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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
   
Location: North Dakota | Alrighty. I've been asking lots of questions about saddle fit lately, and now I'm finally actually trying some over the next couple days. I'll be posting pictures as I go to get everyone's opinion.
This morning I tried a Martin Crown C with a 7" gullet. I feel in order for this saddle to work, I would need to shim it. It was sitting a little bit downhhill on him, and where I have my hand in the photo I feel like it wasn't making as much contact with him as the lower part was (if that makes sense).
I have a 5 Star pad on him that is 1/2 inch thick. Yes, he is a little chunky right now, but he's not as bad as the picture portrays. He just one of those horses that have a big lookin' barrel.
Overall, I was not a huge fan of how the Crown C fit him. I currently use a Circle Y (will get some pictures in a couple days) which isn't all that bad, but I feel like it's a teensy tight on his withers and I could do better for him. Of course, unless I'd get a good pad / shim to change the Crown C, I think I honestly like my Circle Y better out of the two.
I will also get some photos of my horse's bare back in a couple days. The wind was a little chilly this morning.
What do you guys think of the Martin Crown C?
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| I would say no, the theory behind crown c is they all need to be shimmed, behind the shoulders.
Saddle fit is all about feel without the pad on you need to feel under the saddle and feel for any tight spots, and uneven pressure. If you find uneven pressure then it doesn't fit |
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 Hawty & Nawty
Posts: 20424
| Nope. That doesn't fit. Now imagine how it's going to sit with you in it. It's going to push down even further on the withers. Why buy a saddle if you need shims?
Have you tried Corriente? I only ask because my friend runs a horse built like yours and a corriente fit him perfect. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Thanks guys, that's kinda what's going through my mind too. I did have the saddle on him without my pad (didn't take any pictures of it) and I just didn't feel that it sat EVEN on him. I know that there are a lot of people who are big fans of the Crown C but I don't know if I like the idea of having to shim a saddle to make it fit. 
I have not tried a Corriente on him. I probably would be able to track one down to try though. I haven't yet because I have the feeling it would be just about the same as my Circle Y which I will take new pictures of on Sunday for all to see.  |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Okay! Took a bunch of pictures today of my current saddle. It is a Smith Brothers Circle Y saddle with full quarter horse bars. Will be trying a Triple Creek tomorrow.
Just "the horse".
The saddle just sitting on his back. Where I have my hand is where I feel like my saddle is a teeny bit tight. This is kind of why I am looking for a little bit better fit for him. Thoughts?
The saddle cinched up. Again, it is a 5 Star pad 1/2 inch thickness.
The saddle still cinched after we got back from riding (sweaty horse!!).
His back right after I took the saddle off. The area I circled is where sometimes there is a bit of a dry spot.
What does everyone think of my current saddle?
It's not a terrible bit, but I just feel like I could do a little better where those conchos are in the front.
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  More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | It looks to me like your current saddle is too narrow but the Crown C is too wide. I personally wouldn't buy a saddle I had to shim but that's just me. I have Cactus CJ's that I bought for 3 horses I ran a few years ago. A newer horse I bought the saddles are a bit wide so I will shim a bit but she's young and will fill out so I won't be shimming for long. |
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 Ditch the Stirrups
Posts: 5369
Location: Sorrow Not! Defending against workplace bullies | I would try a Crates Meleta Brown on him. I have one and it fits every horse I ride. I also have a Martin racer and it made one of my horses very sore but fits others pretty well.
It is not just the gullet you have to take into account but also the shape of the bars. My Martin is built flat in the bars so it works best on a flat backed horse. The Crates bars in comparison to work better on a horse with more of a curve to their back. But like I said it really seems to fit everything.
How old is your horse? He looks a little downhill but that might be the photo angle. If he is you will probably need to shim or buy a special pad for him no matter what saddle you buy. But if he is young his back will change over time and you could then most likely move to a regular pad. |
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | ninaom - 2014-03-09 7:39 AM I would try a Crates Meleta Brown on him. I have one and it fits every horse I ride. I also have a Martin racer and it made one of my horses very sore but fits others pretty well. It is not just the gullet you have to take into account but also the shape of the bars. My Martin is built flat in the bars so it works best on a flat backed horse. The Crates bars in comparison to work better on a horse with more of a curve to their back. But like I said it really seems to fit everything. How old is your horse? He looks a little downhill but that might be the photo angle. If he is you will probably need to shim or buy a special pad for him no matter what saddle you buy. But if he is young his back will change over time and you could then most likely move to a regular pad.
I was about the post this. Try a Crates Meleta Brown. Your horse is built a lot like mine, and it is the only saddle that we can get to fit him halfway decent. Not to mention Meleta is AMAZING to talk to about horses, saddles, and life in general. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | He does look downhill, and he has a pretty short back. I would worry that the crown c is too "long" for his back and will stick him in the hip when he turns.
