Saddle solutions for a "Princess and the Pea" youngster

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

Not french, but I’ve had some success with the Amerigo which has a fairly short, upswept panel but more flat tree for a more modern warmblood. I have the classic tree, not the Cervia. I like the more forward balance, as I can place the saddle behind his laid back shoulder and still be over his COG. I prefer a narrower twist and this one is comfortable for me. You can get a wool flocked one and have some decent adjustability. My fitter was able to adjust to remove any rock that started once we got some good topline muscle.

Good luck, I can empathize as mine is a tough fit too!

[CanteringCarrot]

I really loved my Amerigo that I had for my last PRE. He didn’t have much real estate to place the saddle on. He went well in the Amerigo and it was comfortable and bkanaced for me. It was a Cortina IIRC.

[RedHorses]

My ridiculously sensitive to saddle fit horse with a very short back ended up in a Ridgemount Custom - which is actually an off the shelf model with a stupid name. It’s a dressage saddle specifically made for short backs.

In his younger years there was a lot of “saddle fit for 2 months until his back changed too much” going on. Very frustrating.

[Pico_Banana]

@blue_heron

She is very compact back to front with big gaits.

That is my mare to a T. To give you an idea of how short-backed she is, she’s 16.3 and wears a 75 blanket. We recently moved from a Black Country Equinox, which we both loved, to an EQ Encore, which we really, super duper love.

[blue_heron]

I have heard from others that those were not good for short backs. Are they legal to show in?

My trainer has been riding her in her Antares for the last week or two and thinks she’s having much better success with this saddle. It’s been beaten into my mind never to buy foam-flocked saddles and that French saddles are bad for backs so I don’t know what to think.

[CanteringCarrot]

I prefer wool flocked, but honestly if there’s a foam saddle that fits the horse and the horse is happy/goes well in it, then I’ll toss my preference aside.

My youngster will be short backed, which is common for his breed and type, so I’ll likely look to Amerigo again, but will keep my mind open.

[blue_heron]

You have Lusis, right?

I’ve had a number of them and they all fit decently well in my Trilogy Verago with shortened panels. That saddle is juuuusttt too long for this girl, which breaks my heart.

I sat in an Amerigo and Prestige today and both pitched my pelvis forward- not where I want to be on a youngster who is not afraid to tell you off. My trainers Antares has seams directly under my seatbones which are incredibly uncomfortable, so that’s a no. A CWD was meh, kind of felt like I was sitting on top of the saddle. There was a Devoucoux that I liked but all I hear are horror stories about foam flocked saddles.

[CanteringCarrot]

Hmm. I have PRE’s. I did have a saddle that was just a smidge too long on one of mine (it was a Fairfax) and it never bothered him. Fitter and bodyworker(s) never noticed any ill results. It wasn’t dramatically too long though. I tried a shorter saddle at the time and he didn’t seem to like it as much, so maybe the weight distribution in the Fairfax was just ok for him.

Have you looked at Erreplus? There’s also the Passier Compact. I did have a Sommer with shorter upswept panels, but I’m not sure they’re as popular in the US.

I’m not hugely into foam but did ride in an Equipe for awhile, on a PRE and on a WB (not the same saddles), without ill results.

I’m trying to think what else I’ve used over the years…Black Country, but I think you already mentioned them. Custom Saddlery has panel options but I’m not a huge Custom fan.

Some of the Kieffer saddles aren’t terribly long.

Oh, I did try an Albion, a monoflap…I cannot recall the model name. Length wasn’t too bad, but might not be short enough.

[blue_heron]

I think being a sensitive mare she is less tolerant of saddles being slightly too long. And I’ve learned from previous CotH threads that people have very different ideas of what constitutes as a short back lol.

I’ve heard of Erreplus but don’t know anyone who rides in one. I like some of the Albion but was warned by my fitter that finding one short enough would be a challenge. The old Passier and Kieffer (not sure if anything has changed) split my hips in half, as do the Black Countries. Custom “pony panels” were too long, and I’ve never sat in a Custom that didn’t give me a chair seat so bad I can’t post the trot. I’m also a bit wary of investing in anything that doesn’t have a good resale value seeing as I’m probably going to have to get rid of it in six months.

