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 Veteran
Posts: 114
Location: southeast | I've been consdering trying a Crown C saddle but see so many for sale which makes me wonder why. Are they outgrowing the gullet or do they cause back soreness/issues? Please let me know your experience before I spend the money for one. I like the flatter bars, thats the reason I'm looking at them. |
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 Tried and True
Posts: 21185
  
Location: Where I am happiest | We have 2. A 7 1/2 inch gullet and a 8 1/2 inch gullet. FINALLY our constant saddle fit issues are solved and they are a very comfortable saddle. Mainly what you see for sale are the 7 inch gullet. People have gotten more educated on saddle fit and realize a 7 inch gullet fits very few horses for very long. So they sell those, and get a bigger gullet but stay in the crown c. |
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Location: Over by those oil wells, TX | Graceofgod - 2013-12-18 6:54 AM I've been consdering trying a Crown C saddle but see so many for sale which makes me wonder why. Are they outgrowing the gullet or do they cause back soreness/issues? Please let me know your experience before I spend the money for one. I like the flatter bars, thats the reason I'm looking at them. my daughter loves hers. It has an 8" gullet. I think people get tired of shimming when they buy too wide a gullet because they think that must be the way to go moreso than that many horses are actually filling out and have to move up. At least
from those I've talked to. I think personally it's more fun to buy saddles that fit a horse now and not wait for growth, and not worry about shimming. Also some don't like the wide feel of the jockey in these saddles. They are awesome if you TRULY educate yourself in fitting one. It's not so much the gullet as it is the angle of the bars.
Edited by hopin4$ 2013-12-18 7:19 AM
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
 
Location: Opelousas, LA | I love the one I have and the 8 inch gullet works really nice on a lot of horses. Unfortunately, the two mares I need this saddle to fit have very flat backs and this tree has too much rock in it, I need the same saddle I have but with extra flat bars. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I can't answer for the Crown C's but I often wonder the same thing. I have 2 Cactus CJ's. They have flat bars and fit my wide backed horses real well. |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| I am very happy with mine. I took my mare, who is built like a deer, to Teskey's and had her fitted. A 7" gullet fit her best. I have since retired her, and right now, this 7" fits my two year old. However, as this two year old matures, I realize I will probably have to increase the gullet size. She is a much different build than the other horse.
There are quite a few being stolen around the north TX area. I spoke to a girl at the summer Elite race in Waco, and a thief had passed up her other saddles and taken the Crown C. You can't even risk leaving one on your horse at the trailer anymore. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | My 7" doesn't fit my big bodied gelding, but fits my young ones great. I love the saddle, so I'm just using it as a colt saddle rather than sell it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1161
Location: East Texas | I have a really flat backed horse and I had him fitted by two different dealers and me measured a 10 inch gullet with a flat bar. The saddle still didnt fit him well, it rocked forward on him really bad. Plus, I was going to have a special order that big of a gullet with the flat bar. I ended up having him fitted with a lynn mckenzie wide tree and I am much happier, plus that tree fit my other horse too. Definately saved me some money in the end. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Graceofgod - 2013-12-18 6:54 AM
I've been consdering trying a Crown C saddle but see so many for sale which makes me wonder why. Are they outgrowing the gullet or do they cause back soreness/issues? Please let me know your experience before I spend the money for one. I like the flatter bars, thats the reason I'm looking at them.
