How does this look on him? It’s a little wide on him but there is a fitter than can narrow it down for me for about $400…what do yall think?
I am having a tough time telling for certain from these photos but it looks low over his withers (and the side views look cantle high but also looks like he may be standing on a slight slope?). How many fingers can you fit, stacked/ sideways, under the front of the saddle with it girthed up? I’d guess maybe 2 from the photo but hopefully someone more educated can chime in and elaborate better than me.
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It’s not too wide. If you look at the side views, you can see that the center of the seat is pretty much the lowest spot. That’s different from wither clearance. If you go a narrower size to clear the withers, it’s going to be too narrow. It likely just means this model of saddle, and potentially the whole make, isn’t the right one for this horse.
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Would using a sheepskin pad help the saddle fit better?
No. That’ll make it fit narrower.
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Horses are dynamic and it can be hard to definitively make a determination about a tree from a photo but my instinct is that the tree is also twisted on top of the saddle not fitting well. The left gusset line is at 60 degrees and the right is at 65 degrees and visually the entire cantle is twisted right.
If the tree is twisted, short of a full tree replacement, the saddle is no longer safely usable unfortunately.
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Could this be if maybe he wasnt standing square? I’m learning new things about saddle fitment each day it seems, I never even noticed what you are demonstrating. It’s very overwhelming and I’m actually using fitters and the only thing she informed me was that it was too wide and she can narrow it for me and it will fit fine.
Definitely not a fitter and a resting leg can definitely impact the rear view. If you put it on a fence or other straight surface you may be able to better assess any twisting. Photos can help to be objective. The nail heads on the front should be even, which can be another tell if one is higher than another.
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You can’t really say anything about the structure of the saddle from that pictures. There are so many reasons why it could look like that, least of which the saddle is twisted.
Some of the reasons are: horse not standing square, the horse’s back is not even, flocking in the rear is uneven, the front flocking is uneven, the angle that the picture is taken from and the list goes on.
Seriously the only true way to tell if a tree is twisted is to take it apart unless it is really bad. The head pins and welting is not a reliable visual reference. From these pictures I don’t have any structural concerns.
I actually don’t hate this saddle for this horse from these pictures. I think the biggest issue with this saddle is it doesn’t have a front gusset and it just needs a little more panel support in the front. In that case, if you really like the saddle and your horse moves well and you are on a budget, I would try a thicker half pad and see what happens.
What brand is it? I can’t tell from the pictures.
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I see! Argh saddle fitting is so hard and I just feel burnt out… this is a dresch saddle. I think I’m just going to return the trial and try out a Kent and master jump saddle, from the research I’ve done that one may work out for him better.
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You are a true expert in this space so I’ll defer but have to say in surprised since those landmarks have been use by most if not all fitters I’ve worked with over the years as an indication of needing a deeper look if visible when the saddle is level (which is why I mentioned using a non horse surface). If taking a saddle apart is the only way to determine twisting do you assume all saddles you work on are untwisted or do you pull apart every saddle to confirm they aren’t or something in between?
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I don’t know - that green line you drew is way to the left of the horse’s spine and the middle of the saddle, in addition to the phone clearly being slightly off center relative to the horse. If he’s cocked a leg, even more so. I really don’t think you can make such a judgement from these pics.
I don’t hate the fit, *OP - but I think @sheltona01 is correct that you might need a little support in the front. A front gusset being ideal, but a good fitter can create a shim pad to get close or suggest a half pad option.
Saddle shopping is the worst 
*not a fitter, pics aren’t ideal to make a sure judgment
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Believe me , many of us have been where you are and felt your pain and the burnout that comes with getting a saddle for certain horses. Before you throw this saddle back from where it came why not just try the thicker pad, post some pictures here, take a few rides and see how it goes?
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