Dressage saddle for stock horse?

[Equestrian1992]

Hi everyone, I recently got a new paint mare. It has been an uphill battle for every step of owning this mare! I love her, but she is a typical moody mare (dealing with that), VERY green, and has an unwilling attitude towards riding. We have made enormous progress with the help of my amazing coach who hopefully will be able to ride her soon (I have been the only one to ride her so far). I am happy with the progress we have made but I the saddle I just got is not a good fit for her. I currently have a Wintec Dressage pro with a white gullet insert (wide I think?). I don’t like the way it sits on my mare’s back, it pitches forward and and back is left up in the air! She doesn’t seem to like it too much either, and today she even bucked really bad asking for the canter, which she has never done before and I have known this mare for 5 years. Definitely seemed to me a “I don’t like this it hurts!” type of buck. I tried using a couple different pads/half-pads to correct this but nothing seems to work. Does anyone have any suggestions for brands they like on a stock horse type build? My mare is not downhill really, I would say more just even, but has almost NO wither to hold a saddle in place.

I want to get the saddle fitter out and that is my top priority, and I won’t be riding in that saddle anymore, but in the mean time, I am curious what has worked for others, and even more so, on a tight budget! I know there was a similar thread, but a lot of people actually suggested the Wintec, I am curious if anyone tried it and it didn’t fit, and then they found something else? Thanks in advance!

[outerbanks77]

Photos would help.

White is the XW gullet, and sounds like it might be too wide, which would cause the saddle to be pulled down in front.

Some stock horse types need a hoop tree and some don’t. There is a wide variety of shapes within quarter horses.

On a tight budget, Thorowgood might be a better choice for a round horse than Wintec. No personal experience with them, but it’s what I’ve read.

[jaybird660]

I agree with the poster above. Many paints that we fit do use a hoop tree but some also need some panel support. It’s hard to say without more info such as photos.

[Toblersmom]

I haven’t had the fitter out for dressage saddle shopping, but I had a similar experience with a Wintec AP with my mustang. He was going fine for the trainer riding in her saddle (brand of which escapes me), but was sticky picking up the canter with me in the Wintec AP and getting worse with it. Had my instructor (different person than the trainer) get on during a lesson to “get after him” a bit more than I’m comfortable with, he gave a little baby temper-tantrum prop/hop and the saddle pitched forward over his neck, at which point he freaked and scurried back, and she went off. I think he was more astonished than she was. As far as I know that’s the only time anybody has ever fallen off of him and the only time he’s ever shown any kind of overt misbehavior while ridden (other than a time the trainer was riding in an open field and he was charged by a loose horse and bolted). Including when he was first started after being picked up from BLM holding. Point being that, if I’d kept going with a poorly fitting saddle, he would seem to have an “unwilling attitude” (and I’m sure would eventually develop a very real unwillingness), when he’s actually extremely willing but just couldn’t take it anymore with that saddle.

When I had a saddle fitter out, he said the tree on the Wintec was too curved for my guy, so it acted like a rocking chair (which I could tell just by the “wiggliness” of it once he pointed it out, no matter which gullet plate I tried in it). The best fit jump saddle for us was an Adam Ellis Chloe. When I do start dressage-saddle shopping I’ll be looking at that brand first, probably. Not exactly inexpensive, but not way up in the stratosphere, either.

[Dee-Vee]

I find that most dressage saddles are designed with warm bloods in mind…or horses larger than stock horses. I have had really good luck with the PDS showtime…and no it is not budget friendly, but that’s the challenge of saddle fitting. It allows for a shorter back and a deeper shoulder. Has interchangeable gullets. Also positions the rider correctly.

As other riders have suggested check out the Thorowgood. When I was looking, it seemed to be one that frequently popped up in my list. Best of luck.

[no.stirrups]

A horse with no withers almost certainly needs a hoop tree. Wintec and Bates trees are angular. Which hoop tree, in which brand of saddle, will be the right one is what we need pictures to attempt to help with.

[windygirl]

We had similar issues with our QH and ended up with a Black Country with a hoop tree, not super budget friendly, but it did the trick. Maybe look for a used hoop tree saddle to try on your horse.

[Equestrian1992]

Thanks for the advice guys! I have a couple brands in mind now and can discuss them with the saddle fitter. I have heard of the thorowgood brand working with other stock types and it’s pretty budget friendly so maybe that will work. If not, guess I’ll not the bullet and move up a step haha