There actually is a lot of rock in the bars, I had to custom order flat bars for one of my horses. If your horse has a really flat back I suggest try before you buy. I think this is why you see so many for sale 8 inches and under, I haven't seen many for sale over 8 inches. |
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 Banjo and Baby
Posts: 7259
Location: South of Canada and North of Mexico | I like mine I just prefer a shiloh. The seat is to shallow for me. I have a 7 and feels like it fits my horses well. |
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Member
Posts: 48
| They are fantastic saddles. Really nice riding, really well made. That said, you really need to educate yourself on the fit of these saddles to make them work, or have it expertly fitted for you. And regardless of the gullet fit, there is other factors that go into properly fitting a saddle. I can tell you they don't work on horses with very long sloping shoulders as they are designed to sit behind the shoulder which then puts your weight sitting on your horses loin, my gelding bucked me off due to his loin being out caused by this saddle. I believe there is so many put there due two to a couple reasons, horses outgrowing the original gullet and more so people from people who didn't educate themselves on the fit of these saddles and subsequently are not happy with the fit of the saddle. They certainly work for many people, but my personal opinion has become that I can get a great saddle fit with out all the hassles of shims etc, and because the saddle wasn't fitted to one specific horse will fit the other horses in my herd; with other brands of saddles. |
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 Voice of Reason
Location: NOT at Wal Mart | Because they don't fit (anymore or never did). Try before you buy. I have seen several, all doing the same thing.?? I don't like where the saddle sits you (further back on the horses back) nor do I like the way the saddle sat on my horse. When you pay $2000.00 plus then need to shim, I question that. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 733
| I didn't read all the post but I will say this I have a Crown C and I love Martin saddles. I thought I needed a wider gullet, the local martin dealer had a bare martin tree that was 1/2" wider than mine but still 1/2" narrower than what I was thinking about getting. He told me to bring my horse over and we could put it on her, his brother who makes saddles came down and helped. In all honestly when I saw the bare tree I was thoroughly unimpressed. The Martin tree fit both horses worse than the the other tree he had in the shop (it was a Bill Bean tree). The reason my martin was not fitting her had nothing to do with the gullet it was the way the bars were in the back, they don't sit down on them because they have alot of bulb to them. My horse has a really strong loin muscle, you could easily hold water in her back, she is not flat backed or wide but the muscle comes up on each side of her spine, so it was like setting a ball on a ball, that is why it was rolling so bad. My horse took one step sideways and that tree rolled off her, the other tree stayed on her. IDK its something you have to see. But I am having my Martin altered so it fits better and I think I am going to have my horse fitted and get a Coats, I was looking on their website and I like the look of their trees, and Larry talks about how he has had to change his tree to fit horses like mine. I have also heard is really good to work with as far as getting a good fit. I am sure there will be a lot of people that disagree with me but I am just going to say before you buy a saddle put the tree on your horse, you want contact everywhere. Most trees are only 200 square inches, thats not that big. They have alot of weight in them, that weight needs to be distributed all over the tree.
ETA: the Martin tree did have a 95 degree spread that is wider that is the FQH spread, 90 degree is the Semi quarter horse spread. When we measured our horses (he had a really cool thing that measured all over their back) both our horses needed a 95. Another thing is the the Martin tree is similiar to a Northwest tree where it had some rock to fit a horse with a contoured back, Arizona trees don't have rock and will bridge if the horse has contoured back at all. I love running in my Crown C, mine is a 6.5" we bought a 8" and I hated how it rode, it through me forward because it sat down so low on my horse. But I like mine enough I having it altered because I want to keep it.
Edited by Rope-N-Run 2013-12-18 10:49 AM
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 Vodka for Lunch
Location: Lala Land | Rope-N-Run - 2013-12-18 10:44 AM I didn't read all the post but I will say this I have a Crown C and I love Martin saddles. I thought I needed a wider gullet, the local martin dealer had a bare martin tree that was 1/2" wider than mine but still 1/2" narrower than what I was thinking about getting. He told me to bring my horse over and we could put it on her, his brother who makes saddles came down and helped. In all honestly when I saw the bare tree I was thoroughly unimpressed. The Martin tree fit both horses worse than the the other tree he had in the shop (it was a Bill Bean tree). The reason my martin was not fitting her had nothing to do with the gullet it was the way the bars were in the back, they don't sit down on them because they have alot of bulb to them. My horse has a really strong loin muscle, you could easily hold water in her back, she is not flat backed or wide but the muscle comes up on each side of her spine, so it was like setting a ball on a ball, that is why it was rolling so bad. My horse took one step sideways and that tree rolled off her, the other tree stayed on her. IDK its something you have to see. But I am having my Martin altered so it fits better and I think I am going to have my horse fitted and get a Coats, I was looking on their website and I like the look of their trees, and Larry talks about how he has had to change his tree to fit horses like mine. I have also heard is really good to work with as far as getting a good fit. I am sure there will be a lot of people that disagree with me but I am just going to say before you buy a saddle put the tree on your horse, you want contact everywhere. Most trees are only 200 square inches, thats not that big. They have alot of weight in them, that weight needs to be distributed all over the tree. ETA: the Martin tree did have a 95 degree spread that is wider that is the FQH spread, 90 degree is the Semi quarter horse spread. When we measured our horses (he had a really cool thing that measured all over their back) both our horses needed a 95. Another thing is the the Martin tree is similiar to a Northwest tree where it had some rock to fit a horse with a contoured back, Arizona trees don't have rock and will bridge if the horse has contoured back at all. I love running in my Crown C, mine is a 6.5" we bought a 8" and I hated how it rode, it through me forward because it sat down so low on my horse. But I like mine enough I having it altered because I want to keep it.
