You know what -- trying is (generally) free. Try EVERYTHING. Every single saddle you can possibly find to flop onto his back (except the ones where the trees are *obviously* too narrow or whatever).
If thirty-plus years of working with horses, sometimes professionally, has taught me anything it's taught me that saddle fitting is not a place where Theory does much practical good. Some saddles empirically turn out to fit horses quite well even if *most* saddles of that sort do not fit *most* horses of that shape. And for less conventionally shaped horses, it can be so hard to find something that fits adequately, you really do not want to be overlooking something just on the basis of theory.
Take EVERYTHING home from the 'used' section of the tack shop, not necessarily all in one trip of course <g>, and try it -- plus all the saddles you can borrow from friends. Although do not assume that Specimen 1 of a certain make-model-size will necessarily be identical to Specimen 2.
Good luck,
Pat
If thirty-plus years of working with horses, sometimes professionally, has taught me anything it's taught me that saddle fitting is not a place where Theory does much practical good. Some saddles empirically turn out to fit horses quite well even if *most* saddles of that sort do not fit *most* horses of that shape. And for less conventionally shaped horses, it can be so hard to find something that fits adequately, you really do not want to be overlooking something just on the basis of theory.
Take EVERYTHING home from the 'used' section of the tack shop, not necessarily all in one trip of course <g>, and try it -- plus all the saddles you can borrow from friends. Although do not assume that Specimen 1 of a certain make-model-size will necessarily be identical to Specimen 2.
Good luck,
Pat
