My Horse Has Mutton withers, what should i take into considerations when buying a western saddle?
I have a mutton withered halter horse with an 8.5″ gullet size. I took her to a saddle fitter, tried on many different saddles and never found one that fit her appropriately. A Full Quarter Horse Bar (FQHB) never fit her, no matter what brand. Caldwells had a tree that would probably fit her, but I didn’t have $3K to spend. There were a few more brands that had specialized trees that might’ve fit as well. So I went the treeless route and I haven’t had a saddle fit issue with her yet now that we’ve done that. I ride in a Bob Marshall (the only Western treeless saddle worth anything) with a 1/2″ 5 Star Wool pad. They’re expensive, yes, but they’re worth every penny. I also switched to a felt girth and that fixed issues over the neoprene. Make sure that if you have a neoprene girth, you need leather off billets and leather cinch strap. If you have a felt, wool or rope girth then you can have a nylon off billet and cinch strap. I spent $700 on my used Bob Marshall in good shape. You can fi
I don’t know how much you are willing to spend, but here is a web site tack store that has saddles specifically for mutton withered horses: http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/saddle-fi… Also, you mentioned there are not many tack stores in the area, but it might be a good idea if you go to some of them and ask what they have to offer for mutton withered horses.