I love my Crown C.... but had to shim for a while. It does fit well now, but I think if I were in the market for another one I would get a Coats or Pozzi. I've heard Larry is awesome to work with and that the Pozzi's fit great also. |
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Veteran
Posts: 114
Location: southeast | Thank you everyone!!!! Sounds like I need to conact Martin to get some expert advice. I don't live anywhere near a dealer that can fit my horses. I remember seeing people mention Brian as the best contact for help... does anyone have a way to get in touch with him?
thanks again |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I am sure there are several out there for sale as they moved up through gullet sizes. I started with a 6.5 moved to a 7.5 and am now in a 8.5. I can only afford one saddle so everytime mine needed to move up I had to sell the current one. You don't see many in the larger sizes because that is where the horse maxed out at and they no longer need to move up. You can order the Crown C's with flatter bars if that's what your horse needs but it is bet to get them fitted before you order so you get the right combo of angle and width. My four year old is going to need extra flat bars in a very wide gullet.
To those that say wider gullets are a fade and aren't needed; well I will believe that when we can all wear the same size and style of shoes. |
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Member
Posts: 28
| I just went and met with Brian's wife for a fitting and a lesson about fitting....I did this after buying two Martins and being upset that they "didn't fit". Please, please, please find a way to learn about the fitting of these saddles before you buy...you will be in shock what your horse may actually need! ( I bought a 7, one of mine needs a 9, the other a 10!!!) That sounded absolutely ridiculous to me until I went and got educated on the whole process! Luckily I live only an hour from Martin Saddlery so I can just go there, but if you don't all them and ask them where you can go to get a fitting and learn for yourself how this is done. The number is on the Martin Saddlery web site. Brian and his wife, Tracy, are super nice, very helpful and very knowledgable. |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| CYA Ranch - 2013-12-18 7:28 AM
I can't answer for the Crown C's but I often wonder the same thing. I have 2 Cactus CJ's. They have flat bars and fit my wide backed horses real well.
Same here :) Fit my super stocky mare, and my narrow racey type with a 1" pad. Sit really nice and flat against their back and loins, with room in shoulder... Love both my CJ saddles!  |
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Doggy Diaper Designer
Posts: 2322
Location: WI | I think it's a marketing scam personally. When you end up with bars so wide they are no longer resting on top of the back muscles, but almost more down on their sides, you are asking for issues, IMO. Also every single one I have seen set on a horse, they all sit down hill |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| Before I found my Charmayne James, I was told I needed a 9.5" Gullet for my one mare. I could not STAND riding in it. It threw me so far forward no matter where I put my stirrups, not to mention I felt like I had no contact with my seat and legs, like I was sitting on a barrel... I really disliked the way they sat on my horse. Shims and no shims. 7.5"-10" I just could not jive with it. Of course the saddle that fit her best was the 3K Coats :) I really dislike what I see with the martins, gals who have had them fitted and even some pros who use them, the saddles pop so far up in the back! IMO, a saddle that fits should not do that...
Edited by MNcanchaser7 2014-03-07 9:20 PM
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