Hello from a new member with saddle questions

K

KCDebs

KC Debs
Apr 4, 2006
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Spring Hill, Kansas
Greetings to all. Before anything else, I have to say how excited I was to find this site -- for so many reasons. First, I've also come back to riding after being away for more than 20 years, and I was thrilled to find so many other riders in the same situation. Secondly, to find adults who wanted to ride ponies was almost too much to be true. I spent yesterday reading through dozens of posts, enjoying everyone's stories about life with a pony, and learning so much.

Here's my dilemma. My Rain Dancer is a darling 2 1/2 year old Arabian/Appaloosa filly, and the first pony (or horse of any kind) I've ever owned. When I got her a year ago she was just under 13 hands, and I bought her hoping she wouldn't get much taller than 14 hands. The vet thinks she'll be mature enough to ride in about 6 months, but he's also told me that he doesn't believe she'll ever get to be more than her current 13 hands. I'm thrilled with that. I'm about 5'5" and 10 stone, but have short legs and have always preferred small horses and ponies. Everyone agrees that she'll carry me with no problem.

However, I'm having problems finding a saddle that will fit her and fit me as an adult. The pony saddles I'm finding here are for children. I've ridden mostly western, but I'm open to riding her English if there are better options for her comfort.

Does anyone have suggestions about how to find a saddle for her? And about any special considerations or tips for making sure I get the right measurement for a good fit?

Thanks so much.

KC Debs
 
I can't help with the saddle fit, but I wanted to say a big hello and welcome to New Rider! Your girl sounds gorgeous :) And what a beautiful name. I'm sure someone will be able to offer advice on the saddle issue - if you do a quick search, there have been quite a few threads about awkward-to-fit horses and ponies!
 
"Pony" saddles--particularly Western saddles--often are simply saddles with very small seats that actually won't fit any horse. A horse's height can have very little to do with the shape of his back. What you need to look at is the back you're working with, not just what kind of horse or how high.

Keep in mind that if you start riding at the age of 3, your horse will likely need a new saddle each year until she's 6 or7, maybe 8. Horses may reach their adult height early (although they can continue to grow in height until they're 6 or even 8). But even though they're grown about as tall as they ever will, they're still filling out across the body. Just like people, they first grow up then grow out. A horse's back widens as he matures, so typically the saddle needs to be widened too.

An English saddle can be adnjusted in many ways, but a Western saddle has a fixed structure. (For some discussion of trees and to see what a Western saddle tree looks like, you can check out this article and this article.) So if your saddle stops fitting your horse, you simply have to replace it. Therefore, it can be most convenient to find less expensive, used saddles as your horse is growing. Often a good quality used saddle will also hold its value well, so when your horse outgrows it, you can sell it for almost what you paid for it.

The saddles that are cheaply priced while new are typically VERY poorly designed, and will do bad things for your horse's back. Many horses start off with backs that will fit into a typical Western tree--but if the horse is ridden in a poorly designed or badly fitting saddle, permanent damage can be done--and it becomes much, much harder to find a saddle to fit. Many people end up with horses that won't fit into anything but a custom tree, which is of course MUCH more expensive. So keep in mind long-term ramifications of getting that cheapo saddle "just until I can afford a better one" or "just for the first few months of riding"--even a few months in a bad saddle is enough to do long-term damage.

If she's got a short back, it may be easier to fit the both of you into an English saddle. A typical Western saddle has a tree that's 6" (or more) longer than its seat size. The panels under an English saddle often reach for an inch or two *less* than the seat size. So if you need a 15" Western saddle, the tree will likely be about 21-22", and then you have several inches of skirting in front and behind as well. But if you need a 17" English saddle (comparable to a 15" Western), then the whole saddle may sit along her back for only 16" or 17".

If you're interested in more discussion of saddle structure and looking for saddles that fit, information about my book is in my .sig :) You can get it as an e-book quite inexpensively, and it's got a LOT of info in there (much more than I could put into a bulletin board post!)
 
