I hate everything about saddles (vent)

[quietann]

Just a vent folks, but …

Right now, I hate dealing with saddles, saddle fitting, new saddles, old saddles, saddle issues, saddle sellers, saddle fitters, saddle companies, and basically just about anything having to do with saddles.

The saddle that would fit both me and my horse is, apparently, a unicorn.

The horse is wide-barreled but narrow-shouldered, has a very forward girth groove, a shortish but not insanely short back, and HAS WITHERS so saddles built for cobs etc. don’t work. And saddles built for wide horses don’t work either, because of her withers and narrow shoulders.

I am short, short- and round-legged, slightly fat, and have hip issues.

I am actually considering retiring my horse because of this. Well, this and the $$$ it takes to keep her sound … but I have had it with saddles.

[GoForAGallop]

I’ve just got to ask, in the midst of your venting…have you tried a Thorowgood/Kent and Masters?

[Shermy]

Look at Steele Saddles…

They have “TRY before you buy”, three week loaner program. I have a hard to fit horse, tried their saddles, EXTREMELY comfortable and fit my horse.

They fit different than the normal saddle, doesn’t put a lot of pressure on their withers, hard to explain. They claim their saddle fits 85-90% of horses and can tweak for the ones that need tweaking…

http://steelesaddle.com/demo-program/

Eric was VERY helpful, was an easy process. They want several pics of the horse and saddle, to make sure it does fit.

These are trail saddles, ALL can come with OR without a horn… I didn’t know what type of saddle you were looking to get…

[CHT]

If I was in the US, I would just hand the problem to Jay at Trumbull. He seems to have knowledge of such a wide range of saddles, and is great to deal with. Unfortunately for me, buying a European saddle through a US fitter when I am in Canada makes no sense.

[DJohn]

I feel ya! Just when I think I’ve got it… I’ve lost it!

[RPM]

Does it have to be an English saddle?

[walkers]

I wish people would stop advertising for steele saddles, They do not fit many horses. Eric rides Rocky Mt. horses. The saddles fit narrow horses, they are also heavy and yes I have one. They are comfortable but fit very few horses if you really know how to fit a saddle, Nothing against them, well made but really not for a lot of horses . My friends love them on their rocky mt. horses and a small TWH horse.

[UrbanHennery]

Yep, I’d call Jay at Trumbull, she’s awesome to work with. And I second asking if you’ve tried the Kent & Masters, Thorowgood, or Fairfax. They all fit my wide backed, somewhat narrowed shouldered, withered QH. Not all of the, fit me, but it was just a lot of trial and error.

[quietann]

Yes, needs to be an English saddle.

The one I have now was bought through Trumbull. This does NOT mean I blame them. What I have is a saddle that is pretty good for me, but does not really fit my horse, and the horse is telling me so. The demo I had fit her better other than having a too-wide tree, but the changes I requested for me in the saddle I ordered were necessary. There were a couple of options for fitting the horse that I didn’t know about that might have helped. Again, please do NOT blame Trumbull.

The three basic trees that K&M offers don’t really work. The high-wither is a very bad fit. The “regular” tree was kind of meh, and at least the saddle I rode in put me way off balance. The cob/broadback tree did fine for me and came closest to fitting her, BUT in order to get it off her withers, I had to use a gullet plate that was too narrow, so it ended up pinching her further down. (She LOVED the XXW gullet plate but it was sitting right on her withers, and I doubt she would have loved that over time. XW wasn’t enough of a change, and the W was “just enough” but then it was pinching her.)

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=quietann;8189731]

The three basic trees that K&M offers don’t really work. The high-wither is a very bad fit. The “regular” tree was kind of meh, and at least the saddle I rode in put me way off balance. The cob/broadback tree did fine for me and came closest to fitting her, BUT in order to get it off her withers, I had to use a gullet plate that was too narrow, so it ended up pinching her further down. (She LOVED the XXW gullet plate but it was sitting right on her withers, and I doubt she would have loved that over time. XW wasn’t enough of a change, and the W was “just enough” but then it was pinching her.)[/QUOTE]

She might be a horse who is just going to do best with a saddle that “comes close”, and then has it made perfect with the skilled use of some assorted pads. Assuming you liked the saddle enough, I’d revisit the broadback Thorowgood (that tree “shape” now comes in several different models, btw, so maybe you could do better than “fine” for you.) in the XW tree, with a nice shimmable pad like a Mattes or Thinline. The Thorowgoods are also wool flocked so the XW gullet might go from comes close to perfect with just some flocking adjustments as well.

