Widening Tree on my saddle, WWYD?

[kelsey97]

I’ve done a search an not found exactly what I’m looking for, I definitely need some advice!
My horse has outgrow current saddle and needs a wider tree. Horse has average wither, wide shoulder and flat back. Current saddle is custom French saddle about 5 years old, excellent condition, and I love it.

An independent saddle fitter came out and suggested I have the tree widened, check the fit, then if necessary change out the panels to fit my horse. I had a fitting with a rep for the saddle company who told me the tree can’t be widened (I think this is BS) and I just need to buy a new one. We aren’t talking hoop tree here, I test rode MW saddles that worked great…I really do not want to buy a brand new saddle. I’ve been looking for a comparable used saddle in a wider tree for 5 months and can t find anything.

So WWYD in my situation? I’d like to go with the independent fitters recommendation. My questions for COTH are anyone have their tree widened? Where did you send your saddle ? Any advice is greatly appreciated !

[kashmere]

Not all trees are adjustable, and widening one that isn’t designed to be adjusted could have some pretty serious consequences in terms of structural integrity. If you don’t believe that the saddle can’t be widened, I would suggest taking it to a saddler and getting their opinion.

In my admittedly very limited experience with a lot of the higher end French saddles, they are not, generally speaking, very adjustable. They are often lovely, comfortable saddles, but pretty set in their ways.

If you end up looking for a new saddle, I would recommend looking for one that is built with the intention of adjusting it - they’re handy to have!

[findeight]

With most saddles, the tree cannot be widened. If you look at just a saddle tree, you’ll see it is a pretty solid item, they used to be wood well back, today they use modern materials, like fiberglass or composite materials (nice way to say plastic) Most are not at all flexible and they can actually break.

While padding can be adjusted under it to narrow it but you cannot widen the actual tree. Fact a saddle with a cracked or broken tree is unuseable.

Widen your search for a used saddle, patience too. They are out there.

[merrygoround]

Adjustable gullet saddles are designed to avoid this problem, but have problems of their own. However, most trees cannot be widened. Thirty years ago I had a then 20 yo saddle with a broken tree fixed, but finding someone capable of doing so isn’t easy. I reasonably sure that it had a wooden tree.

In your case, the option, besides buying a new, is to keep hitting those reputable used saddle web sites.

[jaybird660]

Most UK saddles can be widened or narrowed up to a size. Some say half a size. Other brands also have that capability and some with composite tree can be as well, depending on the brand. Some brands claim that they can be changed multiple times. My concern would be that, like a spoon, if you bend back and forth a lot, the metal weakens.

The other important issue is that whomever does it, should have their tool level so that you can be sure the tree winds up symmetrical.

[Scribbler]

I would think that if your horse has outgrown the saddle, there is more wrong with the fit than just the gullet. There may be a mismatch between the curve or the drop of the tree, as well, if he has muscled up.

If it is a French saddle, it most likely has foam panels, and these cannot be stuffed up or down, unlike wool panels.

I know that there is one brand of new, expensive, locally popular, saddle that starts off by putting the saddle in a press in the back of the rep’s truck, and cranking the gullet either wider or narrower. From what I’ve seen, a lot of those saddles don’t end up fitting very well, unless the horse is a natural fit for that particular tree in the first place. I haven’t been left with a very good impression of this, and it makes me nervous to think about putting that much strain on the tree of the saddle.

I would start by contacting the manufacturers of the saddle you have, and asking them if it can in fact be altered in a press.