| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Liath |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 4:12:16 PM
Hello all, I'm new here!
My name is Claire and I am enslaved to a 14.3hh Arab X Welsh called Dolly...
Dolly has had me in her power now for nearly four years, and in that time I have sadly kept her for the most part on yards with minimal facilities and hacking and have done very little with her
However, back in March I moved her to my dream yard, and since then we have been getting out and about doing lots of hacking, with the aim of starting endurance at some point.
Here's where the 'help' bit comes in!
I have happily hacked on the flat at my previous yards (for an hour or two a week!) in a Saddle Co saddle, which was regularly adjusted and re-flocked as necessary, but at my new yard, I am riding for much longer and much more frequently and there is a LOT of hill work... and this was the result of using the Saddle Co saddle after it had most recently been adjusted....
Despite having the fitter out again, twice, and having the panel replaced with a slightly shorter and 'wider' one to give a greater weight bearing surface, it seems that this saddle just doesn't work for Dolly and I 
So... I'm looking for a new saddle- I'm not too fussy about whether it's leather or synthetic, treed or treeless, as long as it is comfy for her and for me.
I've been lucky enough to be able to try a Torsion (scrubbed her back) and a Free-form (I didn't find it comfortable) and a Wintec 2000 (she goes best in this, and seems comfy, but it's bridging slightly and I hate it!) all of which I have borrowed from friends, and have managed to ascertain that it is her big shoulder movement that is shoving the saddle from side to side that is causing the scrubbing.
The question is, what sort of saddle would you guys, who obviously know a thing or two about Arabs and Arab types, recommend?
My budget is minimal (about £600 at the moment!) but could be expanded eventually, but I'm happy to have second hand!
Thanks for reading this far if you've got this far! Any advice greatly appreciated
A few more pictures of The Dolly Bird herself, in case you want to see them..
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| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shah |
Posted - 02 Oct 2009 : 09:14:15 AM
Claire - if you want a free n easy it's worth putting a wanted ad on the endurance website (endurancegb.co.uk), and also get in touch with Les Sparks as he regularly gets second hand ones in for resale. If you can get hold of an old'ish one they're very reasonable. Even if they're a bit more expensive they're worth it in the long run. |
| Pauline |
Posted - 01 Oct 2009 : 10:53:46 PM
Claire
Have sent you a PM all about a saddle that is for sale.
Well worth looking at
Pauline |
| Liath |
Posted - 01 Oct 2009 : 9:38:33 PM
Oh Shah, wouldn't I love a Free and Easy saddle! Sadly I can't afford one! A friend at the yard has one and it's lovely, but wayyy beyond my means I'm afraid!
Well, the saddler came today and fitted us with a very nice GFS VSD saddle.... was lovely in the school so he left it with me for a weeks trial.
Went out for an hours hack and it rubbed her back behind her right shoulder, showed seriously uneven sweat patches and displaced her hair in several places!
So that is going back and I'm back to the drawing board! |
| shah |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 2:31:21 PM
Hello Claire and Dolly, welcome!! Your girl is lovely although I'm partial to fleabitten greys
Just to throw in another idea into the pot. I have a free n easy endurance saddle and it's been great, I've just had it fitted to my second lad and it suits him as well as my first boy so I'm really pleased as new horse in this case didn't have to mean new saddle! Lots of endurance people rate the free n easy saddles, and they do have an x-large size if needed, but as with all else, they're not for everyone. They are expensive new but last a very long time so if you can find a second hand one I'd recommend that. |
| Nichole Waller |
Posted - 30 Sep 2009 : 2:15:29 PM
Hi and welcome to AL
I also have a 14.2 Welsh x Arab. (she is the smaller bay jumping in my signature pics ) My Saddle is from the English Riding Saddle Company. It's a 17.5 inch wide fit. Hubby bought it for me for Christmas about 6 years ago. (He had the saddler come out and fit it and got my friend to ride her in it all without me knowing...Ahhh.)
I love it and it fits her really well. My only criticism if any is that it's quite heavy...!
I've recently had a saddle nightmare trying to get one that fits my pure bred. I had lots of good advice from here but everything we tried just wasn't quite right. We even tried one that caused a similar reaction to your mare where he went round the school like a rodeo horse.... . I've now found one which i hope is perfect as i've just parted with £725  It's a Symonds 17 inch XXW . I just hope he doesn't change shape too much in the next few years and i need to change it....!
Good luck with your search. |
| Liath |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 9:17:54 PM
WOW! Thanks for all your replies folks, some very useful stuff in there and certainly some food for thought!
