Saddles for the high withers

[redcedar]

I am on the look out for a new saddle for Max, as he has changed shape massively in the last 6 months ( i.e. lost some top line due to being turned away due to illness)

He is a IDxTB and is 11 yo. His withers are at least 3/4 inches higher than his shoulder blade. he has a pretty flat back from his withers down and is a med/heavy weight type. He has lots of white scars from before I owned him on his withers :mad:

At the moment we are in a pretty narrow Throuoghgood but having tried it on him today ( 1st time in 2 months) it is a horrid fit. He is on a plan of long reining ,in hand work, lunging (all non riden) etc to build him back up.

Is there a certain make /style that in general be a good fit for this type of horse? I will get the saddle fitted correctly etc but I am just starting to shop about and hoped someone could recommend me a good make/model. or is treeless/ bareback the way forward until he gets a top line back?

Thanks
Helen x

[connieD]

i have a kieffer vsd saddle for my youngster that has no muscle and high withers as she has just been backed. its brilliant, its got one of the cut back pommels which give total wither clearance.

[Lgd]

A lot depends on your budget.

Treeless is do-able but with that sort of wastage/wither size you would need a lot of shimming and would have to get one that has a gullet which basically means a Fhoenix (£1K) or an Ansur Carlton (£2K) Even then some horses don't like - my 7/8TB detests the Ansur and is very crabby in a Fhoenix, my WB mare goes well in the Fhoenix (not tried an Ansur since the disaster with Peri) although TBH she is just as good if not better in her WOW (and I prefer that one).

Anything that is not adjustable won't fit for long. If it doesn't adjust at the front and back it is not truly adjustable.

A WOW saddle is infinitely adjustable to accommodate changes. (This is what I use) They are around £1500 new and require a fitter who knows what they are doing, although you can learn to adjust them yourself.

ReactorPanel saddles ditto, albeit they are not my cup of tea. Think they are around £1500 - £2K

[MeMe]

I have a Kieffer on both my boys, dressage on Zak and GP on Stevie, it accomodates the changes, although its Stevies 2nd one in 6 months, no saddle is the be all and end all in my opinion but some can last longer.

The Kieffers are cut back well at the pommel, as my little boy has alot of wither, most of his height is there, and he is also getting abit dipped backed at nearly 19yrs.

[Bebe]

Don't be fooled into thinking that this conformation type needs a narrow saddle, I'd put money on it you need to go wider and sit the saddle further back.

My mare came to me after a years field rest underweight and with no muscle at all. She has high withers that slope a long way into her back which is then flat, huge shoulders and is slightly croup high. Even so she still went straight into a wide fitting Thorowgood saddle, then into an x-wide and 2yrs ago when fitted for a Saddle Co Saddle she would have taken an xxx-wide. I'm not sure what size she is now as the current saddle is waiting to be templated to her but I bet it's still on the very wide side.

Whether you go for a treed or treeless saddle you'll need to take into account any muscle wastage or loss and use appropriate padding. It's also very likely that any saddle that fits now won't fit in a few months after regular work. I went through 4 saddles in the first year of owning my mare, and it was only 4 because the last one was treeless.

[puzzles]

thorowgood do a lovely high wither-specifed saddle, which is lightweight, comfortable and looks great as well as being easy to clean.

[mu0ljk]

My old boy Sidney was an IDxtb with huge withers. I had the thorowgood high wither saddle fitted - that was great. Nice and comfy for me too!

[Iron Maiden]

I've got a Saddle Company saddle for P, she has high withers & being a youngster is 100% guaranteed to change shape. I bought a this saddle because it can be adjusted as she changes shape, & in her current pointy & not very well muscled form it fits her well with plenty of wither clearance. Prior to this saddle I tried an Ansur Konklusion, which didn't seem to suit her - it was difficult to get it clear of her wither - and an Albion K2, which was nice but couldn't be adjusted to fit her as she changed shape.

[puzzles]

you could go for a potentially more expensive option, which is to go made-to-measure. at least then you'll know for sure that it fits properly.
:-)