Saddle Panel Question

[thecolorcoal]

Hi all,

So I am looking for a new saddle for my horse. She’s a TB with typical sharkfin withers and a rather flat back with almost no dorsal spine visible. She currently is in a Wintec 200, which fits her like a glove with the narrow gullet.

However, it is because the panels are gusseted that it works so well. when we had our saddle fit nightmare, a gullet too big turned the panels into “standard,” which rocked against her back and created saddle sores… so i am very careful not to do that again. With the proper saddle fit, the saddle does not move on her back and she no longer is sore.

I am trying to keep my budget under 2000. I’ve been looking high and low for a leather saddle with gusseted panels within my budget, preferably with an adjustable gullet/tree… we have NO saddle fitter near us, so there is little hope of me ever getting adjustments, so i need to hit the nail on the head once.

anyone recommend any brands or styles of LEATHER saddles (besides bates), that have gusseted panels and a preferable adjustable tree? and, if i had to get standard panels, what kind of padding can i create to keep them from rocking and rolling? she has a wither relief pad at the moment, but it is a fleece half-pad type.

[jaybird660]

There are a lot of saddles with gusseted panels. I’m assuming you mean rear gussets or do you mean front or full front gussets? Kent and Masters is one line that comes to mind.

[no.stirrups]

Try Jeffries. Although any panel will still need to be attached to the right shape tree to be of any use to you.

[jen-s]

I believe I’ve also seen Pessoas with a gusseted panel and adjustable tree at Dover. They often pop up discounted in the clearance section where they’ve been returned so there might be light marks on the flaps or billets.

[vxf111]

Kent and Masters is exactly what you’re looking for. Thorowgood is another one to look at.

[equest]

My Black Country Quantum has gusseted panels.
I love mine so far. I have been riding in it for about a month now and it’s the bees knees for my high withered, flat back gelding.

It does not, however, have an adjustable tree. I don’t believe Black Country offers them.

I purchased mine gently used for right around your max price.

[Scribbler]

[QUOTE=thecolorcoal;8869139]
Hi all,

So I am looking for a new saddle for my horse. She’s a TB with typical sharkfin withers and a rather flat back with almost no dorsal spine visible. She currently is in a Wintec 200, which fits her like a glove with the narrow gullet.

However, it is because the panels are gusseted that it works so well. when we had our saddle fit nightmare, a gullet too big turned the panels into “standard,” which rocked against her back and created saddle sores… so i am very careful not to do that again. With the proper saddle fit, the saddle does not move on her back and she no longer is sore.

I am trying to keep my budget under 2000. I’ve been looking high and low for a leather saddle with gusseted panels within my budget, preferably with an adjustable gullet/tree… we have NO saddle fitter near us, so there is little hope of me ever getting adjustments, so i need to hit the nail on the head once.

anyone recommend any brands or styles of LEATHER saddles (besides bates), that have gusseted panels and a preferable adjustable tree? and, if i had to get standard panels, what kind of padding can i create to keep them from rocking and rolling? she has a wither relief pad at the moment, but it is a fleece half-pad type.[/QUOTE]

Are you working with wither/back tracings or any other measurement of horse’s back? Some of the on-line saddle consignment shops will take a look at your tracings and decide if a saddle fits or not.

I don’t think any pad will help stop a saddle from rocking, if the saddle tree is too curved for the back of the horse. Any pad you use, will be uniform in thickness all the way, and follow the lines of the back, so it won’t stop the rocking. If anything, it will make the surface effectively flatter, and the rocking worse.

I think a shimmed pad could fill in the gaps and make a saggy back flatter, and perhaps fix bridging. But I can’t imagine a pad that would make a flat back more scoopy.

If the Wintec fits her so well, why trade up? I’m not a fan of synthetic saddles, but the best saddle is the one that fits your horse best. If you are in a position where you cannot work with a saddle fitter, and cannot get your saddle re-flocked to tweak the fit, I would go with what works and postpone the new saddle until you can get it properly fitted.

By and large, the higher end leather saddles do not have interchangeable gullet plates. There is some provision for putting saddles like the Schleese in a press and narrowing the gullet fractionally, but as other threads here have pointed out, that stresses the tree and may not “hold” either. And in any case, the gullet is just part of the picture. You also need to consider the front to back swoop of the panels (as you’ve found out on your last saddle search), and the vertical drop or wrap, which are both determined by the tree. A wool flocked saddle can be stuffed to tweak the fit a little, but you need to find a saddle with a good basic fit for your horse.

[mpsbarnmanager]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8873737]
Kent and Masters is exactly what you’re looking for. Thorowgood is another one to look at.[/QUOTE]

Yes!! I have one for my high withered, narrow wb baby. He is 3 and I wanted something cheap while he grows. I got a t-8 jump with a drop panel that keeps it way off his withers, but the rear panels fit great too! They are more angular than my collegiate. My only gripe is that the flaps are short for my 6’ self. I got the one that was partly synthetic. Looks great and half the cost of all leather!