For $800, (T4 saddle + nice pad or saddle fitting appt), you might be able to ride your horse again and crawl your way out of the 11th circle of hell that is fitting a challenging horse.

[mscapen]

I feel your pain:
Horse: TB : 15.3 : Ex-Broodmare withers there but not extreme, very short and narrow girth space, large ( think QH) shoulder muscle, shorter back ( saddle space), can be girthy, will develop very sore shoulders when saddle is to narrow in the shoulder area. She needs a wide gullet in the back as her rib cage is wide.
Rider: Older, long hip to knee ( need 17.5 to 18 ) a bit overwheight ( hip and thigh)
For the time being we are riding in an x-wide courbette flex tree 18 seat even if it is not the best for me it keeps her sound and somewhat happy, even if it pushes me forward. This is a dressage type.
We use only 2 pads one square and one half pad with anti slip material as Mme Mare dislikes fiddling with saddle pad and this keeps everything in place.
I am looking for a real AP that would put me in a better position we tried: Stubben wide tree, Lovatt and Ricket ( 2 different ones) med and med wide, as most saddle fitters that have seen the mare disagree that she needs a wide tree, and Santa Cruze ( I do not know that you have that in the states).
My second job right now is selling second hand saddles that I have bought and do not fit.
Still looking for a saddle fitter to come out our remote way, preferably someone that is not trying to sell some system but wants to do right by us.

[Dressagelvr]

I know someone who had these issues and one of Heather Moffett’s saddles worked for her.

[Emilia]

Some older model of Kent & Masters might do. Annette Gavin at Hastilowusa sometimes carries them and is very knowledgeable about the way the British saddles fit.

They have changed trees over time. Newer trees won’t do for us either, but I got an older model and it seems to be working. Our horse is also a Morgan with similar conformation you describe.

I would also support above suggestions on using shimming for “a decent fit otherwise,” such as Pro Lite Tri Pad.

[Pocket_Pony]

Have you tried treeless?

[Rallycairn]

Ask your saddle fitter(s) about used Coventry saddles in a medium or wide tree. If she were wide shouldered I would say go with the AP, but since you say she is wide backed but narrow shouldered one of the forward jump saddles might be a better choice. These were well made English saddles, not expensive but good quality.

I got mine new from M&M in 1998 for my grade mare who is WIDE, this one:

http://www.mmtackshop.com/store/CONS1839-1!CON/

We have since bought one more in the same model for our PB Connemara (they may have the wide tree, though, not sure without checking), and a forward jump saddle for our high-withered cobby type boy.

I’m tempted to buy this one if M&M still has it – it would be our THIRD one of exactly the same model – but these are great saddles. I couldn’t get rid of my Stuebben Edelweiss fast enough when I bought this one back in 1998. Coventry just fit an amazing number of horses well.

Older Collegiates can fit some of the hard to fit horses, too. That’s what we got for our new Appy sporthorse boy, on the advice of his trainer, and he seems quite happy in it.

You probably don’t want to even HEAR about more saddles to try, though – I feel your pain!!

[pezk]

I’m also tired of the endless drama of trying to fit the hard to fit horse. I’m getting closer to buying a western saddle for the mare. Maybe that would make her happier.

[Pocket_Pony]

[QUOTE=pezk;8190104]
I’m also tired of the endless drama of trying to fit the hard to fit horse. I’m getting closer to buying a western saddle for the mare. Maybe that would make her happier.[/QUOTE]

Western saddles are in no way easier and I’ve found even a bit more difficult in fitting/finding something that works. If you think by going western you’d have it easier, you’d be very wrong! :lol:

[DancingArabian]

Go treeless! Far easier to adjust the fit for multiple horses too.

[quietann]

Treeless is ruled out for various reasons. Western is mostly an issue for me as every Western saddle I’ve been in has left my hips screaming.

Meanwhile I trail rode in the saddle from Trumbull today, just walking, and it was SO comfortable … but I fear it’s just going to be impossible to do anything more to help it fit my horse.

[candyappy]

Is there anyway to have a tree ( then saddle) made to fit her shape? She almost sounds like a mule except for lots of wither. I have been there with a hard to fit horse, but not as bad a time as you are having.

You have my sympathy.