To me it looks like you’d want the bar tip to be where you thumb is (assuming you’re feeling the back of the shoulder blade).
As a start if you can’t confidently feel the bar tips, position the front of the front “rosettes” where your thumb is.
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I will feel it out and try it tomorrow. Those two articles were great - I’m far more familiar with English saddle trees and construction than western ones, so that was super educational.
The mohair cinch arrived, will try that on too.
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Their website/blog has a ton of great information, especially for when you’re switching from English to Western. For example “twist” means two completely different things!
I highly recommend poking around more when you have time - so much good information and visuals.
They used to make custom saddle trees, which is a rare thing. While you might hear a lot about a “custom” saddle, they still tend to order the trees from a handful of manufacturers with standard trees.
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I forgot to tell you about these cinches. I use them on my cutting saddles. They are a leather cinch with a polyester pad. I do really like them but they are spendy. However they last a long time if taken care of.
I’m not saying it’s going to solve all your problems, just another option.
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That’s about what this damned TSF girth cost. I’m willing to give it a try. I’m going to try the mohair and the weaver air thingy one first, but will put this one on the list.
Maybe I’ll contact the Saddle Shop joint over in Indiana to see if I can haul her in to try a bunch of stuff on.
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They are expensive! I might be able to snag you one from work that’s not trashed. I’ll send it, if you want try it. Then you’re not spending $225 on a cinch for a saddle you don’t plan on using forever.
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The trick part is her size - if you have one in a 26 I’d be forever thankful!
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No problem!
Size shouldn’t be an issue as 26" is generally the size we use. I’m off for a few days but I’ll message you Sunday with what I find.
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Awesome, thank you a million!
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Leather and FjordBCRF, have either of you ridden in your treeless saddles with a Port Lewis pad under? A good solid 35-40 minute WTC ride?
In reading through leathers links, and it’s led me down a rabbit hole on treeless, bigtime mixed reviews. The authors of that website strongly recommend against treeless due to pressure points and weight distribution.
I ride every saddle I’ve got in a Port Lewis pad at least once a month to make sure nothing is causing issues and that distribution is good. Even the questionable fit western saddle on the pony has good distribution and no distinct pressure points, but was wondering how a treeless compares.
I use a Skito pad with laminated inserts (sturdier/long distance option) and merino wool. Cost a pretty penny at a little over $400, but with treeless you HAVE to go big on the right saddle pad designed for a treeless saddle. My saddle is a Bob Marshall that I had custom made after riding in my barn owners one for 4-5 months. I love it. I can feel SO much feedback while I’m in it and he was much happier to lift his belly up and get under himself a little more.
I’ve had exactly zero issues with anything related to either Bob we’ve ridden in, be it out for a couple hours on trail or a more intense training ride. A lot of endurance folks swear by the treeless saddles and Skito/JenX pads.
The Port Lewis pad is the putty filled one that shows pressure points. Have you ridden in something like that, to see if there’s a concentration of pressure anywhere?
I can’t see how a treeless could possibly distribute weight the same as a treed saddle, particularly with posting the trot or doing any kind of 2 point, but would be glad to be proven wrong.
Personally no.
Again, he’s shown more comfort in the treeless saddle than any other I’ve ridden in; no sweat mark concerns, no girth galling which I’m hypersensitive to since that was the first issue I had with him, and it visibly looks like a good fit. I’m also a smaller person at 125lbs. Skito has different foam options that are recommended for riders over 175. The laminated ones I got also help more with weight distribution which I figured is worth the extra $.
He gets monthly bodywork done, quarterly electroacupuncture, and I use a massage gun nearly daily on him and his back has never been a hot spot.
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Ok, thank you!
Grundy is improving every day, her best rides are day 3 (would be opposite if the saddle itself was pinching), and strangely enough I learned about a month ago that if she could pick she prefers to be mounted from the ground (we will work on getting the mounting block as good as the ground - she stands perfect but there’s an edge there on the first couple steps that isn’t there when I mount from the ground.)
I also use a percussion gun almost daily, and her back is never an issue. Her stifles were weak, but they also are rapidly improving.
