Saddle size

Hi I'm new to the forums. I'm not a rider, but my daughter has horsefever. Anyway, my little minion is 5'2"ish about 185-190lbs and I need to find a saddle for her. Currently she is riding a 17" Crosby prix des nations that belongs to her trainer. Her trainer is saying a 17.5" or an 18" will fit her, but they look so small. If someone will tell me how to post pics from my cell I will. Thanks :)
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That sounds about right actually nykole360. Without getting too technical, a good rule of thumb with english saddles is when you are sitting in the deepest part of the seat, you want a handspan between your tush and the back edge. You also want to be sure that you get a saddle that puts her knee on the knee roll if it has one, or centered on the flap. Shorter legs actually make that the trickier part of the fitting. You probably need to stay away from anything with a long flap or a forward flap. The easiest thing is to go to a tack shop that has sample saddles, or consignment saddles, and have her sit in them to get a feel for what is right. You could likely get some help from the staff in that regards as well.

A saddle isn't something you can buy as a gift, your child will need to try them out because a 17.5 in one brand can feel very different than a 17.5 in another. I normally ride in a 16.5 but the saddle I am saving for is a 17, the 16.5 in that brand was a tad too small.

I tried probably 15 saddles the last time I was shopping? Finding a saddle that fits your horse AND you can be tricky and a good saddle fitter is invaluable.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I should've mentioned that she is getting the same saddle her trainer has, Crosby prix des nations, but just needs a bigger size. It sounds like I should just give a picture of the saddle for Christmas, and then take her to buy it afterwords. Just to be sure it fits right.
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That would be best. Saddle fitting is such a personal thing and you wouldn't want to spend a fortune and discover it's not quite right.

I'm the same height as your daughter but because I am so finely built and whatever height I have is in my torso, not legs I use a 16.5 or a 17 in a few styles. Basically a saddle designed for a teenager!

At one time I was larger but am down to about Cowgirls Boots size. I ride in a 16" Tucker Plantation and it fits me perfectly. But more importantly it fits my horse. I want to be comfortable but the one I have most concern for is my horse. She needs to not suffer discomfort just so I can take my fanny for a ride. Whatever the size of the rider that saddle needs to fit the horse, no matter if you paid $3000 for the thing or got it for free.