Gaited Saddles Hurt Me!
Really long post, but the main point is this: gaited saddles have a high, painful wither/pommel area. Ouch!
13 years ago, I spent all the money I had (about $300) on a black Western saddle with a suede seat. It doesn't have accessory rings, silver, braid, or anything fancy. What it does do is fit me. I have narrow hips but large, muscular thighs. I abandoned all other saddles for this one. My pony died, I went to collegee, I stopped riding for a while, and have started again, with a new THW/SSH filly.
Good points of my current saddle:
It fits me - most saddles don't.
Plastic, lightweight tree.
Low and wide behind the pommel. Doesn't poke my thighs.
Open "handle" area behind pommel.
Black tooled leather, embroidered black suede seat.
Wide bars to fit my wide Quarter-Arab pony (now gone).
Short skirt for the short-backed horse (still an issue).
Low horn.
Comfortable, rolled cantle.
Has slots for a rear cinch (but I no longer use one)
Bad points:
Balanced forward - the back skirt is 1/2 inch off the pad, while the front digs unless there's a special pad.
Too wide to fit most other horses.
Have to have a long cinch and billets for the high rings. Short skirt all around. It's kinda like a kid's saddle.
Apparently cheap, Mexican-made crap. The metal is starting to rust, and the leather's not the greatest. It doesn't crack, but it never softens.
No D-rings or strings. I could try to add some, but I haven't yet.
I can't tell what type of saddle it's supposed to be, so I can't sell it on e-Bay or try to find a better one like it.
I've been advised to buy a gaited horse saddle, but all the ones I've seen or tried have very high withers. I need a low front, and preferably a padded seat. I used to live next to a tack store, so I just tried all the saddles until I found one that fit me and my pony. Now, I've found an arrangement of pads which makes my current saddle Ok, but I need a long-term solution. My mare seems comfortable enough, and I've made sure there's no pinching or pressure, but I know the saddle is still tipped forward. I'm interested in the treeless Torsions, but can't afford one right now, and wouldn't buy one without trying it anyway.
My new SSH keeps a straight back even bareback or at liberty. She's 15 hands, with a good-sized chest, normal withers, a sloping normal-width back (not barrel-bellied like I prefer, but hopefully it will muscle up some), and a short-ish back. I'm 5'5 and at my maximum weight 150 lbs. I have good posture, and usually ride with my hands low and my legs wrapped close (years of bareback on my round pony).
What options have I got to encourage back flexion in my mare while sparing my own body?
What has a soft, grippy seat and a wide crotch area, yet fits gaited horses?
How much do you need to pay for shipping & fees when using the companies that let you send the saddles back?
Is it worth it to trailer to a big gaited clinic in hopes of trying other riders' or vendors' saddles?
Should I try a Wintec-type endurance saddle, or wait until I have enough spare cash to get a really nice saddle and pad? I hate the big plastic clunky endurance stirrups most cheap saddles come with.
I'm absolutely broke right now (stupid doctors' bills!) but could spend up to $500 by January. Can't scrape together the $1500 or more for a great saddle until late next year. I've seriously considered just using a vaulting surcingle, but they're pretty expensive, too.
If the rise realy bothers you (my wife is senitive to the rise and the imus saddle workd for her) then maybe you could check in the bob marshal treeless saddle I dont like to recomend then for heavyer riders but this might work for you but if you get one you will also need a skito pad to go with it to give an air chanel over the spine area . Where do you live maybe tere is someone here that has a imus saddle that you can sit on or maybe you can check brendas expo/clinc dates and you could sit in one there.
chris
You might want to check with Gaits of Gold about their 4 Beat Saddle.
You can have a saddle made with a lower rise, or none at all for no extra charge. This will still place you back against the cantle because of the forward set stirrups, but give you more room.
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