Hi, my new TB is average height and build but has a very short back. New dressage saddle that I love and fits him well otherwise (Custom) is waaay too long for his back according to 2 saddle fitters. UGH. Willing to find a used saddle but a custom-made one is not in the budget right now. Any tips on brands/styles that are more suitable for a short-backed horse? I am pretty tall and normally ride in a 17.5" seat. He is medium to narrow as far as tree goes. Thanks.
When we were saddle hunting last year, a lot of saddles were too long for my mare. I had luck with Black Country and Thorowgood.
Iâm a 17.5 too â and one of my horses has an extremely short back â almost 17h â a bit curvy + slighly downhill, so I have a triple problem.
A 17.5 does fit him (just) but any saddle with rear gussets in a 17.5 or a 17 â does NOT fit, too long â so those are out right off the bat. Even the rear gussets on a Passier or Pessoa for example, which are a less bulky type of gusset, donât work either.
Upswept rear panels are a must! Although some are too upswept for a horse with a flattish back and can rock.
The saddle brand that fits my horse like a glove is Antares. They make a dressage saddle in their Signature line which is not a custom-- is an âoff the rackâ saddle with medium tree and standard panels. You might want to try one of these. They do crop up on used saddle sites from time to timeâŠ
âŠand so do their full customs, but since any used custom (in any brand) was originally built to fit a particular horse, you really have to be able to decode all the modification #'s (Antares stamps them on the flaps and billet guard ) in order to know if the saddle will potentially fit your horse.
I am currently saddle shopping for my more traditionally short-backed Morgan. So far the used possibles have been Passier Relevant, Black Country Eloquence, and a Horka Amohn. So far the Horka (of all things) works the best. That said, he is flat backed so the trees of other makes didnât work for him. If yours has a curvy back these wouldnât work for you.
Yours needing a narrower tree may get you a bargain as many trade ins seem to be from people needing a wider tree and it seems most shoppers (like me) need a wide-ish tree.
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I have a Black Country Kur which is one model that was designed to accommodate a shorter back. The seat is not as deep with a lower cantle which allows the panels to be shorter relative to the seat size. A few years ago, I had one built for my mare because with her uber short extra-wide back, I would have waited forever for a used model that would fit her. I had the saddle made with upswept panels which further shortened the profile.
BCS Kurs do show up from time to time used; as with most BCS saddles they can be built on a regular tree or a hoop (freedom) tree so it is important to get a saddle with the right shape tree as well as one with the right width. I found one used in a MW (hoop) recently for one of my young horses.
I would also suggest a Black Country. I just put my sister in a Black Country GPD on her really short backed pony. We went with a GPD because we could get her in a half a seat size smaller and new they are under $3000.
Depending on how you sit in the saddle, the length may not be as much of a problem as you believe. How does your horse feel about the saddle? Is his back getting sore? I loaned a saddle to a girl once for her Lippy x and it was obviously too long, but my saddle fitter watched her ride in it and said since it fit well in other ways, and because she was not sitting in the back of the saddle, it wouldnât be a problem. YMMV. At least it might buy you some time.
Nice to see you back in the forums.
Thank you all! I have an old Antares monoflap but it is much, much too wide for him. sigh
The Schleese âObrigadoâ appears to be specifically for short-backed horses but I am trying to NOT spend $4-5K LOL.
The other suggestions above shall be diligently looked at, much obliged.
And Bogie thank you. Both saddle fitters were out when I wasnât there so nobody looked at me sitting in it. Good thought!
I love my Spirig on my short-backed Arab
My horse was described as short back, flat top and wide barrel. What works for him is an Equipe Boccelli
I have ridden my short backed Lusitano in a Lemke, designed for horses built like Iberians with short backs. Currently I ride him in a Custom Wolfgang Solo II; I
Iâd check out the Schleese Obrigado on used tack sites. I was recently shopping around and saw the Equus Now has a ton of used saddles for sale. Maybe the Schleese rep has a used one too.
I would think the first requirement for a saddle for a short backed horse would be that the panels be short in length?
While the longer panels help distribute the weight of the rider, if the horse has a rather shorter back, maybe a saddle without that feature, one with minimalist length panels, or like the upswept ones on the Stubben Roxanne, is what would be more appropiate, not extra bulky, flat and long ones?
That model has the longer panels, compared with the length of the seat and where the riderâs weight really needs to be supported most, that is more right under the rider.
Prestige panels arenât bulky or terribly long. Various models can be found at a decent price.
When I was shopping for my very short backed horse I figured out the length of his weight bearing area and would often ask for panel measurements/a picture with measurment to estimate if the saddle would be worth trying.
I also noticed that Harry Dabbs has very upswept panel options. I also find Black Country to work alright, and I find them very comfortable for myself. A lot of the French brands also have a more upswept panel.
My short backed guy is really short. His saddle is technically a bit long for him but he shows no soreness or resistance. He actually had more problems with one that was short enough for him. I think if the saddle is too short and doesnât fit the rider it causes problems with weight distribution and balance. In my experience some of the Custom saddles do have huge panels, so I could see that not working.
From saddle description on the link I shared: âShorter panel at the rear and front which can be an advantage when fitting to a pony-type conformation.â
Not asking you to agree with me or the designer. Just sharing my reason for posting.
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Word to the wise - if you find a Schleese (not just Obrigado but any of their more recent models - Wave, HK, etc) they can re-do the panel and shorten it. My fitter quoted me about 1500CAD for the process. I have bargain hunted two Schleeses - found my current one, a 2012 HK with upgraded leather in almost brand new condition for about $2200 US. If you found one with a #2 or #3 panel, they could also likely just adjust the rear half of the panel and convert it to a ârelief wedgeâ which was quoted at sub $1000 CAD for me (I think about $700).
Albion HR is very short but hard to find.
I just purchased a Takt TSD-37 for my very short and banana shaped back horse. I was able to get a 17.5" seat but had to get used to a deeper seat (I prefer a more open saddle). I havenât taken delivery of it yet but I get to ride in a trial saddle that is nearly identical to the one I ordered for free while I wait on my new saddle. They also have a fit guarantee that means they will redo my saddle for free if the one that is delivered doesnât fit properly.
https://www.taktsaddlery.com/tsd-37
May not be the right one for you, especially if your horse has a flat back. But I highly suggest working with a saddle fitter that sells multiple brands. Not all saddle makers have the right saddle for every horse. I had to work with two different independent fitters before I found a saddle that worked.
I also would suggest looking at the used saddles at Fine Used Saddles.
Hands down, Equipe.
