Custom Saddle Choices - Dressage vs Western

[FjordBCRF]

@TheHunterKid90

Also keep in mind a lot more saddles than you think are semi quarter horse bars. I imagine your horse will need full quarter horse bars.

I had a feeling this would be the case with used saddles. After needing the largest gullet on the AP wide…I made sure to get my Wintec western with full QH bar.

The gentleman that owns Charlie’s sire is a few hours away across the state and is a DK saddlery rep. The saddle he rides his sire in is nearly exactly what I want. He’s going to be out my way once their fall commitments settle down to do some measurement for another person and will meet with us too. I don’t know how much he has to trial, but even if we can try the sires saddle on to see that seems like a good start.

I did read quite a bit about DK here which seemed pretty interesting years and years ago with the owner. in any event, I figure Ill give it a go given Im looking at the wades and this guy has/knows the fjord body type pretty well!

[dmveventer]

I wouldn’t recommend DK saddles. I haven’t found them to work well on wide horses, among other reasons. Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[sascha]

Western is probably the way to go.

I’m a dyed in the wool dressage rider with a deep loathing for western saddles - they’re not comfortable for me and I feel like I am 5 miles off the horse’s back and can’t feel anything.

At a clinic a few years ago, I stepped in to do the afternoon session on my friend’s horse as she had some health issues. I had no choice - western saddle it was. Ugh. Except, she happened to be trying one of these https://easyfitsaddles.com/ I got on and was blown away. Comfortable! Close contact! I could feel the horse underneath me! I rode the entire afternoon and was comfortable the entire time. She bought the saddle and has been happy with it ever since

[FjordBCRF]

I think it totally depends on the saddle style. The huge silver plated western pleasure saddles i rode in as a teen I never liked for the same reasons you mention. The western Wintec I have I like better than my English Wintec. Extremely close contact feel and I really like my leg in it. I sat in one with a wade tree at a WE show earlier this year and same deal.

[outerbanks77]

You might look out for an Arabian western saddle. They tend to be available in black or very dark brown, and would likely have an appropriate tree shape for your guy.

If I ever ventured into western dressage, I would probably get a saddle made by Mike Corcoran. He makes some that are more minimal/lightweight (hoisting a 40# western saddle loses it’s appeal after riding English for so long) and he designed some of Black Country’s better dressage models, and also has the Masters saddle line.

[FjordBCRF]

The biggest issue I am running into for western saddles is accessibility. I posted on our local Facebook pages and we just don’t have much in the way of western saddle fitters/brand representation or even nearby saddle fitting clinics for western saddles. Nothing used or new for sale either locally that is what Im looking for. TONS of used junk western saddles or pleasure saddles. Heck, even going to Big Dees and Schneider’s in person there is nothing there that’s even the style I’m looking for.

With being reluctant to do a new build off measurements, Im going to see about the DK Wade and go from there. The only reason I am keeping that on my radar is the rep has fjords himself and an appreciation for their fitting needs. I know from reading past threads about DK, the owner seems to be a piece of work, but knowing the rep already would hopefully bypass that. And most of the posts here were pertaining to English saddles and issues with re-fitting/re-flocking which doesn’t apply the same way to a western saddle.

Ill add that maker to my list to keep an eye out for in the meantime, thank you!

[Belmont]

First off, I’ll say I feel you.
I’m Western saddle shopping & am very much hating it.
Luckily, due to what we do with our horses, I’m pretty locked into the “kind” of saddle I want/need - but it hasn’t narrowed it down much.

One thing I’ve found (as a previous english saddle rep whos switched sides) is that there really isn’t much “customizing” a western saddle. A solid 90% of your saddle brands use the same couple of trees built in the same workshop in Greenville, TX. Now the above doesn’t apply if they are some sort of carbon fibery mix or flex tree, but its pretty board across so many brands in Western Performance saddles.

I do see our local Schleese rep setting up and advertising their Western saddles at Western Dressage Shows. Could be worth looking into if you have one local that could bring both english and western saddles out!

I will also add - for my leg and personal seat - I much prefer the Cowhorse saddles because they are built more up and therefore usually narrower compared to the cutting saddles. My horse has kind of a funky build. He’s wide but really not that wide up front compared to his back and built downhill. A Buster Welch tree fits him best, therefor out of ALLLL our saddles in the barn - our Jeff Smith Cutter is what I ride in (which sucks for me since I hate it personally, but it is what it is while I’m saddle shopping right now). The DL (Donn Leeson) & Beau Galyean trees don’t fit my horses well as the gullets are too narrow.

[TheHunterKid90]

I would second this that a cowhorse or reining saddle allows you to move around and has a better pocket. I feel like you get swallowed up in a cutter and can’t move or get out of your own way.

[lorilu]

I have a Harmony WD saddle. It has panels just like a dressage saddle - which my guy needed as he has a slight roach. It’s really comfy. ALso, did you know Schleese is making a WD saddle? I havnt ridden in one but I have seen them

[mvp]

OP, where are you?

If you are close to Aiken, SC you should put my John Fallis/Fallis Balanced Ride saddle on him, take it for a test-drive and see what you think.

