>>>> The saddle I have been using on Geisli has got to go-it fits neither of us. So I pulled out my Wintec CAIR dressage saddle to see if adjusting the gullet would help. I thought that it had the wide gullet plate when I tried it on him, but it had the medium. No surprise it just perched on him with that.
I liked Wintec saddles a lot before I fell in love with treeless saddles. But, unfortunately, they really don't fit a lot of Icelandic's well. I still have two Wintecs, but my friend uses one on her QH/mustang, and the other rarely gets used. Two saddle fitters confirmed for me is that most in sizes over 17" tend to be too long most Icelandic backs. I'm not sure I understood what you said about the fit of the Wintec... is it sitting too low with a medium wide gullet? I've had a good many Icelandics here, and I don't think I've had one so narrow as to need a medium wide. A few can use the x-wide gullet, but many are off the Wintec scale. >>>>. I think he has lost some muscling along the topline as he isn't as level as I remember-probably from lack of work and the other saddle being too wide. Are you aware that a saddle that is too tight will cause muscle atrophy? There are actually horses out there that you can see the outline of the saddle, when the saddle is off their back. Poke around on this website: http://www.balanceinternational.com There's a lot of good information there. I attended a saddle fitting clinic by Carol Brett and she was wonderful. I didn't buy a saddle from her, but I did take Sina back to her for a saddle fitting. There was a horse at the clinic that day that had been riding in one the Balance saddles for several months. The owner had wither tracings, before and after, and it was amazing how much the horse had filled in at the withers. A lot of horses that appear to have prominent withers, really have muscle atrophy. People will sometimes tell you that a horse is fat if he needs a really wide saddle. That's not been my experience. A horse will frequently "grow" in the width needed as he builds muscles. Sina has always been an easy keeper, but the summer she was six, I put her on a diet as we did some consistent riding. As her weight dropped, her shoulders/withers expanded. The muscle growth outpaced any loss of fat. I was surprised, but I've seen it since with other horses. I posted a lot about my struggle to get a saddle for Sina a few years ago. I'd get a saddle that I thought was wide enough and she'd go great...for about 2-3 months, until she filled in to the point it was too tight, then she'd get pacey again, or refuse to move at all. I started her in a red Wintec gullet, then went to a white, then had the white one stretched...then I bought a treeless BMSS and she was much happier. However, I felt a little confined in the western-type BMSS seat. Luckily, that summer I went to a riding clinic at the Icelandic Horse Farm, sat in a Sensation, and immediately ordered one. We've become total treeless converts since then. The horses and the humans really like them. If you need to use the Wintec until you can find a solution, I'd suggest you try the white gullet, and pad it if necessary, unless it's waaay too wide. If you've noticed a change in the topline, it could be from a tight saddle, and you don't want that to go on very long. There are some suggested remedial exercises on the Balance saddle website, and one of them is bareback riding. Good luck - it can be a huge struggle to find the saddle. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
