizarre to me that getting a saddle for my mom is not harder than it is. Can I get a sanity check on this?
The horse is 25 and tends to fluctuate with the seasons- summer is hard on him so he’s fittest in winter, and then he tends to get wither-hollowy. His weight is appropriate if not totally ideal in these pictures: his ribcage really is that big. The intention here is to find a saddle that has an appropriate shape now, with the intention to shim it as needed as his body changes over time. The last time I went through this I got a saddle that fit him well when he lightened up in the winter, but was not suitable for his summer shape.
The un-girthed pictures are pre-ride, and the girthed picture is post-ride. He has an enormous shoulder that pushes most saddles back. Don’t mind the saddle pad. It does that on everything.
Feeling it in person, I think the biggest thing to criticize is that I could do with a quarter inch more bearing surface on the inside of the back panel (towards the gullet). I’m hedging my bets a bit as I’ve seen how his back has gone from level pony-back to slightly more A-frame over the last few years. He speaks good English and I think I’m listening to what he has to say.
Am I nuts, or does this actually work?
