Can anyone offer advice on finding a saddle for a super short backed, but wide across her back and spine.
So far customs haven’t worked even with pony panels.
We do have a saddle fitter involved but any advice is appreciated
Albion Fabrento was designed for a compact conformation, and you might be able to even get the panel slimmed down further. I have one on a very short backed GRP who can wear a full 17.5 seat in this saddle with room to spare.
Black Country will make a larger seat on smaller panels. I highly recommend Patty Merli who did remote fittings on my mare who was challenging to fit with wide shoulders and a relatively short back.
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Bliss Loxley works well on my ArabX who has the world’s shortest bearing surface, he tells me.
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Custom’s pony panels are a lot of brands standard panels. I have aways found the Customs to not fit well on really short backs.
There are a lot of great options. I would need a lot more information to be able to make some recommendations.
The Black Country Kur is built on shorter panels and is available with either standard or hoop trees in a variety of widths. My super wide, incredibly short backed Arab mare goes well in a Kur with a 17W hoop tree. She has 14 inches of weight bearing area from behind the shoulders to T18!
My mare has an extremely wide and short back and Amerigo works for her.
My mare has a very short back and is also very wide. This is the opposite of what you asked for, but she goes GREAT in an EQ Encore saddle. The panels are by design longer but they work for us. She has a huge shoulder and I have to set it back farther than I would on most horses and as a result the end of the back panel is technically too far back on her. Still, this is by far her preferred saddle. Bonus - I also really like it.
To give you an idea of how short and wide she is - she’s 16.3 and wears a size 75 blanket. This winter she gained weight from lack of work and I couldn’t fasten the center surcingle on her blanket because she was so roly poly. I had to buy blanket straps for the next size up and replace them. Basically she is a barrel on legs. 
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I have had great success with a Black Country Eloquence X on my wide, curvy, short-backed Morgan. She has been able to accommodate an 18" seat.
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Black Country would be my go-to for something that works for the horse and is still comfortable for the rider.
I agree, at least a breed?
That said, I fit a 17.5" seat size on my 14.3 Connemara Pony cross with my Fairfax Cob Dressage. He goes in a wide or medium wide gullet depending on his fitness. I appreciate the flexibility given my riding “seasons”. Moderately broad at times, but not a lot of real estate withers to tail to work with.
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Is that an older model, the Fairfax Cob dressage?
I’ve never seen one. I haven’t even heard of it before, but now I’m curious.
I didn’t mind my Fairfax, but loved my Amerigo. My PRE had a short back, and the Amerigo fit us both.
It is. It is from a time when the Fairfax/Kent & Masters/Thorowgood saddles were all pretty similar but with different levels of material quality. Has K&M and Thorowgood discontinued the Cob models?!
The tree and panels are most compareble to this: https://kentandmasters.co.uk/products/kent-masters-original-cob-gp-saddle (This saddle has the short gullet/tree points to eliminate digging into flat backs.)
The overall and flap configuration is like this: https://mmtackshop.com/products/fairfax-classic-cupped-flap-dressage-saddle?variant=40258758180947¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOoq3hVjVFgAcZgqVsf67sF6mOxaixt2M1i-3SlFSg8rkb2_pB2LFKeM (flaps molded over fixed blocks)
I tried to go a different route (outside of my fitter) and I lost about $500 delving into Loxely/Bliss saddles. Once I climbed back into this saddle I realized how well balanced it was (thanks to my fitter). My saddle fitter also deals in Amerigos. I love them. She also thinks Amerigo is a good match…but she really likes how this one fits.
We also have a lot of flexibility by adjusting the tree/gullet as well as the flocking. So she can maybe put a wider gullet plate in with more flocking or vice versa. We find that he likes a wider fit, with softer flocking. Princess and pea situation…My fitter is amazing. She’s been with us since the day we started him and she can tell when he is not happy.
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The Passier Compact could be a good option.
It was a bit funny when I was looking for a saddle for my last short backed horse, because most of the recommendations were not nearly short enough. So try to get measurements or see the saddles in person before buying.
Also, while the horse matters, you do too. The Passier Compact seemed simple enough, but I sat in it on my horse and did not like it.
I hate saddle shopping!
Fairfax and Kent and Masters just changed a bunch if their model and the cob tree is back in the regular lineup.
Another vote for Bliss Loxley. Works on my Arabs and mustangs.
My horses that I tried the Passier compact did not like it. Since I struggle for proper position in Passier saddles it didn’t work for me either. IME, Passier saddles seem better aligned for tall leggy riders (especially the twist and stirrup bar placement).
Interestingly, I recently observed two tall leggy riders (one pro, one young rider) who felt comfortable in Passier saddles feel off balance and uncomfortable when trying Black Country saddles with hoop trees. The twist was too wide for them and the stirrup bars not quite right. OTOH, Black Country hoop tree saddles are really comfortable for me - my leg position is correct and the wide twist is comfortable for me. I’ve ridden in at least 4 different BCS dressage models built with hoop trees and the seat “feels like home” to me. So rider anatomy and comfort matter too.
The saddle fit struggle is real!!
That makes sense. I’m not tall and/or leggy. I do find Black Country saddles to have very comfortable seats, but it’s been ages since I’ve ridden in one. I considered one for my current horse, but I just had no way to try them, aside from a bunch of shipping misc saddles back and forth. I’ve only ridden in their jump saddles and one dressage model (again, ages ago).
I just felt like I couldn’t get my leg on my horse correctly in the Passier, and my leg couldn’t “hang” as it should. Saddles, are so personal though!
