would this be a good saddle for my donkey? please help

I wish I knew more about donkeys; I can go on the few I've looked at, but that's not really enough to generalize.

The ones I've seen looked pretty narrow and angular in front, getting very flat in the back. That second saddle looks like it might work well for that shape of back. I think you should find somebody local who knows a lot about donkeys, though.

You can check to see if the second saddle would be too long, at least. Take a measuring tape, and find his shoulderblade--the top is the boney half-circle to the left and right of the withers. Measure from the furthest back point of that bone, to the point of the hip. For a saddle which is 21" long, that length should probably be at least 23". If the saddle is too long for his back, then your weight will rest on an unsopported areaof his pine, and it would likely bridge (fit very badly).

The first saddle--are you aware that English and Western saddles are measured differently? A 15" English saddle is much smaller than a 15" Western saddle. 15" English saddle is "small child" size. Also, I've seen the pics of that "saddle" before, and I have no confidence in it. It looks cheap and badly designed--and I am a big fan of using synthetic saddles when they work. I really think that thing is a glorified bareback pad.
 
Yeah, I wasn't so sure about that first one either. It looked like it might slide easily to me. And thanks for telling me about the difference in english and western seat sizes, I didn't know there was that big of a difference. I was told that I would need a 15 or 16 in western so maybe that second one might work. I will email a person I know that knows alot about donkeys (I don't know anyone locally unfortunately that knows squat about them - had to drive 3 hours just to look at a donkey lol). Thanks for trying to help though, I'm ruling out that first one. The other style I was looking at was mclellan type saddles. But I'm liking the second one so far:)
 
Hmm, the way I understand it, the McClellan fits horses that are roughly old-style Morgan Horse shaped. That would be a lot broader through the shoulders than your donkey, I'd guess.

My understanding is that the cavalry which used the McClellan pretty much bought horses based on their shape: if they weren't the type who'd fit the McClellan saddle, they just weren't for the cavalry. I've also seen a fair number of references to US military breeding farms, where they bred for the qualities they wanted in horses who'd fit in their saddles. It's an interesting way to go about it.
 
Well, the distance you really want is from the back of his shoulderblade to the last rib, but that may be a little hard to find. A saddle which is longer than the length you measured, though, will likely be painful and maybe cause injury.

A Western saddle's length will vary; it's not the seat size which is measured, but the length of the bars. Some saddles have bars that extend out a fair distance from the front and back of the seat, and some don't.

An English saddle with a straight flap (like a dressage saddle) will be about as long as its set size, maybe a little more.

An English saddle for jumping has a more forward flap, which makes it longer. The length then depends on how forward the flap is. A flap could add several inches or more to the length.
 
Sorry. I don't have a clue. Without more pictures I don't know a thing about that saddle (except that, to me, it looks really uncomfortable). At that price I'd also be suspicious of the materials used in the saddle. (not the synthetic leathers, but the tree and the padding in the panels)

I also still don't know anything about the shape of your donkey's back...but I do suspect that most saddles designed for horses are not likely to fit him well.
 
Well, thanks for the input anyway. I am not going to rush into buying one I will keep looking until I find a suitable one. I appreciate your honesty and helpful feedback:D I'm talking to a knowledgeable donkey person through email so hopefully she will be able to help me in this one:)
 
Saddle for Donkey

Hi,
I have a 12.3 h donkey that I have been trying to find a saddle for. I bought a used Ortho-flex saddle that is an endurance model (looks like a cross between an Australian and an English saddle). It fits him great, it's only 21" - he is very short backed too. There is a problem - since he has no withers the saddle doesn't sit level for the rider. I have some shims for it to help lift the front.......but I know when you have to start putting shims and other things under the saddle it can create a new set of problems. So - I too am looking for a saddle for him. I'm taking him north of Indianapolis, IN in mid July to try and fit him properly with a saddle. I'm attaching a picture of him when I first got him, I had an old english saddle at the time. His name is Konner. You will probably need a crupper or britchens to keep the saddle from riding up on his shoulders. Go to www.donkeymuleinfo.com and the woman that runs the site has a wealth of knowledge on saddle donkeys.
 
Awesome, I'm glad to meet another donkey owner on here:) And that is the lady I contacted, I'm just waiting to hear back from her lol. I don't think the picture worked try to attach it again or start a free account on photobucket.com and you can post larger pics:D I bet Konnor is lovely, but I'd love to see the pic.
 
Well, I got all of Don's measurements now (I think lol). I measured
his chest width which I got about 15 inches across assuming i
measured the right area. I measured around his belly/girth area,
which is about 63 inches around the entire circumference, and as I
mentioned before, his back from shoulder to hip is 23 inches. I
don't think we should do the bareback pad thing, at least not yet
anyway:) So if anyone has any advice as to a certain saddle for my
baby please let me know. I appreciate the help that everyone has
been I know I have a lot of questions but I want to do right by my
first equine:)

Heather
 
Yeah, I emailed her. I met her through the donkeys group in yahoo. I haven't heard back from her yet though, well except the first time I emailed her. I emailed her again recently with more info about his measurements and stuff. I don't know how to make the picture work other than the way I do it, sorry just keep trying or you could try photobucket:) Don is an 8 year old former BLM jack.
 
Donkeys

She (Vicki) has a very full plate taking care of her mom and her farm. I write her and usually get a reply in 2 to 3 days. She has a "Donkey Camp" which I am excited about going there mid July. She will work with me for 5 days on everything from feeding to riding. Konner is my first equine also - perhaps that's good because from what I have heard they need a different approach to training than horses. So I don't have any skills to "re-learn". They are all new skills for me. Are you on the donkeymuleyahoo group? another group where there are quite a few that ride their donkeys is the mammothdonkey group.
Judy
 
Konnor is a beautiful donkey, I love his spots:) Yeah, I figured she was a pretty busy woman though. I will check out those other groups you mentioned too that sounds good. He sure is pretty, and looks to be about the same size/build as Don is.
 
Mammoth Donkey list

This is a pretty active list, the mammoth donkeys are considered the "gentle giants". Females have to be 54+" and males 56+". I have one jennet that is 54" now and only a year and a half old. Her dam is 60" and the sire is 57". The other jennet I have is 52+" at a little over 2 years old. She may just barely make mammoth. Where are you located?


mammothdonkeys@yahoogroups.com

Judy
 
newrider.com
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