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 Leader of the Pack
Posts: 1343
  
Location: Eatonville, wa | Been a long time since I have posted here....but need some ideas
I have a saddle that I have been riding my gelding in for 2 years, has fit him great till now. It's a Crates Meleta Brown ridden with a protector pad (no shims)
Hero is 7 this year and the saddle no longer fits, to the point it's causing white spots on withers, back and weirdly enough on his sides where the latigo/billets goes. White spots started showing about a month and a half ago. This year he has filled out quite a bit, is incredibly muscled up and worked a lot. So his back has changed.
Talked to Meleta, she agrees saddle no longer fits him. I LOVE this saddle, but it's hurting my horse so it's time for new. I am a bigger rider, lost 65 lbs so far but still a bigger rider. So I really have to be more aware of the quality, fit and weight distribution. For those who are heavier rider or have advice...what have you found to be a quality brand that does better for a heavier rider? My gelding has fairly bulgy withers and a wide , short back. Have tried a crown C , text tan, crates, Janet stover and Merrill. The Merrill with flex tree seems to be the only one to fit him so far but I am not a big fan of how it sits me. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| What gullet of crown c did you try? My guess is you would need to start with a 9" gullet.
The charmayne james may be one to try |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I feel your pain! You have described my colt exactly to a T. I am male and have lost almost 100 pounds and kept it off. My colt is just like yours. Short backed, wide, not much wither. I don't have the white spots but I have a brand new circle Y that supposedly fits but it rolls left on him. Pain in the butt. A friend of mine has a Caldwell and boy it fits absolutely perfect but I can't drop 4300 on a saddle right now. lol so I bought a diamond wool shim pad and have been experimenting with it.
Edited by FLITASTIC 2016-06-05 7:26 PM
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Contact Lynn McKenzie and she'll send you her tree selection and consult with you to help you figure out which one fits.
Make sure you're finding a rider that endorses and designs saddles with similar body type as you, so you'll have similar point of gravity.
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Leader of the Pack
Posts: 1343
Location: Eatonville, wa | Not sure on the exact gullet size, gal said it was fqhb but that's not much help because they have so many different measurements. It was just too wide, he seems to need something with some flair in the front .
I want to try a caldwell but if I do its going to be awhile before that happens.
Contact her Lynn how ? Through her site ?
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| I have an older model Double J wide fit that fits my big horses. I've used it on my built like a sherman tank gelding who was wide with decent withers and now I have an 11 year old mare who is not as wide but it fits perfectly with a Bio-fit pad. I use my saddleright with it too but do have to put one shim in it. I too am a heavier rider and this double J (it's 14 years old) is the most comfortable saddle I've owned, and it seems to fit a wide variety of horses. Good luck - saddle fitting is a pain. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I feel your pain! On top of being over weight (working on it though!) I'm 5'11 with a large frame (for a female) and lots of muscle hiding beneath the flab lol. I had a Meleta and moved to a Crown C with an 8" gullet which has been good so far. Most barrel saddles are in a similar weight range so that won't likely be much of a factor. A well fitting saddle is a well fitting saddle so focus on finding something that fits your horse as perfectly as possible and make sure it comes in the seat size you need. Trying to ride in a saddle that's too small can mess up your balance and cause more issues. The one type of saddle I would avoid, as a heavier rider, is a flex tree or treeless. We NEED something solid to support and distribute our weight properly. Flex and treeless saddles do not do that and will likely cause pressure points. You mentioned the Merrill, I would avoid that given that it is a flex tree.
If the regular Martin didn't work for your horse, a flat tree version might, depending on his shape. Double J you could look into also.
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I had had good luck with my Debra Sibley but mine is the regular fit and snug on my horses shoulders. He has a long, real sloped shoulder which makes him difficult to fit because to set it behind the shoulder, it sits super far back. However, it has worked. I know there is come controversy of flex trees or treeless with heavier riders but I do have good balance and I don't worry much about it.
With that said, since it isn't fitting ideal, I tried a Marlene McRae Cactus and I LOVED how it rode. But it didn't fit my gelding great. Just a few ideas for you to try  |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I think everyone understands that the more you weigh, the more saddle fit effects the overall health of your horse. I am huge by rider standards, 6'7" and 270 pounds. I showed cutting horses for years, and you know how small those horses can be. I did not ride the smaller cutting horses that we owned, leaving those to my wife and daughters. I had no problem with the stouter horses that I rode because we committed to perfect saddle fit to address the issue. This is an unfortunate fact of life if you are a big person. There is no option in my opinion, but to commit to a saddle that first fits your horse and second fits you. While a saddle for each horse may not be practical for everyone, it is the price that those of us who are big pay for trying to fit into the sport. |
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| This is a good link to view different types of saddles and makers
Look at how much the jockey and skirt hang out the back ..
hard to tell looking at pictures ... so go compare with real saddles ..
and think about running barrels in a ranch or roping saddle ..
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/courts-roping-saddles.html#.V1kTvXX2...
Anyway you look at it .. the more you weigh the more your horse needs a saddle that has a larger back jockey and skirt to spread the weight out over a larger area.
For your personal fit ... tell your saddle maker how big your thighs are so he
can trim the bars so your feet will hang straight downward and build up the seat to fit your crotch .. otherwise you will be getting a saddle with a wide flat
seat. |
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Leader of the Pack
Posts: 1343
Location: Eatonville, wa | Didn't get a chance to hop back on till now.
Wow thank you guys for all the tips and advice, definitely brought up some points I had not considered.
I am staying away from round skirts or smaller skirt and treeless. The point about the flex tree does make sense. I plan on sticking with a traditional treed saddle.
The fit for my gelding is on the top of my list of saddle requirements, I don't care what it looks like as Ling as it fits him and fits my butt.
Certain ones of the double j look like they might work, I really like the build of Deb Sibley saddles but haven't seen one in person. |
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Leader of the Pack
Posts: 1343
Location: Eatonville, wa | I tried the 8" gullet. Spread was too wide in the gullet, I was thinking a 7 1/2 might work. The meleta brown saddle is 6 3/4. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | classicpotatochip - 2016-06-05 9:53 PM
Contact Lynn McKenzie and she'll send you her tree selection and consult with you to help you figure out which one fits.
Make sure you're finding a rider that endorses and designs saddles with similar body type as you, so you'll have similar point of gravity.
You can contact Lynn through her site. Her Nueva Wide may fit well, has good flare in the front. If you can't find her contact infor let me know, if have it somewhere. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | cavyrunsbarrels - 2016-06-07 8:34 AM
I feel your pain! On top of being over weight (working on it though!) I'm 5'11 with a large frame (for a female) and lots of muscle hiding beneath the flab lol. I had a Meleta and moved to a Crown C with an 8" gullet which has been good so far. Most barrel saddles are in a similar weight range so that won't likely be much of a factor. A well fitting saddle is a well fitting saddle so focus on finding something that fits your horse as perfectly as possible and make sure it comes in the seat size you need. Trying to ride in a saddle that's too small can mess up your balance and cause more issues. The one type of saddle I would avoid, as a heavier rider, is a flex tree or treeless. We NEED something solid to support and distribute our weight properly. Flex and treeless saddles do not do that and will likely cause pressure points. You mentioned the Merrill, I would avoid that given that it is a flex tree.
If the regular Martin didn't work for your horse, a flat tree version might, depending on his shape. Double J you could look into also.
What she said to a T for me^^^^
Double J jas been the one ive been looking into. been trying to find a used one with the stats I need cause dropping $3,000 or more right now is tough |
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