Saddle fit help

[Kirpi]

i have a 16.2 TB with high wither,short back ,rump high and the infamous wither dips.i have a well fitting english saddle but now want to try western.got a few tree forms shipped from reputable saddle shop and it looks like the FQHB of a steele tree has the best chances of fitting.had a walker tree with good front flare that sat well overall but did pich at bottom of front bar.
now i got a big horn saddle with the FQHB steel tree that i had tried out -the shop recommeneded this one but i am unsure if it fits well enough.seems like the bars make good overall contact along the back when i slide my hand under ,it does not rock much and ha the correct length of ksirt but has a little bit lift at back .and i feel it might be a touch wide in the front -it seems to tip ever so lsightly forward when looking at it from a full side view.
i would only ride in it occasionally and for short and easy rides and i invested in a shimmable total saddle fit pad to get the needed lift up front…i am hoping i can get away with the way it fits although i believe a well fitting saddle should not needs shims.any advice would be appreciated !
PS : the pad in the picture is not the total saddle fit but a regular 5 star without an option to shim
the last picture with a tree form is the walker tree (pw )that has good flare at front but pinches below
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[Paint_Party]

I’m certainly no western saddle fit expert, but if that were my saddle and that was how it was sitting on my horse, I would say that yes, it is too wide in front. It has dropped too far down on and across your horse’s withers, which is the main reason it’s popped up in back.

If it otherwise fits him, shimming it just a little in front might be a fix, especially if this saddle is for short, casual rides.

(By the way, your horse is very cute!)

[Kirpi]

thanks for your feedback ! sso if it is too wide in the front ,what should i be looking for in a saddle then ? a semi quarterhorse bar likely will have an angle too narrow for his back - the walker pinches - arab tree wont work for his curved back …how do i fix too wide in a western tree?
i will pass on your compliment,thanks

[Bluey]

They have western built-up saddle pads that are for saddles too wide in front:

Southwest Cutback Built-Up Saddle Pad w/ Wool Back, 32" x 32" - Horse Tack...

[Kirpi]

thank you - yes padding up is the next best option.the total saddle fit pad i purchased has the shim pockets and i added 2 in the front to achieve the build up .i will take a picture and post it ,it does help with the front lift .it’s just that i would prefer a saddle that fits as is

[Bluey]

@Kirpi

thank you - yes padding up is the next best option.the total saddle fit pad i purchased has the shim pockets and i added 2 in the front to achieve the build up .i will take a picture and post it ,it does help with the front lift .it’s just that i would prefer a saddle that fits as is

Yes, a good quality used saddle may be a good idea, they tend to fit better in general, need less pad adjustments.
Have you tried barrel racing saddles, not the extreme ones, just more for high wither type horses?

[Kirpi]

i have tried a dakota ,3 big horn and one fabtron - i can`t handle a leather one i found,need the part synthetic because of the weight - so there is a smaller pool to choose from already.i know what lenght he needs and i think the FQHB is the angle he needs.the tree has to have some rock and the ones i have tried were all pretty close but not 100%.i cannot figure out how to find one that has the correct width at front .

[Destinywaitsaturdoor]

Try a circle y high horse, the bar angles are more narrow on them. They come in synthetic. I would get the “regular” tree size.

I have found fabtron runs wide - I use a circle y high horse barrel saddle (wide) on my QH.

[Kirpi]

yes ,circle y has been suggested ,have to look for a synthetic i did not know they make them.thanks !
just uploaded a couple more recent pics .
here is the fabtron,supposed to be the same size FQHB 7 inch front gullet

[Paint_Party]

That one looks pretty decent. How does it feel in person?

I envy your being able to select a western saddle that weighs less. I just bought a ranch saddle so I can get a decent dally in my trail classes and the saddle weighs “about” 42 pounds. There’s no way I can heft a sack of feed onto my mare’s back!

[Kirpi]

yes it is not too bad ,it rides ok.it is an older fabtron ,i have the feeling it is a bit pinching though.
and yes - i hear you about the weight,i had to give up on leather because of that.

[Destinywaitsaturdoor]

It is circle y’s “economy” line. I have my barrel saddle through them that I ordered for a horse I was leasing - it didn’t even come close to fitting because the bar angles were too upright if that makes sense? But it fits my horse (that I was attempting to retire) fantastic.

I got mine through horse saddle shop, it was back ordered. The high horse saddles are in demand. You could get lucky and score one used. Both me and my friend needed 17” so we had to order them new.

[Kirpi]

thank you for this info ! i am in touch with horse saddle hop ,they have been fantastic so i am hopeful we will get lucky at some point .through trial and error and countless questions i am slowly but surely figuring out what we need.the big horn 276 is just a touch too wide in the front gullet and no amount of shimming can fix that.

[Destinywaitsaturdoor]

I will say they recommended the saddle I got for my lease horse and it was SO tight in her shoulders. But they can only do so much via photos. She is an old foundation bred QH but had the shoulder dips and a wither, but super wide shoulders and wide body so the bar angle just didn’t fit. Everything else worked well. Put it on my 14.2 pony and it fits great.

[Destinywaitsaturdoor]

Also I checked their website today and they have some used ones in stock!

[Kirpi]

saddle fitting long distance is extremely difficult and they rely on the info we can give them which is not always accurate or sufficient.i was just pleased with the patience and thoroughness ,trying to fit a TB to western on line is a challenge

[Kirpi]

will definitely go check that out…many thanks !

[candyappy]

@Kirpi

thank you for this info ! i am in touch with horse saddle hop ,they have been fantastic so i am hopeful we will get lucky at some point .through trial and error and countless questions i am slowly but surely figuring out what we need.the big horn 276 is just a touch too wide in the front gullet and no amount of shimming can fix that.

I went through them to get my current saddle. I had a saddle fitter out to do tracings which I then sent to HSS. I had tried several saddles on my own before that with no luck. After sending the tracings we got it right the first time.

[Kirpi]

awesome !