Saddle fitting woes... with photos.

[time_fault]

Finally getting my mother to ride, but she’s a tough fit for a saddle and so is my mare. Friend had a couple of synthetics on consignment real cheap that would be peachy for what my mom wants to do. One was a 16" Wintec, other a 17" King Series. Both cleared the back and withers but Wintec was 6.5" gullet, King was 7" gullet.

My mare will put you in the dirt if the saddle doesn’t fit (which is why she loves my jumping saddle), so we tried both. This is the sweat mark from the King, the Wintec had bigger dry spots at the withers and spine (I suspected bridging). Now I was TOLD that synthetics “mold” and you don’t pay attention to the dry areas, but my mare was very direct in her discomfort. Popped up a couple times in the Wintec and would do her “turn and bite” a couple times in the King (but more willing to bend and back).

Left side
Right side
Back view from hip
Back view #2

[CHT]

I have found synthetics to be more forgiving, but not that they change shape that drastically.

What type of saddle pad are you using?

[time_fault]

A friend’s Tacky Too. Currently shopping for a 1"-1 1/4" felt. Looking at ThinLine too so I can shim it.

[UrbanHennery]

Dry spots bigger than your fist can be okay - but only if it’s a sign of “the last place the horse sweats” rather than painful pressure. If the horse is complaining I’m going to say not good. Do you have pics of the saddles on the horse? I wonder if rather than too tight or too wide the tree is the wrong shape in terms of flair and/or rock.

[time_fault]

The trees are pretty balanced and in good shape from what I can test and measure of them. Completely unlike my friend’s Buffalo Saddlery roping/trail saddle that I am CONVINCED has a twisted 15 year old wooden tree. I just made a few tree/gullet templates that we’ll try out tomorrow. The other saddles are going back to the store. It might be an idea to snap a photo or two of them just sitting there as a reference.

Saddle pad shopping it the pits because everything I try just seems so inadequate compared to the back protection I get with my english ones. The Reinsman TackyToo I’m using is a very nice pad, but still leaves much to be desired! But we’ll get it. Eventually.

[UrbanHennery]

If you’re willing to ante up for a good pad, I like the Classic Equine Zone pads. Very good protection, plus all the benefits of felt.

[Aspen1]

Looks to be like the dry spots are over the back of the shoulder blade. If so, then the saddle is too far ahead. The tree needs to be behind the shoulder blade. If it is on the back of the shoulder blade then you are compressing muscle between bone and bar, and it is no wonder she is objecting. What is a wonder is how many horses are ridden that way and don’t object!

[NoSuchPerson]

Following up on what Aspen1 said, if you are used to using a jumping saddle, then the western saddle will likely look too far back when it’s in the right spot. With a jumping saddle, you’ve got flaps that extend forward of the shoulder even when the points of the saddle are correctly placed behind the shoulder. With a western saddle, the front of the tree is much closer to the most forward part of the saddle. So, make sure that you’ve got the saddle back far enough.

[time_fault]

Well I do put the trail saddle on the same as the jumping saddle; up front then slide back till it hits the strong part of the back and stops. Unless that is wrong? I made the tree templates from this website and she just fits the FQHB and can easily fit the Draft Bars with a pad like Clinton Anderson’s.

On a whim I measured everyone else. The pony and the warmblood easily measured for FQHB. The other palomino of my blonde brigade was ALL Draft Bars. So shopping is going to be fun. Have y’all notice a correlation between the gullet measurement and the tree size?

[GallopingGrape]

No dry spots are good and the best pad in the world will not fix an ill fitting saddle. Can you post photos of the saddles on the horse, with no pad?

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Youtube has a lot of “how to fit your western saddle” videos.

[time_fault]

From today I had my friend who is a saddle fitter look at them too. Will be interesting if y’all come up with the same.

View one

View two

View three

View four

View five

View six

[UrbanHennery]

What does the back do when you cinch it? Does it pop up? It looks too wide to me.

[time_fault]

Levels out some. The skirting does have a lot of play.

[aktill]

Gullet too wide while the bar angles are simultaneously too narrow. Rocks forward with only front cinch pressure.

[Pocket_Pony]

[QUOTE=time fault;7784183]
Levels out some. The skirting does have a lot of play.[/QUOTE]

I can’t imagine that it levels out some as it looks already like it is pinching in the shoulders and sits downhill and the back pops up. One look at the first picture and I’d say it doesn’t fit and there’s not much you can do to make this saddle fit. I agree with Adam’s assessment - it pinches in the shoulders because of the angle (as evidenced by the sweat pattern), but it is sneaky because when you look at it from the front it doesn’t sit too high which means there’s enough room in the gullet for it to sit down in front AND pinch.

[craz4crtrs]

What Pocket Pony and aktill said. This saddle just doesn’t fit. Its like you wearing too wide a shoe that doesn’t fit the heels and too short in the toe. :o

[NoSuchPerson]

[QUOTE=craz4crtrs;7784498]
What Pocket Pony and aktill said. This saddle just doesn’t fit. Its like you wearing too wide a shoe that doesn’t fit the heels and too short in the toe. :o[/QUOTE]

I agree.

[SportArab]

I agree. Saddle looks too wide. So is down too far in the front. I’m sure it’s very uncomfortable for the horse.

[time_fault]

It was one I was passing on anyways. I have the photos from the different tree templates I’ll post in a little bit.