Sadly the fitters we have in our area are all much of a muchness- some folk swear by one, others hate them and visa versa.... however one of them does stock a good range of synthetics and second hand, so I will go with that one and see what happens.
I have tried various treeless saddles on her- Barefoot Cheyenne, Torsion, an oldish Freeform and most recently a HM SBS saddle (which I believe is the predecessor to the Foenix) with very little success- the Cheyenne tipped me forwards, the Freeform we both hated- she did nothing but jog and bunny hop for the entire time I was on it, and I ended up with bruised inner thighs (ouch!) and the SBS, well, ten minutes on that and I was eating dirt on the school floor whilst she cantered around bucking like fury- she never bucks! I took that as a 'No thanks' from Dolly!!
The Torsion we did have some success with- she went well in it and I felt relatively secure, despite the lack of knee rolls, but after a few longer rides (two hours ish) that too began to scrub her back
I will make a note of all the saddles 'recommended' here (and those that aren't!) and make sure I am armed with the list when the saddler comes...which hopefully will be this week.
Thanks again for all your advice so far, and for all your lovely comments about Dolly- I think she's gorgeous, but I am a little biased!! |
| Pauline |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 7:27:01 PM
I love my Reactor Panel saddles. easy to fit, move nicely with the horse.
Pauline |
| faymouse |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 6:58:53 PM
I must say that I have changed over to synthetic saddles,Thorowgood. I find them light and comfortable and they seem to fit most shapes.I can use mine on my Arab and on little 13.2 roundy and TB filly! My friend got a wintec VSD which fits ok but it is cair and feels very ungiving to me.
Love your mare by the way.xxxx! |
| garnet |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 2:02:57 PM
Should have added that Garnet and Red are both part-breds but with a big Araby ribcage. |
| garnet |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 2:01:37 PM
I have been very happy with an Albion GP and an Albion VSD on Garnet and Red but agree that fitting by a good saddle fitter is a must. |
| honey |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 11:22:22 AM
i find different wintec ranges fit differednt horses better or less, but seem to think the 500 fits the partbreds best. Can i please warn people about the cair system in the wintec's. We brought a beautiful bates capprilla leather saddle couple of years ago with the cair system, well what happened was after a few months the physio was complaining constantly that it was hurting the horses back and looked at the saddle although seemed to fit she complained there didn't seem to have enough padding and one section was really hard and flat. so we took it in and the saddler opened it up and the cair system had burt, and they removed the cair system and reflocked it with sheep flocking the saddle was lovely after that. so those with the air flocking do get it checked from time to time cause they do burst. |
| liz |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 11:01:51 AM
Hi There!
What a gorgeous mare - my mare, Sherry, is freckly like that too, though she was dappled when I got her ten years ago as a 7 year old!
Just to say that we have done quite a lot of endurance in the past, all in a Wintec 2000 with Cair (the air flocking). Never a mark on her back and useful having the suede seat when Sherry is full of herself!
That probably doesn't help as other people haven't recommended the 2000 to you! Sorry
Liz xx |
| BeautifulHorse |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 10:59:36 AM
Hi Claire,
I have sent you a pm. |
| Kazhak |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 09:50:03 AM
Hi & Welcome,
I live in Australia (but I like this site better than most based here in Aus) so I've never heard of the brand of saddle that your using, & have read the comments posted already,
the idea that a straighter more dressage cut saddle might work as far as the shoulder movement goes, I find if I use a saddle like a General Purpose (or forward cut) saddle that my Arabian Pony Mare gets grumpy with me & finds it heard to move, I can't use a wintec saddle on her anymore as they interfere with her shoulders too much, but my Dad has a Synthetic brand Called a Statis & has found it to be very confy for both him & the Arabs & horses that he trains & rides, its lightweight & has a special Gullet that conforms better to the horses back...
as to what I now ride in & work between a padded out bareback pad & a Crossbred stock saddle for my long distance stuff, it doesn't interfere with my girls shoulder & spreads weight out nicely (& is good for hills)
well welcome & good luck, your Mare looks lovely, I certainly hope you find something that works for both you & your Mare |
| jillandlomond |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 09:11:14 AM
Strongly agree with Arachnid. A good saddler is the key rather than a particular brand of saddle. |
| Arachnid |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 09:04:30 AM
I think a decent saddle fitter is more important than the brand of saddle. Ask around in your area - who has a waiting list and lots of devotees? Shes a lovely mare, you must be very proud of her.
