What kind of saddle for a draft?

[Toodlestoo]

Well, we're having issues with a saddle for Oreo--huge round belly and wide back. We bought an Aussie saddle that slips all the time no matter what pad I put under it. Plus, it's pretty uncomfortable after a while. It was a cheapie so it's true, you get what you pay for! :( tried our Circle Y on him but that's when he started bucking.

I was thinking of getting an English saddle but was wondering if anyone has some other advice. What about a treeless saddle? Do they fit better on "big guys". I know some of you have drafts and were just interested in what you are using.

I think part of the problem, as you can see below, is that his belly is so round, the girth slips forward and ends up right near the front legs. I don't know if this makes him uncomfortable too. Maybe there's a girth out there that doesn't slip. http://forum.horse.com/upfiles/smiley/9263057BE7DE466FB0FFA012823FD726.gif (javascript:void(opener.addSmiley('body1','http://forum.horse.com/upfiles/smiley/9263057BE7DE466FB0FFA012823FD726.gif')); self.focus();)



http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?pictureid=3532&albumid=41&dl=1225324286&thumb=1 (http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/album.php?albumid=41&pictureid=3532) http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/picture.php?pictureid=291&albumid=41&dl=1223730893&thumb=1 (http://www.baywindfarm.com/forum/album.php?albumid=41&pictureid=291)

[vicklynn]

Well, I have no clue, but see this needs bumped.
Oreo is soooooooooo handsome

[Lakota's Pet]

Just a thought, you might want to check with Australian Stock Saddle Co. They make some really nice saddles, australian and english, and will adjust the tree to fit your horse by wither tracings they have you send in. Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you. Here's the link to their website.

http://www.aussiesaddle.com/

[Flair]

Does the tree fit him properly?

It's possible he might be a good candidate for a crupper and breastcollar too.

[Toodlestoo]

Thanks guys--ummm--what's a crupper?

[IrisGreen]

Is Oreo an IR (insulin resistant) horse? He has the belly and cresty neck that IR horses get. Does he has fat pockets on the sides of his withers and shoulders? If he has a lot of extra weight on him that might why the saddle slips back so much because he has a built up fat area on his shoulders, withers and belly.

Muffin is shaped like Oreo so I keep him on a strict diet with no sweet feed/grain/sweet treats. Have you checked in to IR horses and if Oreo might have that condition? I have to weigh Muffins feed so he gets no more or no less then his daily feed amount to keep him at a nice steady weight or he will pack on the pounds in not time.

As for the saddle. I am going to have this same problem with Muffin so I will be watching this thread. I have a western saddle for him and it fit when he was younger and smaller. I haven't tried it on him in months and I have a feeling it wont fit him anymore. I'm training him to drive right know and in the spring we will start his under saddle training. Muffin is 2 1/2 and considered a Spotted Draft.

[HeartofSteel]

If you are looking towards and english saddle I would definately look into Duetts. You can find them used a lot cheaper like on TackTrader.com but brand new there are pretty spendy. I wasn't sure what to get for Niko because he's pretty wide flat backed and I came across these. They have alot of different tree sizes, I believe I got Niko a 36cm. I bought a used Duett Largo Dressage saddle and it has been a dream! It fits him so well, I can actually mount him from the ground with this saddle and it doesn't slip or slide at all. The larges tree size they have is a 42cm!! Holy Cow!! I found my Largo on tacktrader for $800, new it is $1200.
Here is there website:
http://www.duettsaddles.com/index.htm

[Toodlestoo]

Thanks Haffie! I'll look into that and the other suggestions I received. Iris, Oreo is on pasture only. He doesn't get any grain at all. I've never had him checked for IR but the vet has been out and never mentioned anything to me. I'm going to do some research on it! We've had him a year now and he hasn't gained any more weight but he certainly hasn't lost any either. :doh:

[IrisGreen]

A crupper is a strap that goes from the back of the saddle to under the horses tail. You see them used on harnesses, endurance saddles and packing saddles. They help stabalize the saddle or harness so it doesnt move forward and helps keep it from moving sideways to an extent. When used with a breast collar on a saddle they can add extra "hold" to keep the saddle from moving.

