Narrow western saddle... Abetta?

[2LaZ2race]

Hello!

I’m on the hunt for a comfortable western saddle to trail ride and hack out my off the track thoroughbred.

He’s a medium narrow/ narrow in my jumping and dressage saddles so most of the western saddles I’ve tried on him have no fit well. I rode him in a Showman saddle today and it not only didn’t fit him, but was one of the most uncomfortable saddles I’ve ever sat in. Just not for me!

I’m having a hard time find a more narrow tree in western, even finding semi QH bars is hard!

A friend recommended Abetta saddles and they look comfortable and simple but I’m not sure if I’d be ok with the gullet. Would the Arab tree fit him better? I can’t seem to find an official website for them.

Any suggestions?

[BeckyS]

I had a TWH built much like a TB. I used a Big Horn half synthetic saddle on him and loved it. They are pretty easy to find, all over ebay.

Arab saddles are funny. Sometimes, Arab saddle means wider than FQHB, to accomodate for really wide Polish Arabs (I have an Arab saddle like this). Sometimes, Arab saddles are narrower than SQHB, to accomodate for the weedy little Arabs.

I’d try a SQHB western first and see where you end up.

Shucks, if you were close by, I’d let you give one of my saddles a shot. So, if by any chance you are in west MI, send me a PM.

[cloudy18]

I also thought Arab trees had a flatter angle, in general, so I don’t think that would work for your TB.

[candyappy]

State line tack has abetta saddles.

In looking on- line the Semi- QH bars seem to be the narrowest they go ( that I could find) and they call it a regular tree with a gullet width of 6 1/2 . It is frustrating when you have to buy it not knowing if it will fit.

I have 2 abetta saddles we use on trail and like them.

[Scribbler]

I have the same question. 16 hand Paint, with a withers like a fat thoroughbred, if that makes sense. Fits an English saddle very well: high withers, they go back quite a ways, big shoulder, but a nice well-muscled comfy backbone. Not thin or shark-fin withers. She takes a medium in a Passier or County English saddle, but with a bit of flocking added to the withers. She has a moderate curve front to back.

I have back tracings from my saddle fitter, and have been casually trying them out in Western consignment saddles, and all seem too wide or too low for her.

I’ve had my coach’s Eamor saddle on her in the past, and it seemed to fit, but I haven’t tried again since I got the tracings and started to take saddle fitting seriously :). Eamor is a smaller Canadian brand with a devoted following.

I was wondering what Western saddles typically fit thoroughbreds? I’d ideally like something that is a good quality leather saddle, and one that gives you a seat with your legs underneath your body, rather than a chair seat. I think this means less rise from the seat to the pommel?

My coach won’t ever sell me her Eamor :).

[Ceylon_Star]

I just asked my BO because she recently had to help find something to fit one of her clients’ horses who is a rail-thin QH (who was stunted due to the mare being emaciated when she had her, and then her receiving poor quality/not enough food for the first few years of her life).

She found that SQHB in either Western Rawhide or Silver Supreme seems to fit narrowest without pinching in the shoulders, and that Western Rawhide has better wither clearance. Circle Y fits on the wider side overall.

If you REALLY need shoulder room but narrow up top, Crates is the way to go.

Arab trees are hit-and-miss depending on brands, but most are of the “Arab bars are wider than FQHB but narrower than Halfinger bars” idea.

Abetta seems to fit narrower than Big Horn, but has lower wither clearance (though not by a whole lot)

The mare in question ended up in a SQHB Western Rawhide with a built-up pad to fill in a bit of space and to give a little bit more wither clearance. Mare is horizontal pear shaped (narrowest in the shoulders, widest in the hips) so a built-up pad that’s about 2x thicker in front than behind works best for her.

Good luck! I had the polar opposite problem when I was saddle shopping. I was trying to fit a saddle to a table-topped beachball. Haha!

[BeckyS]

Scribbler: Have you had a chance to try the half leather, half cordura Big Horns? The SQHB seem to fit TB types very well. Bonus, they are super comfy and lend to a very dressage type seat.