Hi all! Just bought a MW Albion SLK Ultima for my green Standardbred mare and we LOVE it. She’s coming back into work after a trailer accident and we had our first canter in it last week. While it fits quite well statically and she loves it at the walk/trot, it pops up in the canter. While I can definitely tell it pops up less if I actually sit deep in my seat instead of flopping/hovering (if anyone’s ever ridden a Standardbred panter, ykwim), I’ve always been told that any popping up = bad. However, it does have a point billet/back balance strap, that I’ve been meaning to switch out for regular centered billets. Is there any chance the popping up might be due to the billeting system and not necessarily the overall fit? I can’t emphasize enough that she LOVES it in the walk/trot (she’s very vocal about her opinions when she doesn’t, lol). Hoping to be done with saddle shopping but thought I would get a group opinion first!
I can’t speak to your specific situation but adjusting the billets did make a difference in how my dressage saddle fit. It was only one piece though so may not be a magic fix. I would ask your saddle fitter about it.
Some amount of movement is normal. Hard to tell without seeing it if it’s too much movement. Is your horse showing signs that she dislikes the saddle at the canter, or is it actively impeding your ability ro ride? It sounds like both of you are just getting back into things so it might be hard to isolate what’s saddle and what’s fitness for both of you. If it truly fits great walk/trot I’d probably leave it alone for a bit until you get a better feel for what’s really causing your canter issues.
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