Any suggestions for a not too curvy saddle with a straighter flap option to fit Quarter Horses? Medium wide tree required.
I have tried CWD mademoiselle, a Childeric FAP and a Santa Cruz. The santa cruz likely would have fit the horse but the quality was not what I wanted.
My Appendix was a bit of a tricky fit as far as English saddles go. And he had not problem telling you when he hated a saddle.
Things we tried that worked well: a Tad Coffin, a Pessoa Gen X and we ended up buying a Pessoa Legacy (which would not fit the straight flap requirement). We had no luck with anything French. We also tried Albion and Bliss Dressage saddles that fit well. So had those saddles been in my budget (a brand new saddle wasn’t at the time), I would have hunted for jumping saddles made by either of those brands.
I’ve had very good luck with Voltaires on my appendix. My first one was semi-custom to the previous owner’s horse (TB) but I had it checked and it fit him well. I got a new to me Palm Beach last year since he beefed up quite a bit. It has the pro panels and fits perfectly.
ugh double post…sorry!
You probably need to post pics of wither tracings. QH’s have pretty varied back shapes depending on what they were bred for.
This. Quarter horses go from 14h 1300lb barrels on legs to 18h whip thin looking like they’re running on the track today.
She a halter bred QH with medium to low wither and a flat back.
I had a halter-bred QH matching that description. I rode him in a Bates adjustable tree and sometimes in an older MW Stackhouse. They both fit him comfortably, but the Bates was better.
From that description I would say don’t be afraid to try a MW or W tree.
I am going to give the new Arena Saddle (bates-wintec hybrid) a go
She’s pretty young with just a handful of rides on her, right? If this is the (very cute) filly in Sport Horse Breeding, she’ll probably need to be re-fitted a few times as she grows, gets fitter and more muscular and her topline develops.
There’s soooo much variation within any breed it would be impossible to say. I would just try to get in contact with an independent saddle fitter and let them find you something. When I finally found one in my area she brought out a Pessoa (idk what model) for my paint and it fit both him and me perfectly.
One of my bosses had a WP bred QH and she bought a Pessoa Gen X off the rack from the Congress and it fit her 15.1h wide mare perfectly.
If you’re still looking… My QH is built pretty different from yours - he has a wither, tent shaped back. But I’ve just come out of saddle shopping hell. After talking to alot of saddle fitters, probably none of the French brands are going to be wide enough for you. My saddle fitter likes the Pessoa for QHs - and she’s a fan of the brand new Pessoa (our local tack shop didn’t have one in stock for me to try when I was shopping - I wish I had). I was riding for a bit in an old Collegiate Convertible with the XW gullet when I was in between saddles. My fitter also likes Bates too for QH but I wasn’t crazy about the quality of the new Bates. A friend has a bit thick QH probably similar to yours and her old Bates fits her horse great. I ended up having Stackhouse make me a saddle b/c I got tired of saddle shopping. Was having a heck of a time finding something that would fit my horse but looked like a hunter saddle - most I found that would work looked too “eventer-y”. I’d definitely talk to a saddle fitter, if you can. Good luck!
Well the CAIR panels were a no-go for her. I need something to just hack in for the fall before we turn her out for the winter and restart next summer. Maybe should just find a cheap western saddle?
I have a 20 year old Dover Circuit Elite that I bought new for my 16-3 stout QH. I still love it . It was the most comfortable of all the saddles I tried, including more expensive models. I hear the old ones were better quality, but I see there is a current Circuit Elite model with an adjustable gullet, and with a test ride saddle option. If you do get a western saddle, you probably want one with 'full quarter horse bars". FQB which is ~ 1/2" wider gullet than standard. I ride my Hunt Seat QHs daily in a Bob’s Doug Millholland model, which rides just like a hunt seat saddle, no bump under your knee. .
I had a Pessoa A/O with bayflex panels that worked very well, I really liked it.
You can order Wintec saddles that are flocked—I had the same problem with Cair. Ultimately ended up with two Subbens (Jump and dressage) that fit perfectly off the rack. Prob tried 30 saddles to get there!
Thanks All!
I am not a fan of the new pessoas I have available to me.
A local saddle shop has a Thornhill Hoop Tree AP that I will give a go next. She is a barrel on legs
@Posting Trot I forgot about S-W and will give them a call but I am north of the boarder.
Thanks for the western suggestion @Plumcreek
I struggled to fit my mutton-withered, flat-like-a-board-backed, wide-everywhere QH earlier this year! Ended up with a Collegiate Convertible, and the Wide gullet plate fits him nicely. I was hoping for a higher-end brand, but this one fit my horse and me, so there’s that.
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