You do need to shim that crown c and re-check the fit if you would want to use that saddle. They are not built to sit the same as other brands, as I am sure you know. My horse is much narrower in the wither than the back, due to atrophy, so I would probably need to shim any saddle right now, so I use the shims.
I really like the Crown C's, but if you are not wanting to shim, I would look at something else. |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | One other thing, it looks like your current saddle is sliding back behind the should, which is probably why you are seeing dry spots sometimes. It looks like it probably pitches you forward when it does that
My old saddle was too narrow, and I experienced something similar (but didn't have dry spots)
Your horse does look wide in the twist. And wider in the back than the shoulders. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Just my personal opinion, but you should never have to shim any saddle if it actually fits your horse. But that is only my opinion. I have an album on facebook that Meleta is helping me with if anybody wants the link to see it. It may or may not have helpful information for anyone but I have a lot of pics and she has commented and answered a lot of questions.
I think if you are shimming the saddle to get it to fit, then keep looking for something that fits better. You may not ever find it, I never did, but I have what works best for my horse.
I'm also one of the very very few people who don't believe in these ultra wide gullets. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Thanks everyone. My horse is going to be 8 this year. I agree that my pictures does make him look downhill but he really isn't.
The triple creek I was gonna try today got sold. :-/. I do at least have bare trees coming from triple creek that I can try on him. I also ordered a Lisa Lockhart flex2 wide barrel saddle last night to try.
I'll have to keep the Crates saddle in mind if these two don't seem to work out.
I am in the same mindset that I would like the saddle to fit without shimming. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1440
Location: Texas | Just throwing another brand at you. Coats saddlery will send you trees or if you are Able you can go in and get him fitted. I just did that and he is actually combining two trees to make one that will fit my hard to fit horse. They have 2 different lines available. One is the custom coats which Is more expensive and then the lazy l. Just food for thought. Saddle fitting can be such a nightmare. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | I did kinda look into the Coats brand. I'll certainly keep it as an option if one of these two (Triple Creek or Lisa Lockhart) does not fit him. I was a little leery about trying Coats though because if I had to custom order something special to fit my horse 1) I don't want to wait over a year to get a saddle 2) there's a chance my horse might not be sound for barrel racing. He's got a catching stifle and I'm going to do all that I can to get him sound, but of course there's still that chance. I'd really hate to custom order a saddle that is just for him, if he ends up not being able to barrel race. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 452
Location: Texas | We have a 3 yo DTF with a sticky stifle. Farrier took the inside of her heel down to open up the stifle and we havent seen a problem since. Been about 3 wks and it was super bad when we bought her. The vet also said for$150 they can do a simple procedure to build up the scar tissue in there to fix it. Also, lots of hill work.
Just a few thoughts in case you werent aware :-). Good luck |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | lzysranch - 2014-03-10 10:23 AM We have a 3 yo DTF with a sticky stifle. Farrier took the inside of her heel down to open up the stifle and we havent seen a problem since. Been about 3 wks and it was super bad when we bought her. The vet also said for$150 they can do a simple procedure to build up the scar tissue in there to fix it. Also, lots of hill work. Just a few thoughts in case you werent aware :-). Good luck
Oh trust me.... my vet and I know each other VERY well.  Going to try injecting his stifle next week and see how he does with that. His isn't real bad by any means, but it is there and it does bother him in a barrel turn. (He's not using his butt like he should.) I don't want to go the scar tissue route yet because it's very painful for the horse, so we're trying injections first.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 417
Location: CA | First saddle looks too big, second looks too small. Just a suggestion so please don't be offended, but you might want to get your gelding back in shape before trying new saddles as it might affect the fit.
I think saddle fit and preference will be different for everyone, as all horses and riders are different. I ride in a crown c with an 8in gullet and have never had to shim it. Fits all my mares well. |
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 No Name Nancy
Posts: 2715
Location: never in the right place | Meleta has a new wide fit tree, currently only in a 15" but she is loaning 1 out to try. Call her and get on the list if you are interested. It should arrive at my house tomorrow and I will have 1 or so weeks to try it and then I have to send it to the next person. A 15 is too big but I wanted to see how it fit my horse, she is having trouble cutting down the tree size and keeping the correct dimensions. Her board name is wimpyb and her email is [email protected] |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Grunt: No offense taken. Yes, he is out-of-shape at the moment, but he really isn't carrying that much extra weight right now. (I'm actually very happy he didn't pack on a ton of winter weight.) He is a "beefy" built horse. He doesn't slim down to look like a running-type. I have had people tell me he needs to lose weight ... when it's the middle of the summer and he doesn't. It's just kinda how he is.  But I can understand what you are saying.
ctdrumrun: Thank you for the contact information. I'll have to do that. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Tried some more saddles!
Had the horses at the vet today and my vet let me try on her saddle. She has a Double J Pro Wide. I really liked how the front of the saddle looked on his shoulders, but I think it might be just a hair wide because it was sitting downhill on him. We did not cinch it up; we just set it on his back. I would imagine it would become more downhill when it would be cinched up tight.
Thoughts??
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