Oldies and Ponies were made for each other I believe!!!!!
Have a look at the Wintec range of adjustable gullet saddles, they do english and western, not sure if they may go small enough for your pony though. Also look at Thorowgood saddles, they do Maxam and Griffin ranges on pony saddles that will fit an smalish adults posterior!!! My daughter rides hers in one and she is 21 (daughter that is not pony!!!)
Would definately agree about not investing in a really good permanent one until 7 years of age or so. Our two youngsters have had thorowgood and we are getting her permanent saddle fitted this Friday. Our other pony who is 5 is in a Wintac pony size and is still checked every 4 monthes or so, but as she muscles up etc she will change shape somewhat and when she is about seven we will see about getting her a more permanent saddle sorted for her and her rider as well.
Hope this helps and like others welcome to New Rider - there are more oldies than first appears!!!!!
 
Thanks so much for all the feedback. Again, finding this forum was the highlight of my week. Living in the heart of quarter horse country, where bigger is better, I get a lot of the "why don't you get a real horse" reaction.

Galadriel, I'll definitely check out your book. It's exactly the kind of resource I was looking for. And, Shirley, will check out Wintec. Thanks.

Here is a picture of Rain Dancer from the first week I brought her home a year ago. I forget how much she's grown since then. I need to take some new pictures. I love her name too. She acquired it when her first owner saw her reaction when the rain drops started hitting her in the pasture. She still does it. My little girl is not a water fan. :D
 

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Precious little thing!

Beware of the Wintec Western saddles. They do NOT have adjustable gullets (as the English ones do) and they're built on a synthetic tree. The synthetic Western trees are poorly designed and do not fit horses well.
 
Hi welcome to this very friendly board. Being small and an older rider myself I ride a 14hh gelding. I find ponies much more fun. I am sure you will enjoy chatting to everyone here we're a friendly bunch of gals!!!! Oh and there are some "boys" as well!!!!:cool:
 
My pony's 13.2hh (was about 13hh when I bought her at the age of 4) and I found that a 17" English saddle was ok for her, and for me. Obviously, you'd have to find one that fits, and a make that you like. A normal adult saddle is best, pony saddles are designed for children, with smaller seats and shorter flaps - not comfy for those of us who are a little older!

Don't be so sure that she'll be 13hh for life. When I bought my pony at 4yo, she took a 5ft3 rug and was 13hh. A year and a half later she takes a 5ft6 rug and is 13.2hh. She's just got longer again, so I'm anticipating another upwards spurt.....!! Oh, and you can imagine the rug and saddle changing that's gone on in 18 months. We're temporarily saddle-less as she's costing me a fortune!
 
Our Icelandics are about that size up to Fákur who is a big boy of about 14hh maybe 14.1hh.

We use Saddle company saddles, they are excellent, good value and well made. Fit my big bum on my 13.1hh and his back length. Serge panels and well designed.

Have a look at www.thesaddlecompany.co.uk
 
Thanks for all the input.

Wally -- your Fakur sounds like a darling. I was just introduced to Icelandics this spring, and fell in love. Had to be forcibly reminded that I already had a horse and did not at this time need another...

On the ongoing saga, I took my dilemma to a local store having a big saddle expo with "experts" coming in. None of them could help, and they didn't know the name of a single saddle fitter. Amazing!

The good news is that my vet knew both a good English and a good Western fitter. So, I now have a couple of experts close at hand who can help with the fitting. I'm much relived.

I wouldn't even have known how to ask the right questions without all of you!

Thanks
 
I echo Shirley, the lightweight English style Wintecs and Thorowgoods are excellent for young horses as they are light and relitively cheap but not of cheap quality. Especially when you know you will be forking out for an expensive saddle when they have fully matured!! Many have the fish or adjustable gullets too and the Thorowgoods (which I use to break ponies) come in half sizes too. Sometimes when you make the leap to a 17" as opposed to a 16.5" the saddles miraculously change from pony proportions in a 16.5" to horse sizes in a 17". Longer flaps, wider panels etc. Also beware of the fashionable forward cut close contact saddles as they can really interfere with the shoulder. Maybe not so much on yours but they can do on native and native crosses!

I love ponies, especially after working with racehorses for 5 years!!:D
 
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