So, I teach lessons to Special Needs kids. Most are few are autistic, ADD, etc. My current lesson saddles are a close contact, two Wintecs, and my JC Thornhill Trail. But now I need a saddle for my newly acquired Belgian Draft mare, Gwyn. She’s big, but not super gigantic.
I don’t like using horns with my kids, and I like English stirrups, but they need extra security. The synthetic saddle seem to be preferred by my sensory kids.
Any ideas? I also need something that won’t break the bank.
Maybe an Icelandic saddle? They’re well-padded and more comfortable than many other saddles.
Or a dressage saddle? A dressage saddle with a deep seat feels incredibly more secure to me than any western saddle I’ve ever tried.
Or an Australian saddle? Deep like Western but no horn.
An Icelandic saddle - I’ll have to look into those!
How about a hornless Western saddle? I have seen on an endurance FB page where a few people switch out the Western fenders for English leathers.
At one point I had a Abetta that was synthetic and Western. Not a bad saddle.
As other users have said, it sounds like an Endurance Western saddle may be a good option, and it is one that we see used with some frequency for this type of riding. They tend to have a higher cantle and deeper seat than a traditional English saddle which helps with rider security, and there are generally more areas to clip on any equipment that you may need.
Depending on the size of the horse, the new Julie Goodnight Cascade Crossover could be a great option, it has a nightlatch for extra security for the rider, doesn’t have a horn, and has lots of places to clip any equipment you may need. However, this saddle does not use English stirrups.
For English stirrups, there are Tucker Endurance saddles like the T49 and 249 that have English stirrup leathers, they also have lots of rings and are available in an extra wide fit, but these are not available in a synthetic material.
For a Cordura or synthetic option, the 6916 High Horse Highbank saddle doesn’t have a horn, has good seat padding, and lots of clips, but again, doesn’t use English stirrups.
A big concern here would be fit, if you send tracings to us we can definitely take a look and see if we can make a recommendation on tree fit for this new horse. You can find instructions on that here: https://tuckersaddlery.com/products/measuring-your-horse/
Just be sure it fits your mare. They are made specifically to fit Icelandics, and for gaiting, and some people who ride Icelandics say they are not a good fit even for their breed. I can’t imagine a saddle made for a 12-13-hand horse being a good fit for a draft cross! 
IIWY I would look at websites of various PATH riding programs and see what saddles they use for their riders. The few I have visited just use ordinary English or western saddles. One used bareback pads for balance (a horrible idea IMO!).
We use regular all purpose and dressage saddles at the program I’ve worked with for the past 20+ years. We teach riding skills and it’s really hard to teach someone to post in a non traditional saddle. We prioritize fitting the horse and spend what we need to on good saddles that can be adjusted and flocked. My advice is to start a relationship with a competent local saddle fitter who understands your program. In the end it has to be more about the horses than the riders.
A used police horse saddle might be an idea. They usually have a deeper seat, are English or hornless Aussie, and are often on a wider tree as many departments have imposing draft or draft crosses or other large horses. Stubben Scout is one popular model. The only issue might be finding a smaller seat size if that’s what you need for the kids.
I rode my draft and draft cross in a Barefoot Tahoe (treeless) and safety stirrups. It is secure, super comfy, fits my horses, and is soft for the sensory kids. The saddle fits every horse I have tried it on (treeless) and has never caused any back problems. I use it for trail and arena work.
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