Saddle fit help

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

hi! first time posting so bare with me. I’m located on the east coast of Canada and unfortunately do not have any saddle fitters or tack stores that carry saddles in our province so i’m reaching out for help with suggestions on possible saddles that might fit my daughters new large pony. she currently rides her in a 16.5”

regular tree Antares… problem is whenever we jump her the saddle slips forward. I suspect the tree is too narrow. i have tried a few other saddles on her, including a mw bates, a pony pessoa, and a wide excelle and all have the same issue of slipping forward. I will add a few
pictures of her and her with her current antares along with the stamp from the antares. any help would be greatly appreciated!

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

(it is only allowing me to post one picture
per post, sorry to make all these
posts…)

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

[Paisley_Pony]

Welcome to COTH! I’m not a saddle fitting expert, but sometimes with wider backed, low withered types, a crupper is a big help for stabilizing a saddle and keeping it from sliding forward. A pony mare with similar conformation at my former barn went in a crupper even on the flat as saddles rode up onto her neck without one. Your daughter’s pony is adorable, by the way!

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

thanks for the suggestion. it is definitely a consideration, i just want to do best for her as she’s super sweet and tries so hard but is a bit sensitive and i suspect a crupper would bother her at least a little. she is just four so perhaps a crupper could be a temporary help while we figure it all out

[Paisley_Pony]

Ah, I see. If she has opinions about cruppers, then that’s definitely different. Hopefully you’ll be able to get some good advice here and find exactly what she needs!

[IPEsq]

Perhaps a crescent shaped girth would help? She doesn’t seem crazy wide at the tree points from the photos. The crescent or moon type girths would potentially help with the fact that she doesn’t have a lot of girth groove room and her barrel is quite round. Sometimes it is the girth fit that pulls the saddle forward.

[Equestrianette]

Generally if a saddle slips forward it means that the tree is actually too wide. I don’t have any brand suggestions but I would reach out to an independent saddle fitter that has a variety of saddles to choose from, over going to an off the rack shop which isn’t accessible to you anyway.

[NancyM]

I like the suggestion of the shaped girth option. Also, try a chamois under the saddle pad. This can be an actual chamois (lamb skin), or a section of the foamy stuff that goes under a tablecloth to hold it steady, or lines a cupboard when the shelf is made of glass (to stop cups from sliding around or getting broken). I dunno the correct name for that stuff LOL, but it works, both for cupboards and for saddles. You dampen it first, wring it out, and lay it directly on the horse’s back under the saddle. I actually found a saddle pad that had that stuff incorporated into the baring surface of the pad. This sort of thing is often used under race saddles at the track, which, if they slip during a race, it can be a monumentally bad day for everyone. This fix is normally used for the saddle slipping back, but should work equally well to hold it from slipping forward.

[Renn_aissance]

I agree that the forward girth groove is likely pulling the saddle forward, and a munchkin-sized shaped girth could help. But the basic shape of the Antares is too curved for this flat little tank of a pony and that’s not helping.

She doesn’t have much of a place for the saddle to go, since her back seems to want to have the saddle quite forward to begin with in order for it to sit level. When you say it pulls forward, is it actually migrating up towards her ears, or is it staying in the same place but tipping forward (cantle up, pommel down)?

I’d be interested to see what that pony Pessoa looks like on her as those are a flatter profile. The old Beval Stamford and Junior saddles did a great job for this shape, though I don’t recall if they went up to 16.5 (in a flatter seat your daughter might be fine in a smaller size, though.)

PS no fair posting pics of what looks like a darling pony and not showing her face!

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

Here’s pony when she’s not looking like a yakk mid winter. This is just after we got her. She’s gained a bit of weight and the slipping is getting worse. Kid definitely doesn’t need a 16.5”; it’s just what was in the tack room.
If she jumps a couple fences she has to dismount and move her saddle back.
I’ll look for a curved girth, if anyone has a link to a specific one that would be great… she needs a 46”. So far I can’t find one at a canadian tack store but willing to ship from the states

[Renn_aissance]

The Mattes Crescent is the one I’m familiar with for this shape. Which is unfortunate because they are spendy. They can be ordered in custom lengths, so if you can’t find the right stock size, you do have an option. Before you go that route, I’d actually wonder if you could try a crescent-shaped dressage girth and some extenders to see if it even works.

But the tree shape of the Antares is not going to be this pony’s friend regardless.

The pony is adorable. If she’s not in the barn tomorrow, don’t come looking at my house. It’s fine that my saddle won’t fit her- I’ll ride her bareback.

[PennyLaneStablesPEI]

my daughter actually rides her bareback most of the time! We will switch to the pessoa for now and see how that does while we hunt for a new girth. I’m more than happy to buy a new saddle, just need advice on what to look for. Maybe sending either tracings to some tack stores would be my best bet? Maybe start with Trumbull Mountain?

[Posting_Trot]

A saddle slipping forward usually means that it’s too narrow, and the fact that, when the pony was little heavier the saddle slipped forward more, suggests that this might be the issue.

Another possibility, that other posters mentioned, is a forward girth groove. You could try an anatomical girth (like the County girth, although there are other, cheaper options) and see if that helps.

There are some saddles that are made for cob-type horses, like Chunky Monkey. I don’t have any experience with them myself, but they may be available to you in Canada. There must be some tack shops that will help with remote fittings? Here in the U.S., Pelham Saddlery will work from tracings. (They’re in New Hampshire, which is kinda close to Canada!).

Good luck.

[Festivity]

It may be overkill but I’d suggest taking a look at the jumping saddle that EQ Saddle Science has. I have one of their dressage saddles to fit my impossibly wide friesian. They are fantastic about fitting remotely and because of the panel design you can adjust the fit as the pony grows and develops more muscling. My mare is incredibly happy in her saddle, as am I.

[dynamite0319]

You might do a search for certified saddle fitters in your area. I also highly recommend the Facebook page for saddlefitting.us. She is a Stubben fitter, but is incredibly knowledgeable and IME always willing to help. She also has many worldwide contacts who could likely help you.

I think the girth advice provided by others is terrible. The anatomical girths leave gaps and don’t change how the saddle fits, and the fit is causing the saddle to move. By trying to force an ill fitting saddle to stay put you are going to hurt your horse. Maybe not in one or two rides, but over time.

I have purchased about 6 saddles (Antares, CWD, Loxley and Stubben) in the past few years and have bought twice as many girths. Please let my financial hemorrhage and learning experience help you! Get good, educated advice. Buy a saddle that fits. And basic girths are all you need. But also, I do have a few anatomic girths I’d be happy to sell you if you want to try one.

[NaturallyHappy]

The thing I found anatomical girths is they don’t seem to lie flat where the girth goes under the belly. The front digs in and the back gaps (IIRC). Is that what you mean???

[dynamite0319]

Yes. And if you run your hand under the girth when it’s tight, you’ll find there are spots the girth isn’t really touching the horse. This means the girth is only constricting in certain areas, which seems to defy the purpose. I have a horse with major sternum soft tissue damage (no freaking idea how or why) and the anatomic girth was awful on him because the pressure was ALL on his sternum with significant gaps near his elbows. He goes in a super fleecy belly protecting straight girth.