Same! I just bought a new (well used but it was a demo) saddle and sold my old one to suit the current horses I am riding. Got the opportunity to also make it a good saddle for me, too. Its been years since a win-win horse & me saddle experience 
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Most of us just kind of wing it until we get an eye on what size girth a certain horse/saddle needs. I have quiet the collection in my tack room. You just never know what you’ll need. Good luck. Sneak out to the barn with your saddle while your daughter is doing something else. 
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Ain’t that the truth.
I have a 16.2 horse, wears an 81 blanket, that goes in a 46" (was a 44" for a minute), despite looking appropriately chunky and not as narrow as you’d think.
16.3 wore a 52-54", also wore an 81" blanket.
15.2 (15.3 on tiptoes), 74" blanket, 48-50" girth.
All for the same or similar saddle and billet length! This is why so many people just collect stuff. You think you’ll never need the cob bridles again and the next big horse you buy has a tiny head!
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Me too. The saddle was a Christmas gift and I still can picture the moment I opened it. Our instructor had an “interesting” collection of saddles, including quite a few McClellan saddles and at least one very hard park saddle, so it was great to have something a bit more comfortable.
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I honestly don’t want to admit how many girths I own for one large pony. Because, you know, what if another pony just showed up someday and needed its own girth?
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I would either ask your trainer for a size recommendation, or gift the saddle with a note about also getting a girth then borrow girths from your trainer to figure out the size needed with daughter’s particular saddle and saddle pad set up.
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Or, you know, what if one day someone is running around collecting girth donations for girthless ponies all over the world? WON’T YOU HELP A GIRTHLESS PONY TODAY?
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I ride lesson horses nowadays.
I have bought tack since I started riding lesson horses because I have my tack adapted to my physical disabilities. Since I have been deep into horses for over 50 years I sort of know what I am doing.
I have a wide selection of girths, mostly synthetic nylon/fleece, for use with jumping saddles, and now I am outfitting my Spanish saddle with dressage length synthetic girths (some leather thrown it.)
I have yet to use some of the girths I’ve collected, but I now have a reasonable guarantee that I DO have a girth that will fit a particular lesson horse. I keep my girths cleaner than most lesson stables (vacuum after every ride.) It is sort of hard to tell, but I think that these lesson horses appreciate their vacuumed off girth, saddle pad, and washed off bits.
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This has been my experience as well. I’ve actually never been to a barn in which the lesson horses have their own assigned saddles. They usually have an assortment of lesson saddles in various seat sizes and adjust with padding accordingly. I’m not sure if it’s a regional thing at all, but it’s been this way at all of the ones I’ve frequented in my area.
Most I know of will want to check your saddle on their horses and OK the fit before you use them in my experience, but will allow you to use it if they deem it an acceptable fit.
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This is one of the reasons I have a ridiculous amount of tack! 
It definitely comes in handy a lot and I have horse family that knows to come to me if they want to try a new bit, because chances are I’ll have it in my collection. I have a hard time getting rid of anything because it seems that once you do, you end up needing it and wish you hadn’t! So, 10 saddles (English and Western) and countless strapgoods, bits, and saddle pads and half pads it is!
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Very true! I have various sizes of just about everything from over the years, and I don’t know how many times I’ve pulled something out that hasn’t been used in years and was glad I kept it! I keep thinking I need to downsize because it takes up a lot of room and some of it has been boxed away forever, but I know if I get rid of anything, I will absolutely need it after the fact!
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