Saddle recommendation for Appaloosa in Texas

[al_capony_dressage]

First time poster so forgive any rookie mistakes!

Our 14.2h Appaloosa needs a new saddle. Currently have a Passier junior champ 15.5 that my young rider has outgrown. Rider is 5’ and very slim. We just brought in four used 16.5 saddles on a trial basis (Hulsebos, Cobra, Prestige, and Amerigo) that seemed to fit okay but ended up being all wrong for various reasons when ridden.

A fellow Appy owner highly recommended Albion and I’m wondering if the Chron think tank can offer their opinions.

Thanks to all in advance!

[jaybird660]

It’s hard to say without seeing photos such as these:
Conformation shots, one from the side of the entire horse, square, head up
One from the back, behind the tail on a mounting block looking down on the back, head straight

Frequently, Appaloosa horses do well in hoop trees as they tend to be quite broad mid back and many times in the front as well but again, without seeing more info and price range, it’s hard to suggest what would be best.

[Dramapony_misty]

I have an Appy with withers (so no hoop-tree needed)…Saddles that fit well (all are wool-flocked so you can have it adjusted):

Neidersuss Symphonie in a Medium (fit well up front but the panels ended up being too long for his super-short back. It was a 17.5 but I could have (and should have) gone down to a 17. I don’t know if that would have shortened the panels or not.

Tekna S-Line dressage saddle in 17.5 MW: the best fit on him. The Teknas are very similar in tree shape to the Prestige saddles but at a fraction of the price. It is super-comfy and doesn’t really look synthetic from any sort of distance.

PDS Carl Hester Grande Monoflap 17 MW: best fit for me, undecided on him. I might need to have the flocking adjusted a bit in the back, but he seems to move amazing in it so that is good.

[preppyeq]

Without pictures, like Jay said, its impossible to recommend a brand or model for you. I am a huge fan of Albion though (I have two now!) and they have many different tree types so with some research you could probably find an Albion that fits. Apparently they tend to change their trees/sizing from year to year because I’ve heard of people trying on one model having it fit and then finding that same model but either new or older and having it fit differently either wider or more narrow. If you do decide to go with an Albion then I would highly recommend that you get it on trial or go through a consignment shop that can come out and fit it to your horse so you don’t get stuck with a saddle that doesn’t fit. If there is a rep near you then I highly recommend the rep coming out and helping you. The one near me was really helpful when I bought my first one and told me which models to try out for when I bought my jumping saddle.