Switching to a gaited breed, tack questions.

[citydog]

[QUOTE=jazzrider;2598671]

Yes, of course every horse has that concern, but my understanding is that this is particularly good advice for the gaited breeds, and well, you’ve got to start somewhere![/QUOTE]

Right, but many of the “gaited” saddle manufacturers just slap the name “Gaited” such-and-such on a particular model that is made on the very same tree as their non-gaited models (and then charge more for it). It’s a marketing ploy. Yes, it helps narrow it down if you limit your search to saddles called gaited by the manufacturer, but so does only looking for saddles in a medium oil finish with brass hardware.

[yellow-horse]

jazz, champion saddlery in doswell had a stubben gaited horse saddle used for sale last week, i know this because it didn’t fit the twh my husband just bought, we tried some western saddles but the withers were just not happening
i wound up with a tennesean cut back extra wide trail saddle for high withered horses, see my problem, shark withers and a very wide back, anyway i got it used at a consignment shop very reasonable price
we are now also on the bit search, horse does not like snaffle bits, was previously ridden in a mylar medium port bit but she didn’t use the curb part
for the op, i have to tell you we’ve only had this horse 10 days and we are fighting over her,this is the 1st gaited horse we’ve ridden,she is my husbands horse, i have to get one for myself

[jazzrider]

YH – Did it not fit because your horse is too wide? My guy is thin and high withered (shark withered, as you say :D).

For the moment I’m borrowing a friend’s Kieffer (I couldn’t take the western saddle – but I’ll keep trying to adapt!), that with a mattis pad works great for him. Once he fills out I’ll have to revive my search. We’re going to give the Myler Comfort Snaffle with a 5" shank a try. I have to say, we rode trail and had a lesson last weekend, and he’s a ball to ride. We confirmed we’re keeping him this week (we had a two week trial). It’s funny, because I never liked riding my hubby’s SSH, but this guy is fun!

Orn1218 (OP) – So sorry the purchase didn’t work out. Any luck in finding another horse? We need an update!

[yellow-horse]

Jazz, not wide enough, it was a medium tree i think,actually i don’t think they could tell me the tree size, it’s worth checking it out for you though
my horse was going in a draft saddle with the previous owner, so she is very wide

[system]

I have owned several TWHs, and I have ridden them all in dressage saddles. First I used the Wintecs with the changeable gullet until they widened out beyond them, and now I have a Thornhill I really like. It’s got way too much in the way of thigh blocks, but darn it, it was wide enough to fit her! I highly recommend a dressage saddle that fits minus all of the silly DQ bells and whistles you won’t need 'cause you won’t bounce (hopefully!)

As for headgear, we ride in hackamores or sidepulls on the trail (just easier if you are going to stop for lunch or to pick blueberries on the side of the trail), snaffles for arena work, and just this year, a shank bit for open shows so the judge might get a clue (doesn’t work BTW - open judges are still idiots when it comes to gaited horses!). My horses do like Mylers, and I have one that likes the GOG ported bit, but we only use that on a loose rein because of the monstrous shanks. I think all of the horses who like the Mylers would also have gone well in a traditional low port shanked TWH bit on a loose rein, but I like to mess with dressage and don’t want the bother of leverage usually. Mostly TWHs care if the bit is too thick and restricts their fat tongues, or is too sloppy and irks them as they nod.

[BasqueMom]

Collegiate used to make a Marathon saddle that was super comfy but did not fit my shark
withered TB. Thought it make a great trail saddle.

I’ve got an good Argentine copy of a Stubbeun Tristan and rode in it for ten years. It was
my Lazy Boy saddle. When my old guy got retired, it got retired also as it didn’t fit the OTTB’s that came along for him to boss around.

Have a County Despri with the adjustable flaps and love it. Don’t know if used you can turn one up in your price range, but love the saddle and so did my the horse. Did buy it new through a County rep and had it fitted, etc., then waited a month or so for it to arrive.
My favorite flap position is the middle one. Understand some park services use these saddles for their mounted troops.

Sorry your purchase fell through but there is probably something better waiting for you. Probably a good idea to wait until you get the horse before saddle shopping. When Fudgeman was retired, neither of his saddles came close to fitting Basque.

