Saddle Fit for the Adult on a Wee Pony

[GoForAGallop]

I regret ever complaining about fitting a saddle to either of my sorta-hard-to-fit horses…doesn’t compare to this!

Meet Henry: https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10409518_10155702156740215_2343966879606648365_n.jpg?oh=de76f394e4b73a2ab0ac0a917411ad3b&oe=56220770 He’s real cute. He’s also a pain in the ass (haha) to fit a close contact saddle to, apparently.

Shoulder/back from behind

Well-sprung ribs (aka fat pony barrel) from the front

Side profile The tape marks his shoulder, and his last rib. That span is almost exactly 16".

His dressage saddle is a 16.5" Thornhill Junior Pro-Trainer Dressage. It’s at least 15 years old, has a “wide but not really that wide by today’s standards” tree, per the Thornhill rep, and she wasn’t really able to guide me towards any of their models available today as a good place to start.

The Thornhill fits him really nicely:

Shoulder

Side profile

The upswept panels help keep it contained on his back, it sits nicely, and the 13.5" flaps are an ABSOLUTE DREAM for my short-legged self. It occasionally will squeak forward if we are seriously working, but I just ordered an anatomic girth that I suspect will fix that issue.

However, he is meant to be a little event pony, and needs a close contact for jumping. (No, trust me, I am not interested in jumping in the dressage saddle.)

I have an ancient 16" Antill/PDN-knockoff that sorta fits:
side pic but it would definitely need an anatomic girth. It’s saving grace, basically, is that there is simply nothing to it either panel or flap wise, and it’s able to just float over his shoulder instead of running into it. It’s a smidge wide, which I fix with a sheepskin pad. It fits me nicely, the flap is 12", I rode many many miles in it as a kid. However, I’m coming out of a gorgeous, sticky calfskin County Innovation with blocks all over, and going back to this saddle makes me a sad panda. I love blocks. Particularly since this fellow can occasionally have a…unique…jumping style.

I picked up a 17" Thorowgood T8 with the wide/x-wide gullet (I tried both the one below and the one above that, both were much worse fit-wise). It is very big on him, and I cannot get it to stay off his shoulders. The gigantic fat back panels make it sit downhill no matter what, unless I go to the medium gullet which is then obviously wrong. side view

Once girthed: using 1 and 4 billets the panels sit way off his back and don’t improve once a rider is up.

I basically hate it, but I share it because I know one of the suggestions will probably be the Thorowgood Compact, but I think the rear panels are going to have the exact same issue.

Today, just for the heck of it, I picked up a 17" Tekna Club, with the wide gullet in it. Side view It’s again too long on him, jams into his shoulder, and bridges right in the stirrup bar area.

I sat a little Smith Worthington pony saddle on him, and it was too A-framed. Same with the Wintec Pony Pro Dressage. I tried an HDR AP at one point that fit in the length, but was otherwise a terrible fit.

I sadly don’t have a picture of it on him and it’s long sold, but my 16.5" County Innovation SR panels, short flap was actually not a bad fit from front to back and side to side, but it was a medium tree and only worked when popped up on a half pad.
Help!

To summarize what I need:

• a close contact/more forward AP that fits in a 16" weight-bearing area
• 16-17" seat
• shorter flap, although at this point I honestly don’t care that much
• blocks/pads of some sort
• preferably leather/leather look (I really, really hate the look of the T4 Pony Club, which is another I have been considering)
• $1000 budget range (after that, I’ll just get a custom Heritage for him if I have to!)

[Mango20]

Have you tried the Pessoa pony saddle? I think the max seat size might be 16", but it works pretty well on our pony.

[GoForAGallop]

I haven’t, although I see it pretty frequently. (Although I think the max is 15.75"? I will have to find one to try to see if I can make it work.)