I say that because these are unusual, close-contact Western saddles. Also, mine was made for a very wide Arabian. And there’s a really fancy black one on Ebay. It is somewhere in Georgia, near Atlanta. That one was supposedly made for a Gypsy or Friesian. But John Fallis, the maker, is in Idaho and still making saddles, If you got the serial number from that one and sent him pictures of your horse, he could probably give you a pretty good idea of whether or not it would fit.

Also, if he fits in a Wintec of some sort, he’s not a completely whacky shape. And you do a spectacular job with his mane. It looks awesome!

[FjordBCRF]

Unfortunately not very close to Aiken, we’re in the Cleveland Ohio area. But thank you so much for the offer!

Could you share the link to the one on eBay? Curious to take a look! I’ll keep an eye out for that name locally as well. The Wintec, yeah! The all purpose one has been working just fine for us, granted it has the largest gullet plate.

My western Wintec doesn’t look like a bad fit, it’s a full QH bar, but something isn’t right. He started to get a little tail swishy tacking up after about a month of use. It looks to fit ok on his back, I have a weaver felt girth for it vs a Total Saddle Fit shoulder relief for the AP. I also may have too thick of a pad? But it still seems to look ok to me both before and after a ride. I’m hesitant to spend the $ on a TSF western girth (cough….just had to replace my English one…cough cough, cause someone out grew his first one). To be fair, it was a size too small to start with because I got it used.

When we first fitted the Wintec I thought I had a girth issue and it was the saddle needing the wider gullet so I’m thinking it’s prob not the right fit on the western but not 100%.

[mvp]

Hi! The person with the Fallis saddle on Ebay has that link down. I did email her through Ebay, so I’ll pass on any info I get.

I don’t think buying a new, very expensive saddle sight unseen is the place to start. But borrowing one and asking the saddle maker to look at the saddle and pictures of your horse might help. At least the guy who made the saddle is still around and (most likely) has records with its specs.

[FjordBCRF]

Tiny update! We moved barns at the beginning of the month and the owner is quite well versed in the western world. She had a look at how the western Wintec fit and agreed it’s good I have it listed for sale. It also fits him completely differently, in a bad way from when I got it.

She’s letting me try out a treeless Bob Marshall saddle. I found it to be quite comfortable and Charlie didn’t seem to have too many thoughts one way or another, so we will see after a few more rides I imagine. Here’s a couple fit photos with and without saddle pad.

To me it seems on the longer side for his short back, BO said that bothers some with shorter backs and not others, so time will tell.

[GreyDes]

@FjordBCRF - I love my Bob Marshall! If you decide you both like it, they have round skirted versions which may be a bit better for a shorter backed horse.

I used an endurance model on two short-backed Arabs and currently have a Wrangler for longer trail rides on my Hanoverian.

I did have to use a breastplate for stability with my Arabs - both were wide with almost no withers.

Also, you probably know that the pad is critical. You need one that will provide the support you’re not getting from the tree. I’ve had excellent results with Skito and know there are several other brands that others swear by.

[FjordBCRF]

Glad to have some feedback!!

We went for a ride out in it today and I could feel him under me in a major way that I like. I think the seat on this one is a little small for me, but otherwise so far so good. The pad does have structure to it as well, do these pads have a specific name?

And do you know the differences between the Wrangler and the Trail models? It doesn’t seem to be much? I saw you can them them in a rounded skirt too which would definitely be the route I go if I get my own. I’m planning to give this one some time to see if I get any major objections and if I don’t, this might be the way we go!

[GreyDes]

The pads will be called Treeless saddle pads. The two I know off the top of my head are Skito and Equipedic. I’ve used Skito for 15+ years on multiple horses and have been happy with it, however be aware that the foam gets stiff in cold weather and will need to be warmed up if you don’t have a heated tack room.

The Trail and Wrangler models are very similar. The main differences are the Wrangler has a higher cantle, dished seat, peaked pommel and the stirrups are set up to have a bit of swing. My husband has the trail model and both are super comfortable. I wanted the higher cantle for a bit more support but the difference is honestly pretty small.

One thing to consider - I personally find both models put me in a bit of a chair seat. It’s fine (and comfortable) for trail riding at a walk, but I hate posting in either model. The endurance saddle is rigged with the stirrups more under you and if you end up ordering one, they will do endurance rigging on any of the models if you ask.

[FjordBCRF]

BO and I tried 3 more of her western saddles, a wade, a lady wade, and a reining saddle that works on quite a few of her horses. Someone has such a wide back that there wasn’t a chance any would be comfortable.

We rode in the Bob Marshall for a short indoor warmup which he was really moving out for me, then hit the trails. We were out and about for at least an hour and we both seemed pretty comfortable. I’m going to give it a few more rides then put in an order for a Bob Marshall of our very own.

[endlessclimb]

If for whatever reason that doesn’t work out and youre limited by color, my friend sent his show saddle out to be dyed from blonde to black and it was STUNNING. I can find out contact info for you if you need it. It was not that expensive, IIRC.

[FjordBCRF]

It Bob Marshall design time and I am FICKLE. At first I thought I’d just go with a black saddle:

Then I saw some really nice brown and black tooling that looked nice:

THEN I saw this but wasn’t loving the seat:

So I edited it and I think I really like this look. The colors are almost a perfect match with his dun and black:

Id like to get matching head stall and breastplate. What do you all think?

[Against_All_Odds2]

I personally like solid black as a contrast to his golden hide. But just my preference! All of those are stunning!