Edited to say, after a long search and trials of various saddles, the Wintec Isabelle works for us. You can get these for £400 ish secondhand but I dont suppose like any saddle they work for everyone |
| Callisto |
Posted - 29 Sep 2009 : 02:08:10 AM
Hi and welcome
Saddles are often a problem, and what works for one doesn't fit another . However, could I suggest a working hunter cut if your mare has big shoulder movement? We found this the most successful solution for our rather chunky arab gelding - he needed an xx wide , because he appears to be shaped like a swiss roll, although he is only 15 hh. We have a Frank Baines and it is very comfortable from a rider's point of view - and yes we do endurance in it. The issue with his previous saddle (Arabian Saddle Co.) was that it wriggled from side to side on him, but this one doesn't.
With my Anglo (who sadly we lost last autumn), I started off with an Arabian Saddle Co. saddle (Not the same one as above) which was fine until I started increasing the distances, and despite having it checked by 4 different saddlers, adding flair etc. I knew it wasn't right, and after we did a 40 miler he got white pressure marks on his back - it was the stirrup bars that were an issue. Against my will I ended up with a Pathfinder (I think it looks like a squashed armadillo, and they are rather heavy, but he got his enormous ground covering trot back, the white marks disappeared, and I must admit it is very comfortable. My sister has pinched it for her 15.2hh Arab now. It is a wide fitting.
After trying lots of different saddles my incredibly short backed Welsh x tb ended up with a Bates VSD (the slightly straighter cut is also worth considering to free up the shoulder). That has the advantage that you can change the tree as he changes shape as he matures and gets fitter - and it's very comfortable, He started in a medium fitting but is now in a medium wide,
One thing with Arabs/Arab crosses - all the ones I have had, even the lighter types, have needed a wide fitting, so check that any potential saddle is not too narrow.
I would look at good secondhand saddles - you get a lot more for your money than buying new. Do you have a decent saddle fitter with a good range of pre-owned saddles? If you can find one that is prepared to sell you second hand rather than only new, and take your old one in part exchange then that would be ideal
I have never tried a treeless saddle, so can't offer any opinions on them. Good luck, and I hope you find a good solution soon. |
| Mrs DJ |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 9:44:01 PM
A friend of mine has a pure bred with rather a 'ski jump' shaped back, and has been tearing her hair out over saddles for a number of years . He used to get bad rub marks at the back, just like your mare's. After buying several saddles (two made to measure - one of which was an Arabian Saddlery Co), and still having problems,in spite of having them refitted, fitted with flair etc, etc, she borrowed my Heather Moffet Fhoenix a couple of times. It didn't rub.
She has now bought her own.(If you read this Louise, hope you don't mind me posting )
I've never had saddle problems, but I just LOVE my Fhoenix, and my mare goes really well in it - can't recommend them more (although I am aware that some peeps don't get on with them).
For your budget, you would probably find one in excellent condition on Ebay. |
| Sazza |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 5:47:00 PM
Sorry I'm not much use with saddles but I just wanted to say that your mare is gorgeous! She reminds me of my first horse I loaned |
| flosskins |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 5:17:48 PM
I have found that the GFS saddles fit really nicely and are comfortable, and they do a great sythetic that looks like leather that isn't too expensive! Sounds strange but the cob ones fit my arabs well! There is also the arabian saddle company - making saddles just for arabs so might be worth a try, i think there are some second hand ones around if you look hard enough. good luck - the right saddle can make so much difference! and i agree that the wintec 500 is nice and comfy but the 2000 doesn't fit very well. |
| BabsR |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 5:11:07 PM
Just a thought....have you tried a treeless saddle. My friend had exactly the same problem with saddles for her PBA mare. Then tried a Barefoot Cheyanne of her friends.....and success. Very comfortable and just seemed to mould to the mares conformation...result..happy horse and happy rider.
She does endurance pleasure rides and the saddle has proved it`s worth, particularly over the longer distances
Babs
www.SunrayAngloArabianStud.co.uk |
| Goldenmane |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 5:10:44 PM
Welcome to Arabianlines, no advice re saddle (sorry) but I could kiss every little freckle on Dolly! |
| Liath |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 4:48:02 PM
Thanks Honey! That is interesting what you say about the Wintec's because I was always told the 2000 was the better and more comfy saddle- maybe someone told me that the wrong way round?!
Edited to add: Cross posted with you Caryn, thanks for your compliments, she is a lovely girl, even if her ears are a bit dirty in that shot!! |
| Kharidian |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 4:47:25 PM
Hello Claire,
Sorry, I can't offer any advice but your mare looks like a good sort and I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with her. BTW I love the "between the ears" shot.
Caryn |
| honey |
Posted - 28 Sep 2009 : 4:44:09 PM
lovely horse all i can say about saddles is i never liked the wintec 2000, but love the wintec 500 seemed better fitting and more comfy. |
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