Saddle Fitting for Potato Shaped Horse

[StormyDay]

My overgrown pony developed a bit of a wither, and got narrower. Now his old hoop tree saddle most definitely doesn’t fit. I’d love to have a saddle fitter come out but I’ve not found one in the area with a lot of experience fitting the witherless wonders. (Had someone just sure he was a narrow tree. Then was puzzled when none of the saddles fit)

First saddle: Duett size 34. This was fitted to him. It is way too wide now, and pops up in the back with every post.

Saddle #2: Verhan size 27 (medium). He liked this one. It has extremely short tree points. However, it still pops up in the back.

Saddle #3 Pessoa Medium. I feel like it’s just a tiny bit too narrow in the shoulder. I’ve not tried him in this one under saddle.

Saddle #4 devoucoux narrow. Definitely way too narrow. Sits high.

Saddle #5 prestige size 33 (MW). Appeared to be a tiny bit too wide, but tried it today with my impression pad. It pops up behind too when riding. He also liked this one more than his Duett. According to the impression pad it actually fit pretty well in the front (no pressure points) but not so much in the back.

Obviously none of these are right so I’m on the hunt for a new saddle. What does COTH think I should be on the lookout for? Medium tree with a wide gullet? A narrower hoop tree?

(Or, anyone have recommendations for a saddle fitter in NOVA who does a good job fitting potato horses.)

[StormyDay]

I realized not all the impression pad photos uploaded. I tried my best to hold it to the sun but my gosh these weigh SO much and it’s hard to hold it and take a photo

[CHT]

it is possible you will need to use shims to help a saddle fit, or have a fitter re-flock specifically for your horse. To me, all those saddles look like they are tilted back, and the way they fit the shoulder will change once you get the saddle level with shims or re-flocking.

[JB]

None of those look too wide, they’re all pommel-high. Whether that’s because they’re too narrow, or too far forward, it’s not possible to say, because they also all look like they need to be slide back.

Are you certain the front panels are 1-2" behind the scapula?

[StormyDay]

@JB

None of those look too wide, they’re all pommel-high. Whether that’s because they’re too narrow, or too far forward, it’s not possible to say, because they also all look like they need to be slide back.

Are you certain the front panels are 1-2" behind the scapula?

Yeah, it’s hard to see in the photos but he’s very short coupled and his scapula is pretty far forward.
I had to use the wide angle lens to get the photos from the side and I think it gives the impression that the saddle is larger than it is too.

[akhunterrider]

I think it would be helpful to see pictures of your entire horse both with and without saddles. 1) I think that you need to look for wool flocked and 2) find an independent saddle fitter that isn’t trying to sell you a particular brand of saddle and who in knowledgeable of lots of different brands. If you don’t have someone like that locally, there are plenty of people who offer distance saddle fitting via wither/back tracings and zoom/Facetime video.

[akhunterrider]

With the photos you provided, none of these saddles looks like an appropriate shape or fit.

[IPEsq]

My potato horse with withers loves the Equipe Allegra. It’s designed to provide more room for the withers and scapula.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

My big-shouldered mare got a cutback CWD with the shoulder relief and moved incredibly after it.
It was the Mademoiselle 2GS hunter. She’s not a potato, but she certainly shops in the “Misses” Department.
I had her in an older, wider tree Butet, which we thought she really liked til the vet/chiro really got into her. It had fit my beefcake of a young horse, so we thought it would be ok, but not so much.
She adamantly refused the other option, which was a CWD Se02 with the regular tree. That was an immediate no thank you.

[JB]

I agree some different pics will help, including a conformation picture without any saddle on.

Stand back and put the whole horse in the frame for a side view.

Stand behind and above him, him standing square, to shoot down the top of his back so we can see the lateral shapes

Stand back and zoom in to get the 3/4 views - that’s more prospectively accurate than standing closer and using a wide angle.

The short coupling doesn’t make a scapula more or less far back. He look to have a pretty good slope to his scapula. The only true way to find out where the saddle has to sit is to have someone gently pull a front leg forward, so you can see how far back his particular scapula rotates back. The tree at least has to be behind that point.

[StormyDay]

It’s been a gross rainy day, so I couldn’t get photos from the side, but I took these a few days ago.

[JB]

He looks like he still needs a hoop tree, or at least similar. He’s very upside down U in shape. Withers growing don’t change that

[Einhorn]

I’m not an expert by any means, but maybe a more shaped tree would help? Like more banana shape, all of these saddles look very straight, and your pony looks like he has a more curved back.