horse owners- english saddle question

[Templeflower]

Hi pony peeps.

I know there's a lot of horse owners amongst the forum. I've got a question for you!

I just inherited a beautiful Stubben english hunter/jumper saddle from my late aunt.

I tried it on my new horse Tucker (yes, I am in the process of buying him, thanks to my MLP Sales, I was able to put down half of his purchase price as a deposit. Still got half to raise tho... so pony sales are ongoing!) and it fits really well.

Except he has high withers and a low back, so the saddle sits lower then it really should. My trainer suggested a riser pad to lift the back end up a bit... but having never used one, I don't know what to get.

Any suggestions? Other then the low back, it seems to fit him really well- even pressure/contact and enough clearance.

And just because I can't help my self... here's a pic of him with the family (yes that's the saddle, but it's not like you can see much from the pic! lol)
excuse the jaunty angle of the helmet...
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[kaoskat]

I'm afraid I have no advice, but your horse is gorgeous! Congrats!

[NovelNerd]

Sorry, I ride in the western area. I do know when saddles needed adjusting or threatened to rub we used extra padding with a different blanket. The trainer's idea sounds reasonable to me, but again I know nothing about English saddles.

[Roccoriel]

Having not seen the fit of the saddle in person, it's difficult to make suggestions but I'll try .  They do make riser pads specifically for this type of fitting issue.  These are some that do that.

http://www.doversaddlery.com/equine-innovations-riser-plus/p/X1-19122/&re=viewbuyrec/
http://www.doversaddlery.com/roma-pro-tek-riser-pad/p/X1-19335/?ids=zjhmjm550l5gje452ezycx2z
http://www.doversaddlery.com/acavallo-rear-riser-pad/p/X1-19742/?ids=zjhmjm550l5gje452ezycx2z (to be used with: http://www.doversaddlery.com/acavallo-anatomic-channel-gel/p/X1-19741/&re=viewbuyrec/)
http://www.doversaddlery.com/dover-s-seat-riser-pad/p/X1-1918/?ids=zjhmjm550l5gje452ezycx2z

Just to make sure though, I would ask your trainer to clarify.

Cute horse.

[LeighAnnApanites]

ooooohhh *drools* a Stubben!! I'm SO envious!

Well, I had hoped I could offer you some useful information, but after a little more research,  maybe not. I've never actually had to deal much with saddle fitting issues, and it's been a long time since I've owned a horse. Like anything else you want to buy for a horse, the options are nearly infinite at every conceivable price. My instinct would say that a wedge pad would bring the back of the saddle up, but then I'd be afraid it would put pressure on his withers, or maybe not, depending on how much space there is in the gullet. I'd certainly make sure to watch for that, whatever you wind up using, because if you're tipping the back of the saddle up, it's got to come down in the front. Can your trainer make a recommendation? Do you have a good tack shop handy? They could probably give you some good advice. Presuming, of course, that they're more concerned about taking care of horses than selling you the most expensive doo-dad. They could at least show you all the options.

Good luck and congratulations on buying Tucker. He looks like a great horse. (Can't WAIT til I can really start thinking about getting myself one!)

[Katika]

I'm in the same boat as Roccoriel - I'd need to see it to give solid advice.

You might also consider, besides using risers, using one of those more plush "pillow" pads.  See if you can borrow one first, though, as every pad works differently (my mare loooooves her pillow pad, but my gelding can't stand it).  Also, have you actually sat in the saddle while it was on him?  Keep in mind that the way a saddle sits on a horse can be very different when there's a rider in it than when you're just fitting it.

He's got a very kind eye   Congrats on your new addition!

[pinkkittywinks]

the horse i used to care for had very high withers as well and it was a problem getting a saddle to fit we shopped around for a saddle (an English jumping saddle fitted her best, it has a very deep cut back pommel)

as rocc and kat suggested you can use a thick saddle pad and a riser until you find a better fitting saddle. a riser and saddle pad will protect your horses back, but will not compensate for a poorly fitting saddle.

I would suggest getting a specialist saddler to look at his back and his saddle though, especially since it sounds like he has a bit of a sway back. you need to sit on him while having it fitted as well since your weight will change how the saddle sits on him. also ride about as again this will change how the saddle sits.

Saddles often need stuffing every 12-18 months as the padding/stuffing inside flattens down, plus your horse and you change over time. his body shape with change due to different types of work, weight gain or loss or simply the aging process.


love pkw xxx

[Eviecorn]

Sounds like decent advice so far - I'll give this a bump as I know nothing about riding.

[Templeflower]

Thanks for the responses everybody. Tucker is a great horse, calm, kind, and willing. Pretty much all I could ask for in a family horse.

I did ride in the stubben a bit (no more then 15 minutes), it did feel a bit butt low. But then I'm also used to riding him in a western saddle or bareback pad, which I've been borrowing from my trainer. She did mention she had a riser pad somewhere, so I'd like to give that a go, just to see the difference, and have her look at him in it. She's got a very experienced eye, so I trust her judgement. She certainly didn't seem to feel it was an inappropriate saddle for him.

PKW- that's a great idea. I was planning on taking the Stubben in for professional cleaning (I've done my best, but this is an heirloom as far as I'm concerned, and I want to make sure it's in the best condition it can be). I will talk with him, to see if he feels if the saddle needs re-padding.