Saddle's

[magicmouse]

Hi,

Wasn't entirely sure where to post this:o. I need a dressage saddle for Mouse that isn't quite so battered, and fits better. I have both black and brown bridles (parent's have a thing about throwing stuff out), so either colour is fine. The only problem is that it has to be MAXIMUM 16" and suitable for a pony who was a barrel in a former life:rolleyes:.

ETA price isn't so much of a problem, parents will spend loads on anything with 4 legs!

Sarah

[Pink's lady]

If moneys not an issue (lucky you ;)) havea look at ideal saddles (http://www.idealsaddle.com/), or Saddle company saddle. (http://www.thesaddlecompany.co.uk/) ie. the pony dressage (http://www.thesaddlecompany.co.uk/pony_saddle_2.html). You can get them made to measure, GP, dressage or jumping. And any length you want.

If you're pony can take it, 16" would be best - you're not going to grow out of if and it'll be an easier size to sell if you ever needed to.

[equestrian3241]

I really like wintec synthetic dressage saddles for everyday riding, they are very durable and are really light and flexable so they tend to fit horses really well, they come in all sizes and last for a very long time (they are also really pretty cheap!). Other good brands (if you are willing to spend more) are Bates, Pessoa, Henry Dorivle, or Stubben saddles (I really like stubbens, they hold up well and are really comfortable). Good Luck in your saddle hunt!

[Bay Mare]

Have a look at Heather Moffett's Fhoenix saddles (http://www.enlightenedequitation.com). You can get a loan saddle to see how you get on with it and it fits (though not necessarily suits) most if not all horses. I have it's predecessor, the SBS, and love it. Treeless or part treed save you having to constantly worry about fit!

[Afellpony]

Why on earth do people put an apostrophe before the letter s when the word used is not possessive? There is nothing 'pssessive' in the word saddles. Therefore, there should be no apostrophe.

[No_Angel]

i think she did it because shes only 10:)

i second the fhoenix saddle, ive got one and have used it on my 12hh section a pony and it fit her really nicely.

[Tangle]

Personally I'm not so fond of Wintecs - they tend to have narrow pads and often don't flare off the back under the cantle, which can cause them to dig in.

It's really a case of finding a saddler that you trust to help you find a saddle that fits the pony and is comfortable for you. Whereabouts in the country are you? www.bettersaddles.co.uk are also very good and cover quite a large area.

Good luck :)

[KateWooten]

... and why do people insist on using small 'i' for I and missing the apostrophe in 'I've ' ? :)

I second the comment on Wintecs. I think they're ok for a horse with a very curved back.. both my two (just regular mutt horses) have backs that are far too flat and yes, the wintec digs in. It is sold as adjustable and fits any horse, but that's not true - you can only adjust the width of the panels at the front - that's just one dimension of many on a saddle. I think you're better off spending a bit more and buying a really good saddle first off - spend a lot of time finding one that really fits -and it could be any make - just depends on the shape of your horse. Try and ride in as many as you possibly can - try everything that your local tack shop has in on consignment - work with a tack shop - send them a wither tracing - work with them to find a really good fit - then think about how it fits you after that !

[Pink's lady]

Why on earth do people put an apostrophe before the letter s when the word used is not possessive? There is nothing 'pssessive' in the word saddles. Therefore, there should be no apostrophe.

Maybe because grammers not everyone's best point.;) As long as it's got general punctuation, most of the capital letter and paragraphs to give it shape, it's easy to read

What I can't stand is when the post's really hard to read - as big mess of letters with no breaks or when it's written in old colours or italics and the likes, so you can't see it. ;)

[Floob]

I thought that this was a post about saddles?

(You'll probably all say, "Yes, it was, but now it is a post about punctuation")

saddle wise, saddles from the Native Pony Saddle Company are nice.

[Pink's lady]

It was orginally (and hopefully should go back to that). I've no idea where why the grammer argument started (kinda random wasn't it :confused: ), but it's not fair to Magic Mouse.

So - back to saddles - Don't get a wintec for MOuse - they're NOT a good fit for native types. The thorowgood pony saddles (you can probably get a dressage version) are though, but I don't see any benfit of them over Saddle companies or similar, is moneys not the issue.

[eventerbabe]

if money is no object, then i'd be tempted to go for either a Jeffries dressage saddle or an Ideal Jessica. My dressage trainer had a Jessica and i just love them. She currently has a Bates Caprilli dressage which is also very nice.

I like wintecs. I recently bought one for my welsh cob. The panels are no narrower than those on her old Ideal H&C ( a saddle supposedly a good fit on natives but not in my experience) or the thorowgood cob saddle that the saddler brought with her for the fitting. the best thing to do is get out a fitter who has a wide selection for you to try. Don't discount the wintecs because of whats been said on here. My native is very, very happy in hers :)

[Floob]

But am I correct in thinking that Welsh cobs have backs that are much more curved than those of most native breeds?

If the pony was a barrel in a previous life then the wintecs probably aren't going to fit.
I like the thorowgood range much better for flat backed barrels (personally, because the wintecs, not even the wintec wides were a good fit on my cob, but the thorowgood cob is)
One problem with Wintecs is that the wintec wide starts at 17" which will be too big for Mouse

ps - eventerbabe, which saddler did you use? We're looking for one round Aberdeenshire area, but they seem to have all disappeared

[eventerbabe]

mine is a barrel. flat back but not too wide since she's slimmed down and with a bit of a wither. We have the wintec 500 GP with a medium/wide gullet. the wide was huge on my pony! the saddle has a very deep, curved seat but the actual panels are pretty flat. the thorowgoods didn't sit down well at all at the back and the cantle bounced at anything over a walk. but as i said, the trick is to try loads of saddles :) thorowgoods were no good for my pony, nor ideals but it does really depend on their shape. I tried about 20 saddles when looking for one for my big cob until we found one that fit him well. its very much trial and error and trying as many makes as you can.

Floob, PM'd you about saddlers :)

[Bay Mare]

If money is no object and you're not interested in treeless then Lauriche do a BEAUTIFUL custom fit saddle ... it really is to die for and is the ONLY treed saddle that I'd be interested in if only I had the money ... sigh :(



Edited to say: forget Lauriche, they unfortunately went out of business at the end of 2005 :(

[Horsemarbles]

A Saddle company Saddle can be made to fit your ned the trees are moulded so always symetrical and they can be made specificaly to fit small round ponys. I have a highland and found the saddle co the best fit for him and they are not that expensive to have made.
:) good luck