[noel_powers-sousa]

Gaited Horse Saddles

I was new to the gaited horse world about 4 years ago when I (inadvertently) purchased a gaited morgan for my next horse (I was leasing her, and she kicked her previous owner, who said with many expletives attached in no uncertain terms she’d sell her unless I bought her :eek:). Sigh, I had entertained buying another thorobred, but I started out both with morgans (new breed I had never ridden before) and gaited to boot. Having been around gaited people and their horses for a few years, I have learned several valuable lessons about gaited horse tack. In general, there is really no such thing as gaited horse bits, gaited horse saddles, etc. But, there are a few general “rules” if you will about fitting saddles to gaited horses, and one important thing is to leave their shoulders free to move under the saddle, as a lot of their gait comes from the shoulders (as, of course, from other body parts). The second thing, is really have a knowlegable saddle fitter help you get or fit a saddle to your horse is you are buying anything with a tree.

I’m an english rider, and rode my horse in endurance the first year I was leasing her, and rode in an Australian saddle. I didn’t enjoy it very much, I don’t like the leg panels that a lot of aussie saddles have, they curtail my posting ability.

So, I bought an all purpose saddle, and decided on a wintec because 1) its very light, 2) I don’t have to clean it (big plus!!). I bought the Wintec 2000 AP because it had a sueded seat, and I had found that the wintec “leather-like” material on other saddles was too slippery for me. I bought a flocked model to have the saddle specifically flocked for my horse, I didn’t want the CAIR panels. Unfortunately for me, my horse has a long back, and wide shoulders, is built exactly like a height challenged warmblood (she’s only 15 hands, downright short compared to the thorobreds I rode my entire life:lol:) so I lucked out in my choice of saddles, the Wintec 2000 AP has a flat tree, so it fit her back well.

Buying a saddle is a frustrating process. My friend Dianne has a gaited morgan that is built like a really old style morgan, I’m talking MAJOR chunk-a-munk, he’s got a short back and is WIDE!!! She’s gone through about 7 saddles to date trying to find one she likes, and has had a hard time fitting his wide shoulders.

Best of luck trying to find a saddle. I don’t regret my choice, my horse has no saddle related chiropractic issues ever since I got that saddle, and I’ve ridden thousands of miles in it at this point.

[noel_powers-sousa]

[QUOTE=Teffer;2621246]
I have owned several TWHs, and I have ridden them all in dressage saddles. First I used the Wintecs with the changeable gullet until they widened out beyond them, and now I have a Thornhill I really like. It’s got way too much in the way of thigh blocks, but darn it, it was wide enough to fit her! I highly recommend a dressage saddle that fits minus all of the silly DQ bells and whistles you won’t need 'cause you won’t bounce (hopefully!)

As for headgear, we ride in hackamores or sidepulls on the trail (just easier if you are going to stop for lunch or to pick blueberries on the side of the trail), snaffles for arena work, and just this year, a shank bit for open shows so the judge might get a clue (doesn’t work BTW - open judges are still idiots when it comes to gaited horses!). My horses do like Mylers, and I have one that likes the GOG ported bit, but we only use that on a loose rein because of the monstrous shanks. I think all of the horses who like the Mylers would also have gone well in a traditional low port shanked TWH bit on a loose rein, but I like to mess with dressage and don’t want the bother of leverage usually. Mostly TWHs care if the bit is too thick and restricts their fat tongues, or is too sloppy and irks them as they nod.[/QUOTE]
I agree with riding in sidepulls and hackamores. I’ve turned about 6 other people on to riding in s-hackamores. I’ve never ridden a horse who doesn’t work well in it. Plus they can eat in it. Unfortunately, my horse is too spirited to ride in a sidepull in competitive arenas (like endurance) but does wonderful in her s-hackamore. I can get her to almost piaffe in her s-hackamore and I also jump her in it when doing cross-country/eventing where they don’t care if I wear a bit or not. In the arena when doing dressage or shows that i have to wear a bit, I use a copper roller d-bit snaffle (the rollers are on the bars of the bit, not the middle).

[gabz]

For those seeking “gaited” saddles…
The tree needs to actually be narrower to rest on the muscles along each side of the spine, but FLARED properly at the front, to COMPLETELY free up the shoulders in order to get the “glide” of a gaited horse.

Additionally, since the hind legs move farther forward - since a gaited horse is a lateral mover opposed to TB, WB, Stock, Arab diagonal movers - so the length of the saddle and skirt must be short enough and/or rounded to permit the hip to move forward while the shoulder is moving forward on the same side.

