I should have SOLD her! Saddles for the x-wide horse...

KarinUS

KarinUS

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May 20, 2001
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grrr. so far I've only been riding Minnie in our Sensation saddle.
Very comfy for me. Not sure how it is for her since she's new to it all.
I figured the Sensation would be a great choice because she would be changing shape and the Sensation would be more accommodating than a treed saddle.

Now that we are getting close to the end of her training I was looking into treed saddles.
I am no expert but I thought DJ's County Competitor has been very nice.
So got the wither tracings done and all that - really hoping I could find a used one.
But I am using an 18.5 seat and it looks like Minnie will require an extra wide tree so our chances of finding something good but affordable are just dropping dramatically.

I had no idea a big round horse would cost so much more! :(
Her saddle may well end up costing 4 times as much as what I bought HER for and twice as much as what I had her listed for sale for just a few months ago.

I'll have to sell a kidney to get her outfitted...
 
I know the feeling except I have two short and wide (15" and 12"!) can you get a local fitter out and try some? Then yo u have a better idea of width and tree shapes that fit
 
do they have fitters like they have in the UK over in texas? there's xxwide thorowgoods that aren't horrible expensive, these might be available in the US? or treeless maybe?

ps: karin, i can sympathise .... ive already spent way more than i paid for the pony on saddles and tack. eek!
 
Fitters are usually associated with saddle companies.
There is ONE fitter in Texas and she works for Custom Saddlery.
They don't have any off the shelf x-wides so I would need to get her a custom version... to the tune of $3800... :eek:

Guess will stick with the Sensation for now.
 
I've been doing tracings and pictures. County Saddlery would make x-wides as well but only after $1000 deposit. And if it doesn't fit then I'd be out the $1000 deposit.
The saddle total again would run into the $3000 something range.
 
Wow about Dora's saddle!
My lucky thing is that Minnie is the perfect candidate for the Sensation so we do have something to ride in.
Just not sure how the trainer will feel about training Minnie in a treeless.
He looks skinny enough to be under 200 pounds Thank Goodness.
 
I am still looking. I never considered myself freakishly large. Surely some male riders have to be my size or bigger? No?
I am 5'10" with long thigh bones and I weigh 160 pounds.
The 18.5 seat in DJ's saddle seems just big enough. I don't think I can fit in anything smaller.
There is absolutely nothing available off the shelf that fits me and Minnie! :(
a extra wide dressage saddle in 18.5 seat is just impossible to find.
This is so weird. I never really thought of myself as such an out of the ordinarily large person...
 
Can you not stay treeless?

They do change with her shape, probably can get fitter in your country.
For a wide horse, I found barefoot and freeform ok.
 
I have a very nice treeless -the Sensation for her. But because she is so round I/the saddle tend to slide sideways a bit when she spooks (and I am a chicken so that spooks me a bit too)

Sensation Saddle on Minnie:
concentrate.jpg
 
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Your stirrups probably could do with being a bit shorter, they are not really doing anything, or have you found this is ok.
I have ridden a xwide in freeform and barefoot, I found the freefound stayed put.
Lovely horse! Stunning.
 
If the Sensation is sliding have you looked at the padding?
It could be that there is too much padding under the saddle for this horse and it's making it laterally unstable.
 
It's a Skito pad specifically made for the Sensation. (and the Sensation and Skito were actually specifically made for Minnie and me. :)
It doesn't slide just randomly when nothing much is going on. It slid when she spooked though.
It's not like I dislike the saddle and would never use it again but even the Sensation websites says something along the lines of 'may not be suitable for riders who depend on the saddle for stability (like when riding a green horse, nervous riders or green riders).

She's a round horse with a great treeless in my opinion. I think it does fit her very well for a treeless. I also own a Torsion and think the Sensation is much superior to it.

But regardless of how well it fits it just doesn't have the same 'hooked on' feel as the treed saddles.
I can try shortening my stirrups more but I kind of really like the angle I have now. I just have really long legs. See same day riding, pic from the side (both were taken after the spook so saddle is slightly tilted to the left):
lessonover.jpg


I have new hope now. I found some called Duett saddles that are specifically designed for wide horses and they run around $1500 instead of the $4000 the others come in at.
Maybe I'll try one of those!
 
Yes it has moved over.

I have to say I found bareback better on friends cob. Saddle just didn't do me any favours. My legs not as long as yours though. You have a nice build for riding.
 
I remember reading your recent threads in that she has been off work for a while? Horses change shape a lot and it could be that the padding is no longer suitable for her.
If the saddle is tipping to one side after a spook it could be you are putting lots of weight in one stirrup or she has slightly less muscle on one side that is making the saddle tip.
You may have problems with any saddle (treed or treeless) with both of these issues.
 
LOL well yes I was putting more weight in the stirrup on the side I was about to fall off off!
(my guess would be that if she had jumped to the other side I would have slid the other direction ;) )

And yeah my fear is that things may slide either way. But I would love to try a suitable treed saddle and try if it makes a difference
 
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How wide is she? We make a saddle suitable for realy flat cobs XXW and wider (as well as a wide range of saddles for slightly less wide and flat horses). The owner of the oompanyhas a very high success rate fitting from photos etc and should be able to send a saddle out to you.

If you're looking to work remotely but in the UK I can recommend Kitt Hazleton at Trumbull Moutain tack store.
 
Yes definitely that would be the ideal I am sure, not_angel.
I am not making it a habit of hanging on to one stirrup either ;)
Kind of what I tried to say earlier:
The saddle is great. The horse is great. It's the rider that has trouble with this type of saddle.
Because a fast unexpected sidewards movement does make me nervous and when gravity is about to fling me off the horse I just stay on any way I can even if it means hanging on with my toes, teeth or fingernails!
I would love it if I could just sit on my bum when the going the gets rough.
But alas I am not that bombproof of a rider (yet)
Which is sort of how I read the website:
http://ridetreeless.com/saddles/suitability.html

So YES! I totally agree. I would LOVE to be you (but I am not) and be able to just balance out a big spook on my bum without sliding to the side so that the saddle doesn't slide with me.
For regular riding I feel like I am doing pretty well not putting much pressure into the stirrups (I am a big MW fan so I am all about supporting my own weight and using thighs and core strength rather than relying on stirrups and reins).

But I definitely can not claim that in times of distress this ability perseveres.

Since I can only control my inability so much at this point and since Minnie is just barely green broke I believe the combination of semi nervous rider and semi nervous horse may benefit from a saddle with more stability (if that's possible) :)
You know I don't want to change out the horse and I sure as heck can't change out 'me' so that leaves the search for a more stable idiot-proof saddle. ;)
 
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Hi S Bloom!
I was actually just talking to Nancy at Trumbull Mountain Tack!
They seem to carry two brands that may be suitable.
I am about to go to the barn to take the pictures and tracings actually.
The brands they carry for wide horses are Black Country ( a little pricier but not the worst I've ever seen either) and Duett (cheaper)
What brand are you with?
From searches I have done online it seems like lots of people love both brands but I also found some negative reviews for both.
There seem to have been a couple of BC saddles that showed asymmetries (panels or stirrup bars didn't match completely) and for the price I'd expect them to be fairly perfect.
And for the Duetts I read a few reports where the trees spread over time.

So I think I've narrowed it down to County, Custom Saddlery, Back Country or Duett
 
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