I know its been asked a million times but gaited ppl what saddle do u use lol?

I was wondering what other gaited ppl used? I am in the process of deciding what saddle I am going to buy for my hard to fit horse. Ill start

Currently on my gelding I am using a AP medium gullet saddle

My husband has a tucker trooper saddle

How about you guys?

I have a ladies Dakota Barrel Saddle. Do you have any pics of your horse? Seeing it's build might help us recommend a saddle. What breed? I don't have experience with Tucker Troopers, but I have used a different type of Trooper that fits quite a few of the horses on the farm. Not mine, lol of course, but most of them. We also use an english cutback quite often, which fits most. Jack has a wide flat back with low withers and big shoulders and after trying umpteen million(thankfully a few friends have a variety I was able to try) I broke down and took him to be fitted. My biggest piece of advice would be don't completely buy into the whole "Gaited Saddle" thing. While they are great for some horses, they tend to be built a bit narrow and by far don't fit all gaited horses. The biggest thing you need to worry about is fit, and keeping the shoulder as free as possible.

The "gaited horse saddle" is a marketing strategy, not an "operational design concept." This does not mean they are bad, only that they are not necessarily good.

I ride a Stubben Scout, my wife a Stubben Siegfried VSD-DL. They work quite well on all our horses they fit.

First, determine the discipline(s) you will ride in. Then pick the "shape" of the saddle. Then find one that fits you and the horse.

Human fit is every bit as important as equine fit. If the saddle does not fit the human then they will not be able to gain a secure seat and this will mean they will be unbalanced and that will unbalance the horse.

Finding the right saddle may mean one trip to a shop and it may mean an odyssey.

Good luck in your search.

G.

I don't buy into the whole gaited thing. I found a company that makes saddles for your horse called Sycamore Creek Saddles and I really like this one www.sycamorecreeksaddles.com/SVC001-C.jpg but I was also thinkin about the royal king auto adjust tree saddle. My gelding is in my horses, reno is chunky and built kinda thick with a wider back but he has semi high withers and it doesn't look like it but his backbone is a tad prodominant (don't think that's the right term cause he's fat but he can't have a wider tree saddle
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Hi,

As you begin your search for a saddle, I can not emphasize enough to begin with saddle fitting. That is one of the reasons I use Crest Ridge Saddlery. They begin with saddle fitting.

With all due respect to Charlene1985, there is a difference between stock saddles and saddles set for gaited horses. The angle of the bars in front averages 90-91 degrees for gaited horses and 92-94 degrees for stock horses. There is variation within the horses, so some gaited horses do well in stock saddles and vice versa, but the average gaited horse will do better in a gaited saddle. Many gaited horse breeds are shorter in the back than the average stock horse and do better with shorter rounded skirts. Many gaited horses also so better with a flared tree in front to allow for great freedon for the scapula to move as many gaited horses have greater extension in front, hence more movement of the scapula.

You should also remember that a horses shape changes with age and conditioning. A good saddle fitter can make allowances for a horse that is likely to lose weight, bulk up or mature to improve the chances that a saddle will fit properly over a longer period of time.

So any way, we use Crest Ridge saddles. Our experiance is that they offer superior value in terms of saddle fitting assistance, quality of construction, customer service and price. We have never had a quality problem with any of the Crest Ridge saddles we have owened. We have used them for AERC endurance riding, trail riding and shows. We have also owned Timber Ridge, Imus, Orthoflex and Circle Y saddles. We have found Crest Ridge to be superior to any of them.

There are several good saddle makers out there. We've been satisfied customer's of Crest Ridge since 2003. So much so, that I started taking care of their web site last year.

Good luck!
John

A horse changes shape when it moves. This is true of ALL horses, of any age. A saddle that fits perfectly "static" will, by definition, not be "perfect" in motion. So we don't seek "perfect" fit, we seek an "accomodating" fit.

As to "angles," maybe so and maybe not. Different types will have different shapes and those different shapes call into question any assumption of what angles "ought to be." Further, the fit of a saddle must take into account the use of the horse. If you're going to foxhunt (or work cows in rough country) then you're going to need to think about some things that somebody who's doing nothing but Dressage (or Western Pleasure) need not worry about.

A saddle fitting is not a bad thing, but as with all things depends upon the skill of the fitter and who the fitter is working for. If you see a Stubben logo on the fitters truck then that gives you a hint where their recommendation will take you. Again, this is not necessarily bad; only that it will, necessarily, strongly affect the fitters recommendation (which may be quite correct in all of its particulars).

I've no opinion on Crest Ridge saddles as I've never seen one. I've looked at the website and it's designed to sell me a saddle. So are the URLs for Stubben, Passier, Black Rhino, etc.

G.

Crest Ridge make a really great saddle although pricey IMO. My friend bought one new and it not only seems to fit the horse it was made for bit dang near everything else we have put it on including a TB with huge withers. I've also heard really good things about Freedom saddles.... Freedom Saddle

I have a used orthoflex I traded out for that seems to fit most the horses I put it on. Can't afford a new saddle right now, but it seems to fit a wide variety also and give room for my gaited horses shoulders to move well.

Shoulder room is SO important and most stock type saddles just arent built right for it. I rode in a wide treed roper for years thinking it was a good fit...and it is when he isnt moving...but in reality it did interfere with my big moving SSH.

I use a Big Horn Gaited saddle. LOVE IT! My Peruvian mare was very hard to fit. I had tried 3 different saddles on her. The Big Horn Gaited fits her perfect! Plenty of shoulder room and a 6 inch gullet. Gaited bars. She is finally happy under saddle and moves out like a dream!

I am currently using an American Flex english endurance saddle. I used "regular" english on him & they fit fine but I wanted one with a little more bells & whistles for distance riding. Tried ausies, they were OK but this saddle fits my horse well.

They are a little different, not close contact at all but I found his responsiveness hasn't changed.

From the side


From the top

That is a horse, not a Yak!

I currently have 2 TWH, a RMH and a MPH. They are all ridden in aussies and a Tucker Endurance saddle. They all do fine in those saddles and they gait just fine. I used to ride in an old western saddle on one of my walkers then switched to the aussie and it seems she gaits better in the aussie..my 2c