He’s short-coupled as well so I was thinking about the Passier Compact. None of my current saddles fit him. Thx!
Not too many words of advice, but following. I seriously just logged in to ask about suggestions for my new Iberian. Only mine doesn’t have withers, he resembles an upside down sausage… I’m looking at mine and honestly for the first time I can see a horse I own needing a hoop tree, not just really XW. I’m stumped.
Does his shoulders look pretty angular towards the wither or are they pretty spread apart like a flat space in between?
Do you mean flat front to back or side to side?
I do know if you go with the Passier, look for ones with “freedom panels”. That will accommodate his wideness where normal panels may be too sharply angled and dig into his back laterally. Any baroques I know have been wide/ flat side to side…
Ah, welcome to my world! I believe I have posted my own threads on my little PRE Sofa aka the horse with the impossibly short back.
I am also wondering if he is flat as in the curve of his spine essentially or across… Then we can get cracking on some suggestions.
I have a Frank Baines Pirouette, semi customized to have an extra wide gullet and short upswept panels front to back. Fits great
A trainer of mine rode Lusitano’s and used a County Perfection. I also used it on a short backed, no withers, barrel shaped Paint.
“Compact,” like so many terms in the horse world, is relative. The Passier compact is about the same length as a normal Black Country panel, and Black Country will make them up to an inch shorter than usual on a custom saddle. Harry Dabbs panels are upswept, and therefor shorter yet. Both companies have options for wide horses with minimal withers.
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Kieffer Lusitano? The Kieffers I’ve handled and/or owned (not the Luso; I’m just guessing from the name it’s built more for an Iberian shape) generally are shorter in the panel than other saddles I’ve handled and/or owned.
They also have the Inzell and the Amsterdam models for short backs. They tend to fit a horse with some withers and a flatter back IME. They are also somewhat adjustable due to wool flocking and the type of tree.
Flat front to back and/or side to side? Thinking the Passier might be a bit too curved in the tree (front to back). Try looking for saddles made for Baroque horses specifically.
I measured his back from the behind the shoulder to where the saddle should end (last rib) and it’s 18" so I’m measuring all of the saddles according to that as well.
Anybody know how wide you can make an Albion that is a medium? Is X-wide to far a stretch?
I ride my Luso in a Custom Solo. He likes it. I have also ridden in a Lemke (designed for the baroques - small saddle maker, based in Nevada), and a Schleese Obrigado. But for ME and him, the Custom is the best. FIxed some position issues I had been fighting.
It would be helpful to have conformation photos. I have fit a lot of Baroque horses. Usually but not always, they do well in a hoop tree with front or full front gussets and sometimes a deeper front panel depending on the topline shape.
I ride my PRE in. Custom Solo monoflap and both of us are very happy with the fit
My guy currently goes in a Prestige Lucky. Yes, it is a “youth” saddle, but I am fairly small and it works for me. He is incredibly short backed as far has his weight bearing surface is concerned. This saddle is a 16" but rides closer to a 17". Even most 17-17.5" saddles with unswept panels and “made for short backs” were just too long. My saddle fitter offered this as another solution and it worked. He goes in the 34 cm tree just fine. I had another Prestige “almost” work on him. A Stubben Genesis was also a close contender.
I quite like Black Country due to their many options and I find their saddled soo very comfortable, but there are no reps close to me or anyone familiar with the brand. I did not want to work long distance again.
I looked at Zaldi but they had a lot of long panels on their saddles. IIRC they don’t subscribe to the short saddle for short backs theory.
This is the back I am referring to for reference (see picture) he’s gotten even wider/more muscled. He’s expanded greatly over the last year as a 5 year old.
Custom Wolfgang Constanze for my Lusitano. It can be had w/ shorter panels and he is very happy in it.
I just had someone suggest to me trying the Stubben Genesis as well for wide guys. I was surprised. Good to know.
My Welsh Cob goes in an XW Stubben Genesis.
Another one who rides in a Custom Constanze. The flex tree saddles made by Custom Saddlery are much shorter through the panels, and seem to fit “compact” horses well. Mine are a compact Friesian cross mare, and a Welsh Cob cross. I originally bought the saddle for my very compact Friesian cross stallion - after trying a LOT of saddles on him.
Another saddle they have that tends to fit Baroque types well is the Advantage. You can also order their saddles with shorter panels (pony panels) for the short backed horse. Big gusseted panels are SO popular now, but don’t work well on the compact horse.
Anybody have any experience with the Duett Fidelio? It’s supposed to be designed for these type of horses.
