wide tree saddles? recommendations?

[DrHB]

I have a maturing horse who has disappearing withers and growing shoulders. There is no saddle in our barn that now fits him. We have CWD, Devoucoux, Stubben, and Prestige, all at “medium” 'medium wide" or so trees. I also realize that saddles such as County come in W, XW, XXW, and so on, and I am unsure about where he would fall. He sure seems VERY wide now.

So I need to purchase something wide, as in very wide, and I am unsure of what saddle would be appropriate. I prefer a higher end saddle, as I am a saddle snob, but would most likely purchase used because this guy could change again (I’ve had withers “pop up” at maturity with fitness). So I am trying to pinch pennies but do NOT want to pinch him.

Prestige comes in a very wide, 36, I believe, and they are adjustable. County as noted above comes in xw and so on.

Ideas? Suggestions? Directions?

[PonyPenny]

My horse is built like a linebacker. Both my daughter and I have a Antares with the AO tree. No other saddle fits as well.

[DrHB]

@PonyPenny

My horse is built like a linebacker. Both my daughter and I have a Antares with the AO tree. No other saddle fits as well.

AO? what does that stand for? I haven’t had an Antares previously.

[no.stirrups]

Saddles made in England are more likely to fit such horses. They are used to cobby types there!

[StormyDay]

You may need a hoop tree. If you take a wither tracing and post it on here we should be able to tell you. If you do, no A type saddle, no matter how wide you go, will fit.
There are some higher end saddles that come in hoop trees. Black Country, county, passier. There might be a French brand but I’m not sure. There is also Duett but they are definitely not high end, though they are cheap!

[PonyPenny]

@DrHB

AO? what does that stand for? I haven’t had an Antares previously.

AO is their wide tree. I do not know what it stands for. Google Antares AO tree for more info.

[NoSuchPerson]

@StormyDay

You may need a hoop tree. If you take a wither tracing and post it on here we should be able to tell you. If you do, no A type saddle, no matter how wide you go, will fit.
There are some higher end saddles that come in hoop trees. Black Country, county, passier. There might be a French brand but I’m not sure. There is also Duett but they are definitely not high end, though they are cheap!

This. My mule has big shoulders and modest withers but still isn’t hugely wide/round. However, the improvement in fit between a hoop tree saddle and a regular tree saddle of about the same width was surprising. The regular tree still looked perched while the hoop tree kind of settled right into place.

[CanteringCarrot]

I have a horse that is somewhat inbetween hoop and A-shaped trees. Some of both categories could work. He goes in a Prestige. I haven’t widened it yet (at 34cm). Typically, a lot of saddled will perch on him.

I don’t fully subscribe to going English made because they are not all made for cobby horse. I find a majority to be made for flat backed TV types. Black Country does have a hoop/freedom tree. Albion seems to run narrow in my experience, Jaguar seems better for a horse with withers, and County runs wide, but not necessarily hoop shaped…but many of these saddles do have various fit options.

If I didn’t have a Prestige, I’d have a Black Country because they are very comfortable, have many fit options, and last.

[osgoka01]

I have a young holsteiner mare who sounds similar to your horse… she is round, round with a very broad (and set back) shoulder. My CWD, which has fit many horses just wasn’t clearing her shoulder. I had the CWD rep come out and we tried numerous configurations and couldn’t get it quite right. I ended up buying a County Innovation (lightly used) for her.

I like the saddle very much for her and it is fine for me (though I miss my CWD). Interestingly enough, I’m only in the M tree of County, as apparently they are often considered “generous” trees. If you have a good County rep nearby, it is worth a call.

[hj0519]

My horse is wide and very solidly built, and she is very happy in her custom Antares. She has an AO2 (which I think means that it’s “2 degrees” wider than their average width) in their Evolution model, which has a cut-back tree that’s good for big-shouldered horses.

[pattnic]

@PonyPenny

AO is their wide tree. I do not know what it stands for. Google Antares AO tree for more info.

It stands for Arcade Ouverte, but I might have that spelled incorrectly. It’s the Antares (and CWD, and I think also Devoucoux) version of a wide tree… but it’s still not a wide wide like you can get with County, etc. @hj0519, I had no idea they offered an AO2.

OP, it depends partly on how curvy your horse’s back is. I adore County saddles, but when I tried County for my current mare, they were too flat from front-to-back for her. I had better luck with Harry Dabbs, Prestige, and Amerigo/Vega for fitting her wide but curvy back (I ended up with a Vega Jump).

A hoop tree is not always the answer if a horse is wide; a horse can be wide and still need more of an A-shaped (or a broader A-shaped) tree. Hoop trees did not work on my stupid wide horses, but an XW County did. (This current horse isn’t quite stupid-wide - just regular “very wide”).

But to answer the question, County, Black Country, Harry Dabbs, Prestige, and Amerigo/Vega are all worth trying. If you’re looking used, I think a County will be the easiest to come by. If you’re picky about looks/leather, look for the bull leather (I would say the same for Amerigo/Vega if you go that route - look for the calf leather).

[StormyDay]

@pattnic

It stands for Arcade Ouverte, but I might have that spelled incorrectly. It’s the Antares (and CWD, and I think also Devoucoux) version of a wide tree… but it’s still not a wide wide like you can get with County, etc. @hj0519, I had no idea they offered an AO2.

OP, it depends partly on how curvy your horse’s back is. I adore County saddles, but when I tried County for my current mare, they were too flat from front-to-back for her. I had better luck with Harry Dabbs, Prestige, and Amerigo/Vega for fitting her wide but curvy back (I ended up with a Vega Jump).

A hoop tree is not always the answer if a horse is wide; a horse can be wide and still need more of an A-shaped (or a broader A-shaped) tree. Hoop trees did not work on my stupid wide horses, but an XW County did. (This current horse isn’t quite stupid-wide - just regular “very wide”).

But to answer the question, County, Black Country, Harry Dabbs, Prestige, and Amerigo/Vega are all worth trying. If you’re looking used, I think a County will be the easiest to come by. If you’re picky about looks/leather, look for the bull leather (I would say the same for Amerigo/Vega if you go that route - look for the calf leather).

Yes, very true. If your horse has a normal wither but gets wide farther down, then u need a wide A shape tree. If your horse is wide at the top by the wither he needs a hoop tree. However a horse can need a hoop tree but only be a medium tree size. Usually wither= A tree, no wither = hoop tree

[frenchclassical]

I recommend a hoop tree or a “made to measure/bespoke” saddle from england.
Black Country is great and Nick Doleman is great! Really high quality and very affordable.

[Tuesday_s_Child]

I have a Prestige that was widened from a 35 to a 36 before I got it, which was the only thing I could find in my budget to fit my QH cross. I believe they can only be adjusted one size up or down, but they are adjustable so that may be a good option!

[DrHB]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I am going to look at County first with an eye on our local tack shop. He does not need anything particularly fancy at this point in his career and I suspect he may change in shape as he becomes fitter.

[Libby416]

After trying a bunch of “in brand” saddles, I ended up going with Erreplus. It’s an Italian brand that I’d never heard of, but with their shoulder free panel, I was able to finally get my wide shouldered mare comfortable.