There are some gaited endurance and western saddles that I have seen advertised, that not only have the shoulder flare - but also have a higher pommel / gullet for the “shark-finned” withers. I actually have a QH that is more suited to this type and shape.

i surely hope that the OP has found a “gliding” horse and appropriate tack. Fabtron makes a combination leather/ cordura gaited saddle that I’ve seen fitted to some narrow TWHs. Too bad that Whitman was bought out by Miller - they made some EXCELLENT cut back gaited saddles… most notably for the Icelandics. A fox lane type/cut back saddle with a gel cushion placed on top, might be a good alternative too.

[Guilherme]

“Gaited horse saddles” are a pure marketing ploy. Don’t get “fished” by the sellers of “snake oil.”

Lee Z., if she were still with us, would agree.

I, too, ride a Stubben Scout. It’s a very comfortable and practical general purpose saddle. It is not cheap and they are difficult to find used. The original design was based upon a saddle Stubben made for the Belgian Army after WWII. It is used by other militaries and many police organizations (both here and abroad).

My wife rides a Stubben VSD-DL and she is happy with it (although she has recently started talking about a Giacomini saddle; sadly those are REAL money even though well made and comfortable).

Like Tamara says watch out for the bit with a horse with lots of head nod. I don’t have any aggressive “nodders” right now (nor any TWHs for that matter ). I like the Myler Bits; I’m presently using a Pelham with a low port mouthpiece.

With any saddle you’ve also got to consider the padding. The Scout is well padded. I’ve found a Civil War era blanket I bought from the Blockade Runner in Wartrace, TN (folded cavalry style so that you get six layers of blanket) works very well. Your local Pendelton Wool Outlet is also a good source for excellent quality blankets for about $50.

Whitman also makes a police saddle that has many users in the U.S. I’ve never sat one but a couple of folks I know who use them say they are a good product.

Two other types of saddle that can work very well are the McClellan (generally called a Mac) and the British Universal Pattern (generally referred to as the UP). Don’t try using a historical Mac or UP as they were optomized for the 19th or early 20th Century horse (and don’t generally fit the 21st Century “sofa bred” type of conformation. :lol: )

They are very light weight and many find them very comfortable. Personally, I’ve never liked the Mac but maybe it’s just me. Lots of used ones are around, but be VERY CAREFUL to ensure you get a quality reproduction from someone like Doug Kidd (Border States Leather) or Tom Smith (Tom’s Cavalry Equipment). I’ve seen he work of these guys and it’s excellent. They are not cheap, but a good saddle won’t be. A cavarly blanket under these saddles generally all you need for padding.

IIRC the Trooper saddles that are presently being marketed are direct desendants of the the UP.

Steele makes a very good quality saddle. They are mostly of the Plantation or Western design, but I think they also make a Buena Vista style that some gaited folks like.

Personally, I don’t like Aussies (never found one that fit me) and consider the “treeless” saddle to be an instrument designed to sore a horse’s back. As with all things, YMMV.

Good luck in your search!

G.

[Arrow]

I have yet to find a saddle that doesn’t bridge on my SSH–he is so narrow behind his shoulders and under this withers that it’s not funny. I now ride him in a Littlejoe Bareback Saddle (a bareback pad, really).

[Guilherme]

Something to watch for is the difference between saddle “bridging” and the horse traveling hollow. Both can leave the same “sweat pattern” on the back.

If it’s truly bridging then a correct fit is possible. If you 've never had a correct fit then it’s likely traveling hollow. That, over the long term, has a potential for real problems.

G.

[Orn1218]

update on my switch to a new horse

Well, I looked at a couple of gaited horses and didn’t found one that I felt worked for me. But while looking I fell in love with the cutest arab mare and wound up getting her! She is the horse I was waiting for my whole life. I just love this girl. Anyways, I still have saddle issues, just of a new variety, lol. I got a Thornhill pathfinder endurance saddle. it is so cushy. I think it is a little long on her though, and since she is one of those arabs with little withers, it seems a bit perched on her. It’s good for riding around the farm, but I will probably get a new saddle for Christmas to use for longer distances.

[jazzrider]

Congrats Orn1218! :yes: So glad you found a horse you feel you click with! Sorry though, that you’re off on the saddle hunt. I so know how it is (being a person who did switch to gaited breed recently!). Best wishes!!!