[QUOTE=BCGirl;7106203]
Hello all, I am hoping to get some suggestions for saddles to try for Mr. BCGirl.
He is 6’4" and basically all legs. From the point of his hip to his knee measures 21". I found him a nice used 18" Smith-Worthington with a very very forward flap and pretty thick knee roll which he absolutely despises. He tried out my 17.5 Crosby Equilibrium today and vastly preferred it to the Smith-Worthington minus it being far too small for him. I have done a little looking around online and don’t even know if they make Crosbys in a 19 or so.
Long term I am looking for something that he will hunt in, but short term he is really just getting back into riding.
I personally am a life long Crosby/pancake saddle person as anything else kills my hips due to all the padding. As a result I don’t know all that much about other saddles as I have always had one that fits me and thankfully my horses!
So the point is, I need some ideas! All of the trial saddles from Smartpak, Dover, etc are all 17. I guess I could try some of those and see what works, but am at a loss at to where to begin!
Any ideas are greatly appreciated!
Thanks![/QUOTE]
What matters most is how much of his 6’ 4" is LEG. Specifically, what is the length from his hip-bone to knee, and from his knee to his heel? Those are the measurements that will determine the seat size he takes more than his height overall. Best to go to a tack shop that serves foxhunters and eventers (lots of adults!) and will have a greater diversity of saddle sizes. Sit in everything and get a feel for where his knee hits the kneeroll, and how long a flap he needs.
My own pick for a really tall guy would be a Stubben 18’ + (there are tons of them on E-Bay) like the Parsifal or Imperator with a really forward flap that will enable him to ride short but give his knee somewhere to go. But you really won’t know till he sits in some stuff. The great thing about Stubbens is also that the tree sizes are standardized; one problem with older Crosbys and such is that our modern horses tend to be much wider. I’ve got a fabulous 19" Pariani that I picked up mint at a tag sale, but it’s a narrow TB tree and I can only use it on that kind of back. Stubbens go from 29.0 to 32.0 cm. and fit QH’s, WB’s, and even most drafts.
