OK, I’m going to ask a question that is impossible to answer: what’s the best saddle for a large pony? I know I know… I’m just looking for a place to start. Here’s the backstory. I have a 16-year-old Morgan cross who’s body has changed dramatically in the last five years. When I bought him I also bought a County Stabilizer in a medium narrow that fit him reasonably well. Over the years, however, he has gotten wider and done a lot of dressage so he’s far more muscular. Needless to say, the saddle no longer fits. I put an HDR on him yesterday that I thought would be really perfect and it was all wrong. And my friend’s Black Country was way too long. I realized very quickly that he needs a straight (and maybe short) flap because of his big shoulders and short back. (He only has15.5 inches to his last rib.) This also means I’m probably looking for a small/upswept panel. I would like something that I can comfortably go cross country in. Nothing flat and slippery. I’d like to keep it under $2000, so I’m probably going to be buying used. If this was your scenario, what brands would you consider?
Oh, one more thing. I’m only 5 feet tall on a good day. I prefer smaller/narrower seats/twists. If it helps, my dressage saddle is a Veritas Eximo.
I have a GRP X mare, short back, large shoulders, fairly flat back …i am also 5’0 with proportionally short legs (#blessed :lol:).
I have an Equipe Emporio dressage and have just bought an Equipe Expression 15.5" for her jump saddle.
Have a look at the Equipe range - most of their jump saddles come in 15.5". (I know expression, synergy and rarity (their actual pony model) all do. The other ones may be 16" starting sizes.
You can also order with any flap length (Pony being the shortest, Short, Normal or Long… FYI Short on a 15.5" is perfect for me).
Their site has lots of great info on the models, seat depth, width etc.
Check them out if you haven’t looked at them… i don’t know their popularity in the US, but very popular here in Australia and the UK.
My daughter’s large is built very round like a warmblood with a back that cannot hold longer than a 16.5”; DD has super long legs and prefers a narrow twist.
We found a old school crosby centennial in a wide and it’s pretty fantastic fit for the pony (tho the wide is more like med-wide) with a narrow twist and a forward enough flap for the long legs. Best part: cost me $650 used BUT they are hard to find in 16-16.5 AND wide (Mediums are much more in supply).
