cross posted from eventing: Saddling the Arabian whose saddle wants to hug her neck.

[dangerbunny]

I know there have already been approximately 10,000 saddle fit threads on here but I need some product suggestions and I’m going crosseyed from searching.

My little Arabian mare has always been hard to fit, she has the typical arab barrel shape with a very forward girth groove which pulls allllllll saddles forward on to her shoulders. I just got a good saddle for her (Lovatt and Ricketts, All Purpose Dressage, wide tree) and it fits well and only slides forward a little bit, I think for ring work it would stay better but the riding I’m doing now is all hilly trails. She is also a bit plump right now. Here is a sorta conformation type photo from a couple years ago http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii42/dangerbunny/Joy/754c214c-4e84-46ec-aa6c-877f61fa6ce0_zpsb963f984.jpg

I’ve been looking at anatomical girths and sticky pads but would love to hear some product reviews.

The girth needs to be long, come in a size 46 and (preferably) be black. I’ve been looking at ones shaped like this http://cotswoldsport.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=485
but am slightly confused on how effective it would be as it’s different than the short dressage girths that are shaped more like a letter C

I’ve been using a Mattes pad on her and been happy with it but maybe something with more stick might help?

I plan on doing more dressage work and jumping next spring/summer but lots of trails is always on the agenda, so I am asking for advice here as well

Any advice appreciated!

[Lieselotte]

It never hurts to have a professional saddlefitter take a look at what you got going on. You may be missing a clue.

None of the links you posted worked for me so I can only make a few general suggestions. For saddle pads, a Mattes pad sounds good. In fact, anything real sheepskin should be right. Generally, a natural material like that should “stick.” Make sure to fasten it to your saddle. I have sewn ties to all my pads to connect to the saddle’s D-rings, and the pads also have keepers. That combination makes the saddle and saddle pad “one” and if there’s movement, they would move together.

Next, unless you’re doing flat arena work, you should probably ride with a (padded) breastplate and crupper. Even if a saddle fits well, in hilly terrain your saddle will move somewhat, depending on your horse’s build, your own riding, the steepness, etc. I personally don’t use a crupper on my horse but lots of other Endurance riders do.

As far as girths go, I can highly recommend mohair string girths, especially the Endurance-type ones that are wider in the middle, like this one from Montana Cincha: http://www.thedistancedepot.com/Montana_Cincha_Endurance_Mohair_Girth_p/fth-mcend.htm
They move with the horse, breathe, absorb moisture well, and in general seem to work well for distance riding. If your stirrup leathers are short ones (which it sounds like, considering what girth length you’re looking for), it may be worth your while to have them changed out for longer ones. Longer leathers with a shorter girth may help with your issue as well.

Best of luck!

[Chall]

(Check your pc for viruses, none of your links worked for me either and I got “too many redirects” on the first one)

[dangerbunny]

fixed the links, I didn’t put them in correctly, whoops!

[RubyTuesday]

I had a mare like this once, and a crupper did the job for me. Be sure it is high quality though, and comfortable for her to wear so she doesn’t become sour to it by having it rub/chafe in the tail area. Definitely might take some getting used to if she has never worn one, some horses may buck when first introduced to it.

[betsyk]

I have an Arab that sounds a lot like yours. We have a L&R dressage saddle, too, with long billets and use a mattes pad. He prefers a soft neoprene Professional Choice girth to the expensive County Logic I bought for him (grrr). And the professionally fitted wonderful dressage saddle was not working for us on the trail. I ended up using a County Eventer that I had bought for my other horse and that’s become his outdoor saddle. It’s not a perfect fit but he likes it a whole lot better than his dressage saddle and it stays in place better with no real intervention besides a mattes pad and a girth with elastic on both ends. I have a crupper, and I’ve used it, but having two saddles ended up being a better solution.

[Effie1221]

A professional saddle fitter (check references) sounds like the best option.