I have a friend who is getting an OTTB this weekend and she has asked me to help her with saddle fitting and helping her find all the tack she needs. Has anyone had experience putting a western saddle on an OTTB with a moderate (not super high/shark) wither? I usually work with QHs and other stock type horses. The horse coming in looks more like an appendix than a straight TB, so I’m thinking a 6 1/2" gullet.
I had a Crates semi quarterhorse bar and it fit all but the Arab. He had a very round, short barrel.
Do you know the gullet measurement? Unfortunately there’s no standard for bar width…
what about the “shark fin from hell” TB’s?
You can download templates at horsesaddleshop.com that will help you figuring out where to start.
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/western-saddle-guide.html#.WB3Hcfnx7IU
I don’t have any personal experience fitting an OTTB, but I have been told not to assume they need a narrow tree and/or gullet. Even though they may not look it sometimes, some need a wide saddle, just like a QH.
Oh course, you just never know until you start trying on saddles.
If you need a lot of gullet clearance for high withers, sometimes certain barrel saddle brands can help with that.
I asked his owner when I went to pick him up and she said his english gullet width is 48 (cm?). Does this translate directly to inches in western saddles? This horse does not have a shark wither, not even an especially high wither.
I had a saddle that was built for TBs. The gullet was narrower and taller with a steeper bar angle on a Weatherly tree. I loved the saddle but unfortunately it didn’t work well on my QHs. But it fit well on my appendix.
That information may help or it may not, take it for what it is…lol
