Shires optimus GP

Laura82

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Nov 28, 2017
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Morning! I' starting from scratch with buying things for William. He' coming with a bridle and a few other bits and pieces but not a saddle. I'm told he's a 17" medium so found a shores optimus GP saddle for sale.

Has anyone used this saddle or know about it? It has an adjustable gullet and it's coming with an m, mw and wide.

Any advice would be fab! Thanks
 
I looked at them and think they looked ok, but be aware just because the width (gullet) is adjustable it doesn't mean it will fit, you also need to find a saddle with suitable 'rock' (the curve from front to back) and that's never adjustable by much (you can do a tiny bit with flocking adjustments), either way you'll need a saddle fitter to check the fit so its probably best not to buy before and have them advise you on what will suit him :) Many saddle fitters sell new and second hand saddles and can bring a range for you to try, as a 17" may not be the best for you, as second to fitting the horse you also want it to fit the rider :)
 
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I priced up the saddle fitter to come out and the cheapest 2nd hand they have just now is 450 before fitting and mileage costs which is a bit out of budget at the moment :(
 
I priced up the saddle fitter to come out and the cheapest 2nd hand they have just now is 450 before fitting and mileage costs which is a bit out of budget at the moment :(
That's a pain, worth shopping around other fitters though. If not you have to buy and hope it fits when the fitter gets there and it can cost you a lot more than that having to sell the saddle on and buy another to try and pay for another fitter visit to check etc., plus it adds to the time you aren't riding.
 
A well-fitted saddle is one of THE most important acts of kindness you can give your horse. Yes, they are expensive but it is an investment that you really shouldn't scrimp on, I'm afraid. Many horses are injured or in pain from badly-fitted tack and not all of them are stoic about it. I'd hate for your horse to start behaving badly and injure you for the sake of a little investment at the start.

If you genuinely can't afford to have a half-decent saddle fitted at the mo, rather than buying something cheap in the hope that it will do, my advice would be to forego it for the time being and save until you can afford one. Work your horse from the ground instead, in the short term, there are lots of interesting things you can do besides riding. You really could be doing your partnership a huge favour. :)
 
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They're crap. Don't bother. I am friends with a couple of saddlers who wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
 
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