Saddle Brand Suggestions

[js]

I’m just looking for saddle brands suggestions.

I’m fitting the prince and the pea horse. I’ve gone thru 3 saddles and still have a very unhappy horse. I did work with a fitter via email and pictures etc. but that saddle has made things much worse for both of us.

These are the issues I need to address: short back, prominent wide wither (as in XW), wide shoulder needs freedom to move, curved back but also wide across. I’ve tried Stubben Gensis, CWD and M. Toulouse. Of these 3 saddles the CWD likely fit the best but just not wide enough.

There are no saddle fitters in my area and none that will travel here, also no tack shops, not even close ones.

[Posting_Trot]

Have you tried a hoop tree? These are mostly British brands, such as Frank Baines, Black Country, Balance, and a couple of others. Quite different in a lot of ways from the saddles you’ve looked at so far but the hoop tree often works better with wider types.

[Paisley_Pony]

I had a horse with a similar conformation several years ago. The two saddles that he approved of were a Thorowgood cob, and a wide Passier with a cutback pommel.

[js]

I have looked at the Passier’s, it isn’t just the pommel area I need to accommodate, he has a short back and long sloping shoulders, so I need freedom of movement to the shoulders. Pretty much everything is needed to make him happy. I’m not finding any distributors for Passiers in the US. The EVO-D Passier sounds perfect, though not sure I could afford a new one.

[lenapesadie]

Some of the Thorowgood, Kent and Masters, Hastilow, Fairfax saddles might suit.

Hastilow USA is easy to work with remotely and also has a large stock of used saddles. They didn’t have anything quite right for me and my boy (in my budget) but he has a flatter back and I need a less common seat size.

[strangewings]

I tried an Albion classical last year that sounds like it might meet your needs

Edit: corrected model name

[Displaced_Yankee]

I will second a Thorowgood or Kent & Masters cob model.

I have an older Fairfax cob dressage that fits my Connemara cross (for context). He is 14.2-3 and I need a 17.5" seat. I tried a Thorowgood cob jump/all purpose, but my knee kept climbing over the knee roll (my conformation, not Pony’s)

[js]

Are the Albion, Thorowgood and K&M a good fit for a curvy backed horse. I thought of them more for a straight tree.

[Sue_B]

This is my TB, he has HUGE withers and an ultra short, curvy back. For years I rode him in a MW County Perfection with 3" rear gusset, but just recently I bought a W Trilogy Debbie for him which has more shoulder freedom for him. The fitter kept wanting to fit the saddle to him standing, the horse, however, preferred slight bridging so he has room to lift his back when working. Bonus was that the Trilogy fit me better, the Perfection always caused both us a bit of discomfort. It took me a year to find the first saddle; I tried everything, including the Trilogy, the Perfection was the best fit. Fast forward to 2020, a fitter stopped by on her way to a large barn 100’s of miles away, talked me into trying the Trilogy again, and presto…happy horse (and rider). Moral of the story, try to find someone who can lay hands on your horse to help you decide what might or might not work.

[lenapesadie]

I dunno about the Albion, but Thorowgood and K&M were both too curvy for my horse

[lazaret]

Prominent wide wither, wide through the back, but with some scoop suggests Prestige might be worth trying.

[Widget]

I have an Albion Legend K2 that fit my wide sharkfin-withered TB. They have some models with an adjustable tree as well. They do no have the changeable gullet but can tweak them to fit better, if I understand correctly.

[Against_All_Odds2]

Prestige, the amerigo Largo models or Childeric would be on my list.

[Paisley_Pony]

I should have clarified that the Passier was an older model. It is very wide, and is an AP (jumping tendency). He was a chestnut draft/QH/Paso cross (can you imagine?!), and was incredibly sensitive about EVERYTHING, even the weather. My daughter also rode him in her Passier, which is an older dressage model, and that obviously gave him plenty of shoulder room. The Thorowgood cob (which was an XW) had straighter flaps as well, so he had plenty of space.

[NaturalSelection]

I have your horse but FLAT backed. Went on a quest to find appropriate jump saddle.

The Fairfax (same mfg as Kent &Masters) can be plenty wide, but too curvy for my horse.

Also tried an Adams, nice and wide but also too curvy for my horse.

Jeffries makes a Liberty and XP line which are wide and FLAT. Worked for my horse.

Maybe try the Fairfax/K&M or Adams?

[walktrot]

Make some tracings. You can buy a flexible ruler - if they still make them. Find a few sites on the internet. Find a second person to help and bring a piece of cardboard. and a sharpie. When you do withers the ruler has to be perpendicular to the ground. Be sure to label right, left, front and back.

My first saddle over 20 years ago was an Albion Original Comfort general purpose which I bought at Pelham Saddlery. Loved it. A year later I wandered in looking for bargains in the clothing department. The manager told me she had the perfect saddle. An Albion Original Comfort dressage saddle which was amazing. It was a brand new special order with short flaps, wide tree, and extended panels. My horse’s back has dropped due in part to old age. I added a rear riser pad and kept my Supracor pad. The fitter adjusted the flocking. I intend to keep it until I know I’ll never ever get on a horse again. I’m 73 and retired, the horse is 28 and retired. I had a teenager riding him for years. She found a nice older County that fit both of them for $200.

[ShenanAnna]

For anyone in similar situations, the “flexible ruler” mentioned above is commonly called a flexible curve, and it’s drafting equipment, widely available. Very useful item, used in sewing and other things.