Pretty much all the major makers come out with a pony saddle, but some call it pony simply because it’s a smaller seat/flap size, with no actual “pony-like” adjustment to the panels, and it’s hard to figure out.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

Something like this?

http://www.trumbullmtn.com/store/demo-and-used-saddles/used-all-purpose-saddles/seat-sizes-15-5-to-16-5-2/ideal-gp-16-5-w/

[IFG]

PM me if you are interested, we are in MA and my daughter has an OLD cosmetically damaged, but structurally good, wide Stubben in a wide tree that might work and she might part with very cheaply.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Impractical Horsewoman;8226071]
Something like this?

http://www.trumbullmtn.com/store/demo-and-used-saddles/used-all-purpose-saddles/seat-sizes-15-5-to-16-5-2/ideal-gp-16-5-w/[/QUOTE]

Looks like that saddle has sold

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;8226105]
Looks like that saddle has sold[/QUOTE]

I’m so sorry! It was there this morning! I guess your specifications are more popular than you suspected!

That is a good website, though, for reasonably-priced second-hand tack in good condition.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Impractical Horsewoman;8226147]
I’m so sorry! It was there this morning! I guess your specifications are more popular than you suspected!

That is a good website, though, for reasonably-priced second-hand tack in good condition.[/QUOTE]

Thanks anyway!

I do stalk all the tack sites on a regular basis. There is a Barnsby Pony Club model that I think would fit him perfectly, but of course it’s near on impossible to find.

[Mango20]

If this saddle is the same one I tried last summer, I really liked it but it was too wide for my 14.3 hand horse:

http://usedsaddlecrofton.shoprw.com/product.php?productid=1235&cat=162&page=2

It’s very mis-categorized here, because it is a jump saddle (not all-purpose) and I’m pretty sure it was black (not havanna), and it was definitely wider than medium. I think it was a County no. 4 fit. I"m not sure why there isn’t a picture here but maybe they would send you one. From what I remember, it had one mark on it, like a white streak from paint or something. The leather was in good shape. I really wanted it to work out but it was just too wide.

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Mango20;8226262]
If this saddle is the same one I tried last summer, I really liked it but it was too wide for my 14.3 hand horse:

http://usedsaddlecrofton.shoprw.com/product.php?productid=1235&cat=162&page=2

It’s very mis-categorized here, because it is a jump saddle (not all-purpose) and I’m pretty sure it was black (not havanna), and it was definitely wider than medium. I think it was a County no. 4 fit. I"m not sure why there isn’t a picture here but maybe they would send you one. From what I remember, it had one mark on it, like a white streak from paint or something. The leather was in good shape. I really wanted it to work out but it was just too wide.[/QUOTE]

Hmm, interesting. I’ll give them a call and see if someone can send a picture, seems weird that they don’t have a photo up if it really has been there that long.

[Dewey]

You might look for a Stubben Juventus. It’s a youth jumping saddle, but the 17" seat makes it good for short-legged adults. I don’t know if it would fit your pony, but I believe it comes in various widths, although it might be hard to find an extra-wide one used. It’s a handsome little saddle, very well made.

Here’s one in your price range:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stubben-Jumping-Saddle-Juventus-17-/121700965661?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c55f15d1d

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Dewey;8227689]
You might look for a Stubben Juventus. It’s a youth jumping saddle, but the 17" seat makes it good for short-legged adults. I don’t know if it would fit your pony, but I believe it comes in various widths, although it might be hard to find an extra-wide one used. It’s a handsome little saddle, very well made.[/QUOTE]

Good thought, but the Stubben trees tend to be much too curvy for him, in general. (Tried the Stubben Juventus Dressage on him.) The Rex is usually a go-to for fat ponies.

[CoffeeIsMyBFF]

This is my first post on this site, but I noticed that you wanted a Barnsby Pony Club saddle a few years ago. If you’re still looking, I have a Barnsby Pony Club saddle for sale in southern California. 15" seat, medium tree (30cm), 12" flaps. Let me know if you’re still looking and interested. Older model (from mid 70’s), but was only used lightly and then stored indoors in house for many, many years. Let me know if you’re still interested