FAO Harveydales - pics of WH

[The Moo]

I finally got my Saddle Co saddle, it is a round cantle Working Hunter model but with dressage bars on it as I cannot cope and feel really unbalanced in a 'normal' gp saddle. They will make up any combination for you, I originally asked for a broader seat but the first saddle got lost but couriers etc etc so they made me a new one, this one doesn't feel much bigger than the one I tried but that was six weeks ago!
It is a 17 1/2" seat but the seats are quite small, if i had a horse and not a dinky pony I would have had the bigger size as I also like a big flat seat.
Funny isn't it, that when you first start riding you never think about the saddle and you just get on an do it, then as yet get older (or wiser) you begin to realise how much it affects your own way of going as well as the pony's.
There are knee blocks to go with the saddle but I haven't put them on.

Position of the stirrup bars, they still look pretty far forwards but they do feel different.


My leg position - ignore everything else! - this was just sitting on in the yard so hadn't really 'got into position'.


This was after a 40 min walk this morning so it may have settled - the saddler advised to walk out in straight lines for the first few hours riding to allow the very soft panels to settle and bed down evenly.


It is very comfortable so far but only time will tell, I might end up like SuzieP and want to go back to what i was using before.
Now I have got the saddle sorted I can now move on to all the other things you do with a new pony; have back checked, find a comfy bit, book some lessons.....etc etc....

[harveydales]

Thanks for this. I like the looks of it - not too forward cut so as to interfere with the shouders but enough to give extra knee support. If those are the dressage bars I hate to think how forward the normal WH ones must be. Like you, I would deffinately prefer the dressage ones. My dressage version is a 17" as Harvey is very short coupled and yes, it is a small seat but it is fine for me. I think I was also told to just walk in straight lines initially to bed it in but not sure I stuck to that!

I'm sure you will find the saddle comfortable - do let me know how you get on with it. I know just what you mean when you compare how we were when we first started riding and how we are now when it comes to saddles!

[SuzieP]

That looks a lovely saddle and puts you into a nice position - I do hope you get on with it. You're so right about getting older and not being able to adapt to different saddles as easily. When I was pinging off my new saddle I asked my instructor, in despair, why it was that everyone else seemed to be able to stay on it over jumps and she said that it was because other pupils were used to riding on different saddles - and after 4 and a half years of riding on the same saddle it wasn't surprising I was struggling to cope with a different style. That was sooooo encouraging!!

Have fun with the rest of the new pony stuff........exciting times!

[chickflick1066]

What a nice saddle for such a lovely pone!

[tinastephenson]

will post pictures of my saddle company working hunter as soon as i can get program on computer to work Pam!
Mine is a year old now but I have the square cantle and suede seat, all the better for helping me stay on.....

[greydales]

Your legs are looking to be in a very good position, despite the fact the stirrup bars look quite forwards to me!

It's quite straight cut for a GP which I like and I hope you get on with it. This saddle business is a real nightmare, I'm talking from experience here LOL! I'm currently looking for a treed saddle for shows but as I have two treeless I am so fussy about fit!

[shirlnjazz]

Like the look of the saddle but had to say thats a lovely pony, not sure if ive seen it before or not but its really, really nice