Here is a link to a saddle that may be coming back from trial:
http://www.trumbullmtn.com/store/demo-and-used-saddles/used-jump-saddles/seat-sizes-15-5-to-16-5/black-country-quantum-tr-wg16-5-mw/
Saddle
I’m pretty sure that the only brand of saddle you should be looking at is Amerigo as they’re the only brand able to cater for different horse shapes/ unique shapes & able to match the tree formation accordingly. I think it sounds like the Amerigo deep jump would be appropiate for your guy- my mare has this saddle, & she has similar conformation … Nothing else in the world worked for her. If you send a photo to an Amerigo fitter they should be able to advise which model would suit, then you can source it second hand . They seem to be v comfy for all sorts of riders too.
[QUOTE=RoundTheBend;7940275]
I’m pretty sure that the only brand of saddle you should be looking at is Amerigo as they’re the only brand able to cater for different horse shapes/ unique shapes & able to match the tree formation accordingly. I think it sounds like the Amerigo deep jump would be appropiate for your guy- my mare has this saddle, & she has similar conformation … Nothing else in the world worked for her. If you send a photo to an Amerigo fitter they should be able to advise which model would suit, then you can source it second hand . They seem to be v comfy for all sorts of riders too.[/QUOTE]
I’m pretty sure that you can find other saddles beyond the Amerigo to fit :D. Not that the Amerigo is a bad saddle, but it’s not the only one out there with different configurations! There are so many options right now even for “off the rack” saddles that it’s far easier to find a good match.
As for your daughter, there are several ways to accommodate a longer femur. Yes, you can go up a seat size but sometimes if you do that to get the room on the flap, you end up with a saddle that’s too big. I have a very long femur so I look for saddles with 1) a flatter seat, 2) a more forward flap and 3) most important, stirrup bars that are set far enough back.
Charlotte tack shops
If you’re willing to go up to Charlotte there is Waxhaw tack that has a lot of used stuff. The Tack Shop in Camden is good to but they had mostly new stuff the last time I was there. Though that was 4 years ago. I would check with the Charlotte area Equestrian group on Facebook. They’ll probubly have more ideas. And yes it does end eventually. I’ve had my horse 6 years and I think we are done buying tack.
I read once that while general saddle fit is important… for the horse swapping saddles routinely is just as good. Changes pressure points.
A ‘real’ rider who is a strong rider, any balanced saddle is likely to feel ‘fine’. You may not get OMG, but something more than liveable as long as it generally fits the horse and is in balance. If it feels like it is moving around and not solid on the horses back in ride one or two… take it back, it doesn’t fit. If it is solid and feels pretty good and rider isn’t swimming in it, but is a bit low on wither, keep it, you can pad up and horses muscles change with work anyway…
Crap shoot with certain denominators you can research… 
Some horses will tolerate a poorly fitting saddle better than others. For some, even swapping out saddles will not change the fact that a saddle is digging into their back or compressing a nerve. I don’t think that swapping saddles is a viable substitute for finding a saddle that fits.
There was a woman in our hunt club who had a “lame” horse and went through countless diagnostics. She was almost ready to retire the horse when finally a vet asked to see the saddle that she used. Bingo. Got a saddle that fit and the horse has been fine.
Honestly, I don’t think it’s that hard to find saddles that fit. The problem is that many saddle fitters play up the “only I can find the right saddle for your horse” schtick and many owners are not educated enough to recognize when a saddle fits or doesn’t fit.
Here’s a great place to start. This video series does an excellent job of showing you 1) how to fit your horse and 2) how to fit the rider. Do you have to buy a Schleese? Nope. I’ve owned one and didn’t find it to be “majikal”, nice saddle but not significantly different from other well-made, wool flocked saddles. But they have done a great service by making these videos.
https://www.youtube.com/user/mjpschleese
This should be required viewing for anyone looking for a saddle. That, and spending several hours watching a competent saddle fitter work on a variety of horses.
