I’ll add that if you can get a rep or a fitter to bring out a bunch of saddles to try, then you can narrow it down to what works for you and the horse.
Write down the configuration, ie Bruno Delgrange Partition - 4A flap, medium tree, regular panels, 17.5" seat and voila, you can search the entire country/continent for that exact saddle. You’re no longer limited to what is sitting in the local consignment shop, and you don’t have to buy brand new.
My saddle fitter gave me a list of saddles that she thought should fit my horse’s back and my shape.
Words of advice:
Trials are amazing. Only buy a used saddle from someone who doesn’t do trials if it’s deeply discounted (I say this as someone trying to sell two used saddles and I don’t blame people one bit for wanting a huge deal). It’s hard to sell used saddles right now compared to the old days, so if you spend money on one and it doesn’t fit, you want to be able to sell it at that same discounted price so you don’t take a loss.
Other than that, there are a lot of good consignment shops that operate online that DO allow trials. And some individuals do as well–just depends.
I’ve never bought a new saddle. I’ve bought a couple that I needed to resell but have been lucky for the most part (or maybe I should give more credit to my saddle fitter and her advice).
This is just my experience but it may be easier if you look for saddles that fit your horse first.
I made a 3D model of my horses back using double sided tape, and the binding used on hay bales.
I bought a flexible ruler, and then used it as a guide and attached the binding with double sided tape and I think I used long pipe cleaners to help support it.
You could probably use the stiffeners that florists use as well.
You can laugh but it held together long enough for me to take to the tack store and use as a guide . It was very useful in ruling out saddles that weren’t wide enough or too wide.
I suppose with a little more effort you could use balsa wood or something that flexes and make a model of your horses back.
Once you get an ideal of the particular model that best fits your horse you can start looking for what suits you. You’ll have to really sit in it and ride on the horse at all three gaits.
Sitting on a saddle in a tack shop will tell you if a saddle is the right seat size but until you put it on the horse, you won’t know how your leg will hang down the horses barrel.
And most of all you ll need patience, patience and more patience and don’t settle for almost.
And if you do find the right saddle and it’s brown.
Buy it anyway.
Good luck. And good hunting.
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