The tree in her saddle (with drawn on extended stirrup bars as that's what we have) over layed onto the pic of her back, you can see there's no way it's the points rubbing but lines up perfectly with the end of the stirrup bar.
Frustrated (marks fading slowly)
- Thread starter Jessey
- Start date
I think you have your answer. A thicker pad may see you through the rides for now but looks like a new saddle to me.
What is it?
Would you go for the same again!
What is it?
Would you go for the same again!
It's the saddle company Heather Moffat easi-sit dressage saddle. I absolutely love it and would happily buy another (and have found one for sale) but I'm loathe to go ahead and buy it in case the shape just no longer suits her, I'll see what the saddler says on Wednesday.
Well saddler has been, basically said he saw no issue with it, he thinks maybe the saddle had shifted forwards a little and the shoulder had tipped it back and where the flocking had flattened under the billets that allowed the stirrup bar to dig in, so flocking adjusted and he's said to try it properly and if anything doesn't feel right he'll come back free of charge, fit and loan me a saddle to try and see if that's better. Very nice chap 
Blah, the damage is still coming out, there was a few more white hairs and another patch of thinned hairs on Thursday (I hadn't ridden in it since the week prior).
I rode in it Friday as instructed and I had very odd sweat patterns on my pad, so I still don't think its right but there is hair growing back on the bald patches so would have seen if it had rubbed again I think. I did add a small front riser for sat & sun and that seemed to make the sweat/dirt patterns more normal.
The saddler that came last week can't adjust the tree on this saddle, the saddler who can (P) I have booked the first possible appointment with but she still can't come until 19th July. My only other option is to template her back and send it back to the manufacturer/factory to adjust, but then I still need someone to check it properly so I feel like I might as well wait until P comes
I rode in it Friday as instructed and I had very odd sweat patterns on my pad, so I still don't think its right but there is hair growing back on the bald patches so would have seen if it had rubbed again I think. I did add a small front riser for sat & sun and that seemed to make the sweat/dirt patterns more normal.
The saddler that came last week can't adjust the tree on this saddle, the saddler who can (P) I have booked the first possible appointment with but she still can't come until 19th July. My only other option is to template her back and send it back to the manufacturer/factory to adjust, but then I still need someone to check it properly so I feel like I might as well wait until P comes
So I am going to drive to Lincolnshire on Thursday morning and P is going to adjust my saddle based on a template of Jess' back, its not my ideal but she can adjust it in her machine and my local saddler friend can come and fiddle with the flocking and I still have the 19th July appointment with P as a back up. I could just do a normal template with a flexi-curve but I decided to try for a 3D one aswell, I've ordered plaster of paris bandage My poor horse
My poor horse
Not your poor horse at all, It would be great if all owners were as thorough as you. I would say your lucky horse actually, although I’m sure Jess will wonder what it’s all about when the plaster of Paris comes out!So I am going to drive to Lincolnshire on Thursday morning and P is going to adjust my saddle based on a template of Jess' back, its not my ideal but she can adjust it in her machine and my local saddler friend can come and fiddle with the flocking and I still have the 19th July appointment with P as a back up. I could just do a normal template with a flexi-curve but I decided to try for a 3D one aswell, I've ordered plaster of paris bandage
Fingers crossed it all works out. I must have been lucky all these years with mine as I bought saddles (all TG) and they have fitted them all done with gullet and flocking adjustments long term. Kia’s is about 10yrs or more old now. I’ve just had to buy a med wide gullet to try in it as I think with him aging the wide gullet is just a bit too wide, I bought it as a wide so it’s never been changed lol.
What other saddle did he recommend if yours doesn’t work out??
What other saddle did he recommend if yours doesn’t work out??
I've had this saddle 15 years, and used on both Bo and Jess and it's been pretty good with only minor adjustments, the annoying bit is you can't change the gullet yourself, it needs a machine to adjust it and not all saddlers are used to dealing with that and serge panels, On the whole though it has been great. I did buy a TG a few years back and it looked good on her until I sat on it, then it sat too low at the back (I didn't notice but saddler could see it and had me go back to this one) but I think I really needed a bigger seat size, which is what I would go for if I brought another now.
The last saddler didn't recommend a specific saddle, just said he would come with a selection and fit one.
Its a saddle company one, the old easi-sit.