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I think you found the main issue. Compromised skin.
Long term have you considered some fascia work to loosen up the scar tissue and make the skin area more elastic?
I’m not going to tell you whether to keep working or not. Eyes on the ground should decide this not some internet person you don’t know.
I’m totally open to it. Whatever the cause, I’ve got to get it stopped.
As far as the internet critiques, I’m working with a trainer, take frequent video, etc. I’m 100% confident in the direction we are heading. No worries! Just need to get the galling worked out. If I can shim/play with this saddle to get it to fit better, I’m down. A whole new saddle is not going to happen, it’s not needed. If i decide that we will ride long rides in the western, I’ll get her one that fits better. For what we’re doing now, this works.
If you have an Amish community near you, ask around for saddle shops. In my area a couple of shops take in older used saddles from people just getting rid of stuff/ cleaning out the tack room. The saddles are usually older and can look rough, but they are solid and, frequently, cheap. I found one for my TWH for either $50 or $75. It needed new latigos and a new girth, but the total cost for a perfectly useable, though not pretty, saddle was under $150. Later I had the fleece and leather ties replaced, but even that was only around $100.
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Ditto what @FjordBCRF has said about pretty much everything. The pad is critical and I had bodywork done regularly on my horses when using the treeless and they never had issues.
I too was concerned about weight distribution, but I sort of thought which was the lesser of two evils - the potential for a smaller weight distribution or a definite poorly fitting tree?
Because I was riding a gaited horse I wasn’t worried about posting causing pressure points. And when I happened to use the treeless on my Paint I wasn’t worried much either because it’s not like posting is just standing in the stirrups - back in the day during lessons I had to do plenty of posting trot with no stirrups! 
Since I have TWHs now (i.e., longer backs) and found some great fitting saddles I don’t use the treeless as much, but it’s definitely handy for situations with a new horse until I can find a saddle that works well.
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I think your ultimate problem is HER ANATOMY and the rigging on the saddle.
She’s got a decent ribcage. That is going to push the cinch forward. You can’t do anything about that. Therefore, when the cinch is forced into that position, it is also going to force your saddle more forward than it should be. On top of it, her heartgirth area is forward. Look at where it sits in relation to her withers.
If you look back on the sale picture you posted, their saddle is doing the exact same thing - it’s way forward and sitting on her shoulders.
She is a tough fit. You are probably going to need a saddle with full rigging, which is the forward most position.
A saddle is going to sit where it is going to sit, and no matter where you tack up, it’s still going to “move” where it wants to be.
The tree on the saddle itself seems to look decent as far as fit (angles and such). On a few of the pictures, it almost looked like it was “perching” a bit, but then in other pictures the bar angle seemed to match really nicely. But again, you might be stuck because no padding can change the fact of where her heartgirth is. And no girth is going to change where her heartgirth is.
I would NOT shim this saddle, in my opinion. I think you would create a tight spot on the shoulder.
I know you tried a lot of saddles before you found this one … and I know you don’t want to find another saddle … but you can keep spending money on pads, girths, etc etc, and I really don’t think any of it is going to help if you keep this current saddle. The only real solution to this problem is to find a different saddle that has different rigging. Sorry!
I myself ride in the Circle Y flex2 trees.
They are NOT a full flex tree. Only the very front and the very back of the tree is the part that flexes.
Here is a video that shows a bare tree and how they work. And it’s not like they are super flimsy. You can still run your hand like you normally would to access saddle fit.
The tree does not change when the rider sits in the saddle because the main portion is rigid like a normal tree.
Now, I do agree that Endlessclimb has a dilemma here. Even though the front of the tree will flex, it is way too far forward and the shoulder is going to hit the rigid non-flex component of the tree.
I have 3 of their Flex2 saddles (one wide and two regular) and I don’t have issues with mine riding forward, even on my “well sprung ribs” guy. But, his anatomy is a little different that OP’s horse.
My main mare, her saddle sits pretty far BACK on her. At first, I didn’t think the saddle fit very well on her but then came to realize that’s where it is going to sit and we don’t have any issues, so it is what it is.
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