I did’t read all of the posts but I disagree that saddles are all the same size. I fit TB’s to extremely wide and round types and clearly, the same saddle would not fit both or should not fit both.
Trees come in many widths and shapes both longitudinally and laterally. Pommel arches can also be angular or rounded. Additionally, panels come in many shapes and there are countless options for better fit.
I’ve been reading with interest. Some of the comments are really surprising to me. Saddle makers I work with have sizes from Narrow to XXXXXXXW in trees specifically designed for thoroughbreds, warmbloods, kegs-on-legs, wide with withers, shark-fin withers, rising toplines, and more. There are so many options I sometimes have a hard time remembering them all. In my own inventory I carry MW to XXXW in about 17 different trees, and I’m a small retailer. A shop the size of Jay’s probably has dozens more. I generally only keep 17-18 inch seats, but a variety of flap shapes and lengths, block sizes, and seat depths. If people are having a hard time finding options that work for them, I’d be interested to know where they are shopping. Options ARE available.
All types of sports equipment has changed drastically over the last 10 or so years…try buying golf clubs, for example. Biomechanics and digital analysis have changed all sports. Our saddles are better designed now than ever before but that doesn’t make shopping for them any easier. Or lower the prices.
I think I see some of your frustration Velvet, and what I observed comes from trying to buy a modern saddle used. The default rider seems to be some sort of supermodel human who is very long legged and thin, because I see all these extra long/extra forward flapped saddles for sale. Where are all the short riders? I need regular flaps at a maximum. Depending on the saddle, extended stirrup bars might be necessary. Many stores and reps seem to keep long flapped saddles as demos, so without paying up front, I can’t even tell if the saddle will work.
The only thing you can do is find a fitter who rides your sport and looks like you :LOL: then you’ll get the right saddle for sure!
I agree with the poster that said back in the day, it was commonplace for horses to have white marks in their withers. I remember this well and what saints they were!
In terms of adaptability, I also have a long femur and my choice would be amerigo or WOW. I really loved my WOW, and the adaptability was mind boggling. I did find it hard to change the flaps to go from dressage to jumping - also the very deep seat was not suitable for jumping really, but fine to hack out and small fences.
After my horses death the WOW didn’t fit both of my new horses, though it was fine f one with adjustment. The 4 year old it was never going to fit, and to have it adapted with new tree/seat etc would cost a fortune. So I then moved onto the amerigo which can be adjusted as your young horse changes shape.
Out of all my saddles, my amerigo was my favourite and my 4 year old immediately worked much softer and better than in the saddle purchased for backing her (an adjustable synthetic saddle).
I have a short backed, round Arab cross with a reasonable wither. It took a fair time but we finally settled on a Sommer Diplomat- the panels gave good shoulder clearance and did not extend back as “gussets”. The "lifetime fit " Schleese people were the worst to work with regarding fit, and an independent fitter the most helpful. Fitters trained by a particular company know diddly about other brands and can be very misleading, unintentionally in the case of our local Stubben rep. She had no real training tho she tried hard to help.
demidq - I have seen more horses with sore backs from Schleese than any other brand… and none of the barns I’ve been at were Schleese barns! On the other hand, when they do fit horse and rider well, they are VERY well loved.
I found there were MANY options out there, but agree that the default is a certain body shape/type. As a short rider I also struggle with the ability to find used saddles which fit. I also like a flatter seat than most of the typical saddles you see out there. We don’t have good independent fitters, so I went with Custom because we have an excellent fitter, and she had me try all the different saddle types with flat seats and narrow twists… and for my gelding (who is a TB) the more typical WB shape and for my mare (who is a WB) a more curvy tree than typical. I think I tried 11 saddles on my gelding, who is too large for me and the ideal saddle isn’t as comfortable as one which keeps me from riding well, and 7 or so on my mare. The Custom flaps were short enough that I did NOT require a short flap, but could have gotten one for my mare since I had her saddle built. Since I wanted my trainer to be able to ride in it, too, I went with the standard flap.
[QUOTE=Sandy M;8988599]
Does anyone remember the days when you put a saddle on the horse, and if it cleared the withers and you could run a whip through the gullet from back to front and it went through cleanly (i.e., saddle wasn’t pressing on horse’s spine), the saddle was considered to “fit?” The Not So Good Old Days. LOL[/QUOTE]
Make Saddle Fitting Great Again!
I had a horrible experience with Schleese. I had a custom one designed for a mare I used to own and it was hands down the WORST experience I have ever had. Jochen himself measured my horse for the saddle, even putting that spine thingy on her to get precise measurements. When the saddle arrived, no less than 1/2 dozen dressage riders said this absolutely did not fit. The saddle rocked very badly on my horse’s back, and was not fixable from reflocking. My horse was very incomfortable in the saddle to the point of bucking.
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