Not sure what you mean hybrid, they are full tree'd, but they were designed with HM before she got into treeless. Dave has done it in the past, I mail it to him with a template, but last time there was too much flocking for Jess' liking and I still needed to get a local saddler to come out and adjust it for her so its easier to just use one of their fitters.They're Heather Moffett hybrids aren't they? If it was a usual SC saddle I'd say come over here as Dave (who owns TSC) comes to our yard regularly. You can't do better than the head honcho!!
I just seem to struggle with Jess, she goes from no signs to a damaged back. And perfect for her isn't always the normal perfect, like she prefers the gullet a little wide rather than snug and she is like goldilocks for flocking, it can't be too little or too much, that's why I really need someone to see her in the flesh.
I think the width adjustment may have done the job, fingers crossed, I shall have to watch and wait for a week or two to know for sure. She has actually gone down 2 widths, from XW to MW, not really sure why P thought she could flock it enough to make up for that when she did it (she just said it was a little wide and she could flock or adjust, I opted to flock as I had hoped she would be building that topline back as the weather cheered up), but hey ho.
Still not convinced. I def think its better, and the bald patches now have hair growing back on them but there is more white hairs (roaning not block white)appearing all over the place but I'm not sure if that is from what happened before (and they have just taken a few weeks to come out, previously with a bad saddle it took 5 weeks for the full extent to come out) or if the fit is still not right and is causing further damage.
These pics are from Sunday before I rode
And these after riding on sunday
There seems to be drier patches where the white hairs are, but I am unsure if this is drier because the previous damage has reduced her ability to sweat there or if it is current pressure preventing it.
I still have the appointment booked for P to come out on 19th July, and still the offer of the other saddler (who said it was fine when it was 2 widths too wide) coming back, both of whom said they had never seen anything like it before in terms of the location of the damage. I don't really feel confident with either, but also don't know where else to turn. Anyone used a port lewis pad?
These pics are from Sunday before I rode
And these after riding on sunday
There seems to be drier patches where the white hairs are, but I am unsure if this is drier because the previous damage has reduced her ability to sweat there or if it is current pressure preventing it.
I still have the appointment booked for P to come out on 19th July, and still the offer of the other saddler (who said it was fine when it was 2 widths too wide) coming back, both of whom said they had never seen anything like it before in terms of the location of the damage. I don't really feel confident with either, but also don't know where else to turn. Anyone used a port lewis pad?
The saddle doesn't slip, twist or shift enough for me to notice. I have various pads and shims, but as she doesn't have significant atrophy they shouldn't be needed and I wouldn't like to guess where I might need to put them so unless directed by a saddler I wouldn't use one for anything more than a one off.
Nope, I'm not happy that it's 100% I wish I had the money to just buy a new saddle without debate, perhaps that's what I should have done in the first place, without multiple saddler visits lately I would be half way to paying for a saddle now anyway but what's done is done.
I flipped the saddle upside down on the floor, pressing with the flat of my hand and a good bit of weight behind it, I can feel the bloody tree through the panels, surely someone should have caught that when it's been checked the flocking feels even and not hard/balled (which they all checked) but I shouldn't be able to feel the tree through it
So I'm now debating, do I send it back to the factory for a complete re-flock and then have a fitter out and see if it can be rescued or do I quit while I am ahead and just not have a saddle to use until I can save for a new one......decisions, decisions
I wish I had the money to just buy a new saddle without debate, perhaps that's what I should have done in the first place, without multiple saddler visits lately I would be half way to paying for a saddle now anyway but what's done is done.I flipped the saddle upside down on the floor, pressing with the flat of my hand and a good bit of weight behind it, I can feel the bloody tree through the panels, surely someone should have caught that when it's been checked
the flocking feels even and not hard/balled (which they all checked) but I shouldn't be able to feel the tree through it So I'm now debating, do I send it back to the factory for a complete re-flock and then have a fitter out and see if it can be rescued or do I quit while I am ahead and just not have a saddle to use until I can save for a new one......decisions, decisions
At this point, and when you can feel the tree through the panels, I'd cut my losses & not spend any more money on it. How old is the saddle, would you get anywhere complaining to the factory about it? And how much would it cost to get it reflocked so you could sell it? It sounds like nothing you do is going to make it right so I wouldn't keep throwing good money at it.
That's kind of my feeling, I brought the saddle 2nd hand about 15 years ago (I think) so it could be 20 years old for all I know. The only thing that makes me want to continue is my saddler friend really rates it for how wide the gullet and panels are and generally what a nice saddle it is. It would cost me about a hundred quid to send it back to the factory for a re-flock, not sure what the saddler would charge.
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