Measuring for a saddle

J

Jasper15

New Member
Sep 22, 2015
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I am looking for a saddle for my Irish Connemara boy. He doesn't have a saddle and I have not yet riden him :( This is all new to me so I'm contacting local saddlers in search of a second hand one. To make it a tad easier for them to narrow down what to bring, how do you basic measurements? I'm clueless when it comes to saddles as I have only ever part loaned before and to be honest didn't take much notice of what saddle makes and sizes! Thanks :)
 
To help your saddler you could tell him the size of your boy (how tall he is), and if you can get an artist's curve - a piece of rubber with metal in the middle which you can form to a shape - you could do a template just behind his withers to give an idea of his shape. But what you really need is for a saddler to come out to you with loads of different saddles and trees and try them on him.

When I got Ziggy, who is an Irish Connie also, I had a treeless saddler come out with more than a dozen treeless saddles. Not one of them fitted him. Then our local saddler came with a pile of second hands - no luck. Then a saddler came from a little further away and brought with her a brand new Kent&Masters that fitted him as if custom made, so I bought that one because I thought that if I didn't I might never find another!
 
I would of thought if you tell the saddler your horses height and breed a experienced saddler will have a selection of saddles that may fit your horse in mind. The saddle must sit level, give good wither clearance, not nip and not be too long and sit past the last rib so generally the saddler will fit the horse then your bottom. For example my horse can take a 18" saddle but I have a 17" for him cause a 18" isn't comfortable for me to ride in. A good saddler will go through this all with you and not only get you the best fit for your horse but for you too. x
 
I've sent general enquiries at the moment, so am waiting to hear back before going into details. I know quite a few have a really long waiting time at the moment so not sure how quickly I'm going to be able to ride him :( I've got a friend selling quite a few so she's going to let me try them and if any seem suitable then I can get the saddler to adjust. I don't even know if I usually ride in a 16 or 17 inch or something completely different. It is going to be a learning curve that's for sure!
 
I can ride in a 16 close contact or 16.5 to 17" GP type. Also not all saddles can be adjusted, if your talking a adjustable like thorowgood with gullets then the width can be adjusted but the style of saddle doesn't fit every horse. If your not experienced in fitting saddles I would definitely get a saddler to take a look or at the very least ask your ri for her/his opinion. A saddle that doesn't fit correctly can cause lots of problems from physical to behavioural, it really isn't worth the risk. x
 
Irish connies are usually easy to fit, try the thorowgood measure to get an idea of width and measure the saddle you normally ride in to get an idea of length. Then call in a saddler!! If it is a youngster don't spend too much as they often change shape dramatically until about 7yo
 
He's 23 so not a youngster! I ride a friends horse in a treeless and I've never taken any notice of the saddle that is used in my lessons. Will have to actually have a look at them next time. I will definitely be getting a saddler out to fit, I want him to be comfortable. I will try my friends selection to get an idea. One of them is an adjustable one (The Saddle Company) so I'm hopeful that one may be OK as there is a local fitter.
 
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