What saddle would i get if i had the money.

[harry11]

What saddle would fit a very wide flat table top backed dales?
What sort of money would i need?
Harry is very wide and atm is in a wintec wide with the xxxwide gullet in. Fits ok.

[olivia]

It's a bit of a non answer - but I think the best bet is to get a saddler out and try several different types until you find the one that fits you both.

You can then look around for a second hand one if needed, but at least you know what you're looking for.

For Tilly (who's quite a bit bigger than most dales ponies as she's a xbreed) she has got HUGE shoulders and can't tolerate any kind of point on the tree. So she either has to go treeless (she has an SBS dressage saddle for a spare saddle) or a tree with no points (her main saddle is a VSD WOW saddle with cob shaped air bags and a dressage seat). The SBS was about £600 new I think (although you can't get them new any more- second hand are about £300) and the WOW's are about £1500 new - but I got mine second hand (luckily) for a lot less!!!!!!

But with saddles you can pay anything from a couple of hundred up to several thousand! But it doesn't matter how much they cost if they don't fit, so I always think it's worth the money to get the fitter out.

[harveydales]

Olivia is right, it is hard to answer this question as there are so many variables. Harvey isn't a typical Dales shape so that won't help you. I've got a Swain and Humphries semi-flex WH saddle for him which seems to fit a wide variety of Dales ponies but is jolly expensive.

Dolly is more the typical flat backed Dales shape and has a Barnsby WH saddle which is very comfortable and fits her perfectly now she has got her figure back. It did roll a bit when she was overweight but is lovely now.

[katiekynoch]

You haven't said why you need to change his saddle so I'm tempted to say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" . . . if the Wintec Wide fits ok and isn't causing any problems perhaps you have other reasons to want to change it?

[southerner]

Lm saddle 5 fit vsd brown 17.2 inch at a guess! Currently about 945 but should not ever need to buy another so good value!

[tinkerdorisalison]

I really like Ideal saddles Classic or Working Hunter styles, About £650 new, occasionally come up 2nd hand, I got one last yr for £400 which was like new.
they are light, comfy, and fit a lot of our ponies, Doris was also very flat topped with no wither and we tried lots f different ones.

If you do a search on the sadd;ery forum there should be a post with all this on

[harry11]

thanks everyone.
seems if i were to save up i might get a deal on a sh saddle some time.

My wintec wide is ok and harry never reacts to having it on or me being on him riding him.
Just would prefer a better saddle one day.
Wintecs are fine don't get me wrong.

[hannahj]

I have a Jeffries WH saddle which a guy from Village Saddlery fitted. I must say he was very good. They are in Warrington. I am actually now on the lookout for a Fylde Ray saddle for Rocky (the Jeffries is Bob's!).

[greydales]

Wide backed horses and ponies need wide flat panels such as working hunter and also need to be flat in the tree and not banana-shaped as many dressage and GP saddles are, unless they are sway backed! Some very wide saddles are still curved in the tree and can cause too much rocking front to back.

I have Heather Moffett part-treed for mine and also a Barry Swain semi-flex like Pam which is a superb saddle but as she said, not cheap. They don't often come up second hand and if they do they still tend to make good money . However Barry Swain does other types of saddle apart from the semi-flex and they sometimes come up on eBay for around £450.

The thing with treeless on very wide horses is that it can be extremely uncomfortable for the rider especially if you have hip problems, unless you go for one with a twist such as Heather Mofett's Vogue.

I found this ad but have no idea how old it is!

www.thehorseexchange.com/?Product/Details/forAd/15983

[harry11]

thanks . looked at that ad but would have been too small a seat.
need 17.5 really.
Will get a pic of the saddle i have now on harry and post that.
Maybe that will help.
Do not think it is a bad fit.

Hannah - the thing with village saddlery is i have been told they are expensive. what have you found them like in terms of price?

[hannahj]

Ah yes... they are on the expensive side. There is also Barbara Williams in Lymm who deals in secondhand saddles. She usually has a huge selection. Not sure what she is like when it actually comes to the fitting side of things though.

[harry11]

i know Barbara W i get my feed off her as she is on the way to the yard.
However unsure she can get a very wide saddle for Harry as what i have seen is only standard sizes. Thought about asking her tho.

[marlon2010]

I've just bought a second hand Kent and Masters dressage saddle - my dad is going to kill me!! New they are around £750 but i've got it for £500 - bargain?!

I have a Wintec but seriously, after I sat on my friend's K&M it was like I was a different rider - quite astounding the difference in my seat and Marlon's gait.....well worth the investment...will be eating beans a la toast for many years to come ;o))
Liz and Marlon

[Deleted]

We have an Ansur and a Solutions saddle for me and daughter and 4 ponies. Very expensive (both from ebay secondhand) but do really fit most horses. We had a Heather Moffet Fhoenix which fitted one of them but I didn't like the way it needed warming up and until it was warm I felt about 6 inches above the ponies back! Also used curved girths in the summer when 2 of ours have big bellies! Fiona

[heathera]

I have WOW saddles on mine the same as Olivia. I like the large panels you can get to help distribute an adult riders weight on a short and wide pony back. They are also infinitely adjustable, I've just had my two saddles that i used on my old ponies fitted for the two young ones and I can just change head plates and panel shape as they grown and develop.

The fitters can be a bit hit and miss but I'm lucky and have an exceptionally good one near me.

The answer to your question though is not what we have and like but is that the right saddle is the one your horse likes and that works for you too