I never had a saddle fitting where the rep didn’t watch the horse being lunged and ridden before working on the saddle, and then repeating the process after they made their adjustments. The sweat pattern was checked after each riding session to help verify the adjustment.
If a rep isn’t doing this, I would look for a rep who does.
My Equipe EKGO that is for sale won’t fit you (it’s a 17 with a long, straight flap), but it does work on horses like this. I used it on my growing guy when he needed more withers clearance yet a wider tree, and it worked ok until he grew into a beefcake. Which I knew would happen but he’d already grown out of the saddle I started him in.
A saddle like a Voltaire with a half pad doesn’t piss off a horse like this because the short tree points stay away from their shoulders. But Voltaire in general is not my go to brand for true high withers conformation. (Said beefcake is now going in a wide tree Voltaire but he no longer has relatively high withers compared to my other horse who does trend towards shark fin except when he’s morbidly obese and absolutely hates Voltaire after about ride 3).
Amerigo has a long head iron option that can provide some support for these horses without building up the front panel excessively. They also tend to work ok for some backs with some shape, which your horse has. World Equestrian Brands is the more centralized rep for both brands now, if you don’t have a local/regional rep near you. They have some used saddles and demos. You can also find some through the fitter network and on places like Highline, Goldfinch Fine Tack. I found my EKGO used through Double Oak.
You know it! Patty is simply the best!! I have three BCs now with Patty’s help. I agree a BC is a good fit for TBs with this conformation
Mine’s in an Amerigo DJ (medium tree) for jumping, and a Prestige Passion K for dressage (originally ordered in a 33 tree and just had it opened up to a 34 last week).
I use a Thinline Trifecta cotton pad (no shims) with the Amerigo and my horse LOVES this setup and this saddle. Even as he’s had some body changes with being out of work, rehab, building up muscle, etc, he has told us this is what he wants. The Amerigo has independent panels that flex with them so I assume it’s a bit more forgiving.
I have seen several 17.5 Amerigo DJs show up recently in Ontario (Canada) Facebook groups if you decide to take a chance and ship one over the border. At least the exchange rate would be in your favour!
That’s awesome! I will definitely check it out, I’m in northeast Ohio so Ontario isn’t too far actually I just never would have thought to look there! And thank you @IPEsq for your suggestions, that’s all super helpful. This whole journey has been a huge learning experience for me, I grew up riding h/j where saddle fit wasn’t really even spoken much about and it almost didn’t matter because you just threw a giant wool beval half pad on every single horse anyway 
I appreciate the information from everyone!
If you still can’t find something that works you might want to check out the EQ Saddle Science saddles. They make a jumper version that can be pretty highly customized. They aren’t cheap, but the science behind them is awesome. Once you have a tree that fits your horse then you can tweak the fit by moving the rubber disks that connect the panels to the tree. Which is great as your horse builds muscle or changes shape. It can also be used to fit asymmetric muscling. They have shown that if the dip behind the shoulders is muscle atrophy rather than conformation, that you can rebuild that muscle. So far I’ve had fantastic luck with their remote fitting, trial, and ordering a saddle from them.
Funny you mention them! I have their Encore dressage saddle for my semi-retired event horse! I sometimes forget they do jump saddles too now
Amanda ghosting people and being aggressive?? Sounds so very unlike her…. (sarcasm )
It’s funny, Stubben was out yesterday (saddle only needs shims for now, thank freaking god) and somehow, the CEO for NA was on the trip with my rep, and I mentioned I had gone to Amanda first for some advice and help, and they all exchanged some loaded looks so I’m a little sus now lol.
Long, long history of ghosting people and being catty.
I saw online a new Stubben for sale yesterday. The seller said the reason for selling was that the seat was too big, but it had some crazy overstuffed panels also. I mean, who is making these saddles these days?!
There was on the local FB page here, brand new. Overstuffed as heck. I thought of this thread as the saddle looked so similar.
So, to end my long saga, they FINALLY agreed to a refund. After a few emails back and forth and them suggesting I ride in the saddle to break the panels in bc “the new panels break in so nicely” …dude I can’t even post high enough to clear the pommel. I just had a baby and my friend joked that I’m gonna get pregnant again from the pommel they finally conceded after I argued that I wasn’t even comfortable sitting in it, as the back panels dug into my horse. They “could see my concerns”. Ugh.
As a final cherry on top, I got to pay $120 to ship it back to them. Now just hoping I get the refund check. @katiesteph did they give you any funny business? I’m almost expecting it now.
@katiesteph I am having a very similar issue with my custom Phoenix Elite and my thoroughbred. Panels were overstuffed like yours and tree points were pinching his withers. I’ve been going back and forth with my fitter since my vet confirmed the saddle was causing my horse pain in March but my fitter doesn’t seem to escalate things in a timely manner. I don’t have any contact info for anyone else at Stubben aside from what’s on the website. Any tips?
So sorry for the late reply here! Did you get this resolved??
Yes! I got a full refund 
I’ve been looking for a new saddle and was so interested in Stubben since my guy has high withers. So disappointed to see all of this! Especially since I’m in the same area so would have the same rep 
this post has definitely made me decide to look at other brands
Oh I know, it’s so unfortunate b/c I like the premise behind how Stubbens are (supposed) to be built I just don’t trust them for shit anymore after what I went through. Sadly, my coworker just went through a similiarly horrendous issue with Passier too
Oof that is good to know too! I have also been on that saddle fitting fb group ran by a stubben rep and been so discouraged about their rhetoric about the wither hollows… every horse with that conformation is damaged and needs a year of ground work before being ridden 
… and then NEEDS a custom stubben. If I didn’t know any better I definitely would’ve gotten one! So glad it ended up working out for you and you got your money back!
There’s been quite a bit of buzz in the fitter community about that group lately! Unfortunately, it’s turned a bit sour, with moderators banning people who express any questions or concerns about their posts or the information shared. I tend to keep my distance since it feels pretty negative, and it seems more like a promotion platform for Stubben, which isn’t really in line with my views on fitting.
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