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Expert
Posts: 1543
  
Location: MI | My gelding is 4, and I think his shoulders exploded over the winter! He has dry spots when ridden in my Billy Cook (see pics). My saddle and saddle pad are approx the same age - over 10 years old, probably closer to 12 - I totally get that I'm due for a new saddle pad. But given the dry spots, should I be looking at both? A new saddle pad wouldn't help the dry spot issue, would it?
So...looking for recommendations for saddle and pad. I'm wanting to stay $2500 or less with saddle, but would much rather invest in good quality and basic design/decoration over low quality and bling. I'm totally ok with used as well, as long as it is in good condition.
I was at a Lynn McKenzie clinic this weekend and her Nueva tree seemed to fit him quite well. Does anyone have any other saddles I should look at that might have a comparable tree?
I'm a bit worried about buying something that isn't going to work! This opportunity only comes around every 10-15 years or so :)
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  Texas Lone Star
Posts: 5318
 
Location: where ever my L/Q trl is parked | no saddle expert here, been thru tons of saddles before I found one that fit my horse.
I would say you need to either get a wide tree since he has dry spots at the wither area. I've heard this though that large dry spots were okay, but not small. Now, no one told me what they consider large or small as in inches.
Is there a saddle fitter in your area that you could ask what they recommend, but I would take horse to that person so they could see and maybe try a few different makes of saddles. Of course that might not work either considering I took my horse to Martin to fit a saddle and the head dude told me either Martin or Cervi tree would fit nicely. So I bought a Martin that I loved and it did nothing, but roll and slid back. So after several different brands of pads/thickness I ended up selling it. So that's my story- needless to say I hate saddle fitting and buying.  
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Veteran
Posts: 146
| Not an expert here but is that where you place your saddle when girthed up? It looks too far forward; it should not sit on top of the shoulders but just behind them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HST_SadggNc
Edited by 4Horse 2015-05-07 2:32 PM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I love love my Caldwell, its fits so nice on my boy that I had trouble fitting, you need to call Charon at Caldwell and she can help you out I bet...
I bought my Caldwell used  |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Blah, I hear ya! I'm sorry about your experience...
I don't know about a saddle fitter, and I don't have that many peeps around here (just getting back into it after years off) to try. Lynn had the specific trees minus leather there, and the Nueva sat very nicely on his back with no gaps/pressure that we could see. That makes me want to go that way? But I figured that spending that kind of coin warranted asking others opinions as well :).
The tack store near me does have some Martins that I can try, but they said that they thought they would be too wide.
Grim (the gelding) is more irritable in this saddle than my other one, especially at the lope. Makes me think that the dry spots are possibly something that I should listen to....  |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Hey 4horse, no, it was a bit farther forward than normal. I think I just snapped these super quick a couple of weeks ago. This weekend at the clinic I put the saddle back on after we rode a bunch and slipped my hand under there, and the spots are directly under where the bars of the saddle sit.
I will look into the Caldwells, thanks. Haven't there been some customer service issues with them though? |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Never dealt with them in person, I had an ideal what my gelding might need in the tree fit and my ideal was right love my used Caldwell, but there has been a few that picked her brain {Charon} about what tree they would need on their horses and she was very helpfull to them, I bought my saddle from someone selling theirs so they could get another one a bit more fancy. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If the nueva tree fits, I wouldn't waste time and the frustration of saddle fitting if you already know of one that fits.
The Lynn Mackenzie saddles I have seen are good quality and will last you 10+ Yrs
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Thanks for the thoughts!!! I so appreciate it! |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I agree with Cheryl, if the nueva fits that is the one I would go with. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Looks to wide and too far forward from the sweat patterns. Looks like it's hindering his shoulder movement by sitting on top of his shoulders instead of behind them:)
If the Lynn Mckenzie fit him well, I wouldn't spend the time and effort looking for a new saddle that MAY fit  |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | I agree if the LM seemed to fit I would be looking for a good deal on one.
Or you could try some saddles that the companies let u use a trail on like Martin, Meleta Brown Feeedom fit, Triple Creeks, ect... Though u will have to pay shipping |
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 JMHO
Posts: 1869
Location: Oklahoma | I have a very high withered gelding and went to a treeless old Bob Marshal a few weeks ago. He is getting better with every ride. So far it hasn't made him sore, but I put "sore no more" on his back after every ride. I tried a bunch of different saddles and makers, but it didn't matter how wide or tall the gullet, it would pinch or hit him and he let me know he didn't like it. Good luck. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Ridenrun4745 - 2015-05-07 12:44 PM My gelding is 4, and I think his shoulders exploded over the winter! He has dry spots when ridden in my Billy Cook (see pics). My saddle and saddle pad are approx the same age - over 10 years old, probably closer to 12 - I totally get that I'm due for a new saddle pad. But given the dry spots, should I be looking at both? A new saddle pad wouldn't help the dry spot issue, would it? So...looking for recommendations for saddle and pad. I'm wanting to stay $2500 or less with saddle, but would much rather invest in good quality and basic design/decoration over low quality and bling. I'm totally ok with used as well, as long as it is in good condition. I was at a Lynn McKenzie clinic this weekend and her Nueva tree seemed to fit him quite well. Does anyone have any other saddles I should look at that might have a comparable tree? I'm a bit worried about buying something that isn't going to work! This opportunity only comes around every 10-15 years or so :)
My 3 y/o gelding has almost exactly the same dry spots! I'm having a hard time finding a saddle fit for him too, but don't want to buy and sell a lot yet because I KNOW he is going to change some more. I don't want to make him sore either. I have no advice, I just sympathize.  |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Thanks y'all! I'm not going to go treeless; nothing against it, I just don't want to do it barrel racing, jmo. I'll look more at the Lynn McKenzies, I appreciate her style and really appreciate her knowledge and background. And thanks for the sympathies! I've thought about his back changing more, he's probably got a year, but I'd hate to hold off and sore him up in that year. It's just not worth it. Thanks! |
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 Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| I answered on the other thread about dry spots and I'll say the same thing here... Try a "Thin Line" pad... It is amazing... I can't afford to buy a new saddle for my now 5 year old so I had to figure something else out.. You put this thin pad between your saddle and your pad and it eliminates dry spots... I don't know how it does it... BUT I used it for 3 days and NO dry spots road without it the 4th day just to be sure I wasn't seeing things and on the day I didn't use it my horse had a dry spot.. I now have on ordered. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | Suzy, what was wrong with your saddle fit? I looked at the Thinlines before, I will again, but I don't see how adding a liner will help a saddle that is too narrow in the shoulders. They look like nice saddle pads though. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383
| lisa new (new to you) on fb she is awesome and has many saddles to choose from you should send her your pics or message her and talk with her she is very good at fitting- I had a Caldwell and by the way I absolutely loved it- BUT it didn't work for my horse and I don't think they were to great to work with - I took a loss selling the saddle jmo |
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Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| Ridenrun4745 - 2015-05-08 8:24 PM Suzy, what was wrong with your saddle fit? I looked at the Thinlines before, I will again, but I don't see how adding a liner will help a saddle that is too narrow in the shoulders. They look like nice saddle pads though.
I have an OLD billy cook that fits MY butt real well but doesn't seem to fit Ace quite right. And like I said I can't afford a NEW saddle so have to figure something else out and I think I found it. He was getting dry spots on his shoulders much the same as yours.. AND I have NO idea how it works.. but it is a thin pad and releives the pressure... Is said to help the rider have a better ride too... GOOGLE "Thin Line" and watch the youtube video. |
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