Mission Impossible

I'm torn. My hunt seat saddle does not really fit either of my horses. Definitely too wide for the paint, but a little too narrow and the cantle sits way too low on Desi. It's up for sale but that means that if I want to show Desi again in the spring, I'll have to get a new saddle. I spent hours this weekend looking at used saddles online and I'm frustrated. In a perfect world, I'd get something with an adjustable gullet and adjustable panels since I'm leasing and may need my saddle to fit a different horse in the future. But at the same time, the paint has a saddle that fits (even if it's a funky color and I don't have a matching bridle...) and nothing short of custom flocked will fit Desi properly without LOTS of shimming and padding. Pads do not make a saddle "fit" if it does not fit without the pads. To make this much more interesting, I'm working within a budget of $800. I'm beginning to think that this is Mission Impossible.

The Heritage Saddlery Yin-Yang Competetion Event Saddle

If I owned Desi I'd save my money for a few more months and go the custom route. Which I know would cost upwards of $2000. Think again! Depending on the model you want, Heritage Saddlery will make a saddle custom fit for both you and your horse for around $1000. If I buy Desi in the future, this will probably be the route I go. I was a little wary of the quality of a custom saddle for the price of a middle-range off-the-rack saddle, but the reviews are all great. http://www.heritagesaddlery.co.uk/


If I cave in the meantime and need a saddle that I can make "fit" more than one horse, I'll probably go for something like the Bates Caprilli with the easy change gullet system and cair panels, although those have some seriously scathing reviews. Sigh. After spending all morning online researching saddles and saddle fit, I have no hope for the horse community. It seems like it is impossible for a saddle to truly fit a horse and rider. What one person swears by, another hates. Sometimes I feel like I should just give up on conventional saddles with their fitting issues and go treeless. I can't really show in a treeless saddle though...

For now I think I'll use the Dressage saddle on Desi and the weirdly colored saddle on the paint.