[cloedoll]

As half_passing_haffie mentioned, I would definitely look into Duetts (http://www.duettsaddles.com) if you are going to go English with him. They're reasonably priced (especially for what you get) and I believe they have some saddles that go up to a 43cm tree. The people will also work with you to find the perfect fit for your horse. Treeless could definitely be an option, too. I don't know what your budget is, but I would check out Ansür (https://www.ansursaddle.com/), Torison (http://www.gotreeless.com/Gotreeless.com/home.html), FreeForm (http://www.freeformusa.com/), and Barefoot (http://www.barefootsaddle.com/) treeless saddles if that's the way you want to go. If you do go treeless, you are going to have to look into special pads to correct the problems treeless saddles have - luvs2ride1979 is really good with this. I hope cheval catches this thread, I know she uses a Wintec on Solon that has a ten inch gullet. I would recommend the Wintec Wide (http://wintec.net.au/products/allPurpose/allPurposeWide.html), but I don't know if that would go wide enough for Oreo. Who knows, though, it might! =)

ETA: I could explain what a crupper is, but Wikipedia does a better job at it, lol. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crupper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crupper)

[Buckpoco]

A treeless would most likely fit, but they are hard to get up into from the ground, especially on very round horses.

[Toodlestoo]

Buckpoco--thanks for that info. I already need a mounting block for a regular saddle but that's good to know!

[Pi and Tofu]

I'll add that wide tree (x-wide, xx-wide) does not necessarily solve the problem. It is not always the tree size, but the tree shape. I mentioned the u-shaped tree in the other post, but you can get traditional v-shape trees that will fit a round horse better-such as the duett. I don't ride dressage and they aren't really hunter people (imo), but the dressage people seem to like them. Treeless comes with it's own problems, but the companies want to see and will let you try them out first. Also call! When I was looking at the french saddles, they were willing to send a fitter out to bring several different types/sizes. I love my Killington, but it took me awhile to find it in the price range I wanted-so know your price range going into it. And, again, custom is certainly an option.

[cloedoll]

Good point Pi and Tofu!

Toodles, you may want to send an e-mail to the people at Trumbull Mountain (http://trumbullmtn.com/), they're extremely helpful. Also, here's (http://trumbullmtn.com/Other_Pages/wide%20challenge.htm) a link to a page on Trumbull Mountain that explains the whole U shape/V shape tree thing.

[Buckpoco]

Oh, I just thought of something. I've been drooling over a saddle I saw while camping. I asked the person who owned it. She had it made by Specialized Saddles: www.specializedsaddles.com (http://www.specializedsaddles.com). It is a very interesting saddle as you have many choices of styles and you can adjusst the width, arch and angle. I hope to get one someday. I have a friend with a big, fat Haflinger. I've known her for ten years and she's never found a saddle that fits. I have to tell her about this also. Good Luck.

[Remali]

I have seen draft horse saddles, maybe you could give one of those a try? Otherwise, a treeless saddle may be worth a try too.

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/drafhorsad.html

[Pi and Tofu]

Remali, while they may be right in front of my nose, I still haven't seen a really well-made draft saddle; they usually just widen the heck out of the tree of a regular saddle. Pressure points are created when a tree that was meant to be an average tree, is widened without thought to the rest of the balance of the saddle. As more drafts are ridden, maybe the tree problem will be addressed, we will see.
Cloedoll, Trumbull is exactly the one I was thinking of (also Bucks County), they are very easy to work with and nice people to boot.

[Remali]

Good point....I've never seen a draft horse saddle, only in catalogs. I had a really wide Arabian mare and had trouble fitting her when I was riding English (finally found a County Competitor that fit great), so I sure can relate to a wide-backed horse....but draft breeds and draft-type horses aren't something I've ever had, so I'm just sort of guessing. lol.

[Buckpoco]

I tried a draft saddle for my fat paint. Wow did it hurt as it was so wide. I started using the Bob Marshall with a neoprene, sticky pad underneath and it didn't roll. I think getting the right saddle is harder than getting the right horse.

My friend made a template of her horse's back. We were hysterical because it looked like a table. Anyway, she found the Tucker Gen 2 worked for her.

[Toodlestoo]

I'm looking at all the websites everyone suggested. Again, thank you. I have a cheap (E-Bay) Aussie saddle that is so stiff and I swear I'm doing a horizontal split when I'm using it. I never even considered all the problems I would have fitting him when I bought him. I'm a sucker for a pretty face!!:innocent: