#saddle fitting

[akhuna01]

Looking for a new saddle is so complicated. Ugh. My pony has the most complicated back problems, but is sound and happy to work, so light gymnastic/dressage riding and maybe a hack every now and then would be my goal. Her old saddle is slipping (i had a pretty bad fall in November where I broke 3 vertebrae...) and also a bit too tight in the shoulder.

I need an used, short, wide, dressage saddle with french cushions, a broad channel and knee rollers, and a 17,5" seat. For under 600€ if possible. 😝

[draftmare]

PSA of the day!

If you love your saddle and want it to last a very long time be mindful of what you store it on! It spends one hour a day on your horse‘s back and 23 hours a day on a hard rack.

I do not know what this saddle was stored on, but it left marks straight across the panels and holes in the flocking. This will likely need a full strip to repair.

I should be able to glide my finger down the panel, not get stuck in a rut:

Stripping and reflocking a saddle is not cheap, and can take a long time depending upon fitter’s availability. A simple change in the style of your rack in your tack locker can go a long way.

I highly recommend this type:

Super cheap and easy to install.

If you board or can’t swap out your saddle racks, pool noodles on the metal bars or your least favorite saddle pads under your saddle are a good way to protect the flocking too.

[ultimateaclrecovery]

Tried out a bunch of saddles yesterday and found one that fits pretty well to do a week long trial with!

My only focus was on fitting the pony and then fitting me. But once we had settled on one the saddle fitter told me that that brand offers a lot of customization options including purple piping and threading 💜😍💜

I had fully accepted that my saddle would be the one pony thing that wasn’t going to purple so I’m over joyed that it might be an option to get some purple! Here’s hoping the trial goes well and that the pony and me and my trainer all like the saddle!

[myblackmare]

Shetland peeps

Where the FUCK do you get saddles from? All I can find are shitty pony pads (and I assume shetlands have similar saddle fitting needs as large horses so???). I need one I can fit my booty in at least until she has enough under-saddle skills to carry a child rider. 

thx friends

[equinecrazy]

Anyone know how to roughly guess what size western saddle may fit on the size of their English saddle?

[foxy-filly]

Spoke with the saddle maker, and they are going to send me out a more well-used demo of a similar saddle so I can see how the flock tamps down over time. But he did also say they can make it with flatter panels for a more close contact feel if I still feel that’s necessary, as well as making the panel shorter to accommodate Savannah’s tiny back. This company has been super to work with so far! =)

[donkeylugs]

New saddle, we’re going Spanish!

[the-orange-thoroughbred]

I feel like everyone that sits their butt in a saddle NEEDS to know how to fit a saddle to their horse. 

It just blows my mind how many people have no clue (and honestly its not hard!) and then blame their horse for their bad behaviors when it turns out to be a saddle fitting issue. 

I dont know how many photo’s i’ve seen on facebook of people i know personally and i can see from a million miles away that the saddle they have on their horses is way too narrow or way too wide.

And on that note im literally going out tomorrow to fit a saddle to a horse that belongs to a girl i work with cause i couldn’t stand looking at anymore photos of her incorrectly fitted saddles....