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An INCH.
In other words, the tree that's supposed to fit him doesn't. It's too wide by an INCH. It's like having a wide tree on a saddle that should be a medium-wide.
*Insert various four-letter words here*
The options are:
- Sell this saddle and buy the 17 inch Eventer that DOES fit him, and somehow cram my butt into it.
- Sell this saddle and wait until the perfect jumping saddle comes along (17.5 inch Stabilizer, if you please, but who knows WHAT tree size).
- Sell this saddle and see if I can find a dressage saddle that fits him instead, then wait till the perfect jumping saddle comes along.
- Reflock this saddle, adding felted wool to the points to build up the tree a bit, then see if we can flock it enough to make it work. Possibly include a pad with shims.
What a frickin' headache.
In the meantime, I have no way to ride my horse.
DAMMIT.
So sorry, Jen! This EXACT same thing happened to me. I bought an extra-wide Albion but the tree was actually a medium-wide. I had to resell and ended up buying my Borne and I've been very happy. My SO has gone through six used saddles to end up with one custom-made jumping and one used dressage. Buying used saddles is harder than horses, sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAnother problem is that the same brand of saddle changes over time. So a County from 20 years ago fits differently than a County from five years ago.
We'll keep an eye out for you if something comes up.
It's good to know that other people have had this problem, not that I would wish it on anybody! I tried so hard to make sure this saddle was the same as the one I tried out - I even called County with both serial numbers and made sure they hadn't changed trees (the saddles were made two years apart). I was so excited that I'd found a saddle that fit me and I like, and one that would work for him too, without spending a mint and waiting 4 months for a custom saddle. Too good to be true I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this all totally crappy is that I CANNOT RIDE. Every time I use one of my Wintecs it just makes his back hurt. So I have this lovely new horse that I am dying to ride, and I can't. I've even tried bareback, and I have to tell you, that shark-fin wither is NOT fun to sit on!
Bah humbug.