[CanteringCarrot]

Hmm. Yeah, my last gelding was just withers and then I felt like it was already the end of his back. He had a long withers and very short back. As in I was concerned if he could take a saddle with a seat size larger than 16.5 so it was fun. Then there’s finding something that works for horse AND rider. I don’t envy you! And I’ve been there.

[Pico_Banana]

Yes, you can show in an EQ when you attach the flaps.

I don’t know about other people’s experiences, but my mare loves hers. And she has such a big moving shoulder that I have to set it a solid four fingers behind the scapula, putting the back of the panel just at the limit of where it should be, if not a smidge too long. She went well in her BC, but she is now swinging her back and striding out so much more than she ever did before.

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

@blue_heron

I think being a sensitive mare she is less tolerant of saddles being slightly too long. And I’ve learned from previous CotH threads that people have very different ideas of what constitutes as a short back lol.

This is my guy to a T. People are shocked when I say he is short backed as he wears an 81" blanket and LOOKS like he has an average back. But he has a long loin and only has about 19.5" of saddle support area. Something I did when I was looking was measure his saddle support area then reach out to multiple shops/reps and ask them to measure the panels. I’d try any that were within that range. Some still didn’t work due to tree shape or not fitting me but it might be worth a shot!

Depending on her back shape, she might like the Verhan Trustin - that has about a 19" panel length for an 18" seat. But they tend to fit a curvier back (or so I’m told). You can generally find them pretty cheap used as well since they aren’t en vogue right now.

[blue_heron]

Bumping again… We managed to be okay with the same saddle for a grand total of three months (a new record!) Now pony mare is backsore under the cantle again, particularly around the edges of the panels. Every time her butt comes up again, she gets sore there. Even in the extremely short saddle we have now (French). Don’t think they are flat enough side to side anymore too, though the saddle is wide enough in front and in good balance. Her attitude has been pretty positive about working so I’d like to keep it that way. I think she was in heat for the first time this season this week, too.

Has anyone been able to deal with the growth spurts without buying a completely new saddle?

And, has anyone been able to get a saddle fitter out in southern New England since the new year? Recommendations? Wasn’t super happy with the choices and final result with the last person I had out.

[lazaret]

@blue_heron

And, has anyone been able to get a saddle fitter out in southern New England since the new year? Recommendations? Wasn’t super happy with the choices and final result with the last person I had out.

I have had an absolute BEAR of a time getting anyone in Connecticut/Western MA since last year. If you find anyone you like…like me know. So far I’m batting 0%.

[blue_heron]

Ugh, so frustrating! Would you PM me who you’ve tried or reached out to? It’s ridiculous considering the size of the horse community around here and the fact that everything is within a few hours of each other.

[Trak_Eventer]

We are lucky to have Karen Withstandley of the Refined Equine (https://www.therefinedequine.com/) here in Kansas City. Karen lives in KC now but, she services CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME, NY, NJ , KS, MO. She is a great fitter and also does great bodywork.

[blue_heron]

Is she regularly in the area? I really need someone who will come out every few months.

[Trak_Eventer]

I am honestly not 100% sure how often she is out there. I believe a few times per year. She is very responsive, so feel free to contact her.

[Festivity]

I’ll second the suggestion of trying one of the EQ saddles. I have a friesian mare that is 15.2 hd tall and about the same wide with a short back and no whithers. She loves the EQ Encore and so do I. She went from very little forward to now having big swinging gaits and wanting to move forward. Her shoulders are amazingly free in this saddle. They have different length panels so may be able to come up with something ideal for your mare. They are show legal if you attach the flap and if you use their pad it doesn’t look that weird once you’re in it. I also like that I can adjust it if my mare’s muscling changes significantly.

I’d suggest reaching out to Carmi, doing the back tracings, and seeing if a demo makes sense.

[Viranh]

Another vote for EQ! I think I posted about mine earlier in the thread, but that was 9 months ago. My horse has gone from approximately a standard M to W/XW between buying the saddle at 3 and the last tracing I did a few months ago (coming 5), and Carmi was able to help me re-adjust the panels and disks to fit. It’s easy to adjust for topline changes. Horse still loves the saddle, and she’s been really picky about saddles even when they look like a decent fit. As a bonus, the adjustable stirrup bars and moveable blocks make it great for rider fit too. I ride with a fleece halfpad cover on the panels and the stiff detachable flaps, so it looks pretty normal when it’s on.