# Aussie sadddle - what do I need to know?



## EdmontonHorseGal (Jun 2, 2013)

aussies are very popular in endurance riding. i just bought one myself from an endurance rider in Virginia not long ago. 

for any aussie saddle that has an overgirth you will need an aussie girth and not just an english girth. the overgirth has the ring on it that the billet on the aussie girth passes through and back down to the buckle on the girth.

as far as saddle pad goes - i'd go with whatever pad you like that covers the total area of the saddle and provides enough padding and comfort without compromising saddle fit. i personally am using an english all purpose pad with my aussie, but my saddle is a kimberly lite rider, so it has more of an english all purpose type shape than the longer flapped aussie stock saddles.

just how downhill is your horse? wither height and croup height difference? if there's a big difference (and riding an extremely downhill horse isn't much fun in my opinion, but to each their own), then you might need to get a crupper to keep the saddle from jamming forward on the shoulders. pics of your horse? and pics of the saddle on your horse too would help us help you.

a 5.5 inch gullet is pretty darn narrow. you might find it too narrow unless your horse has a body like a thoroughbred - lean and high withers.


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## ModernThreat101 (Feb 3, 2012)

I'll have photos of the saddle on her after this weekend.

Your info certainly helps! Thank you.


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## ModernThreat101 (Feb 3, 2012)

Update: Saddle arrived yesterday, but I had to purchase the cinch (under girth) separately. I should have a fully-cinchable saddle by Wednesday (4/22) and that's when I'll take the photos. There will be no saddle pad in these photos.

What are your thoughts on the cinch-strap converters? I feel like having another buckle point reduces safely and security in favor of convenience.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

My horses use small cinches/girths. I tried a converter, but it added too much bulk under my leg and the D-rings were too low - needed a pony cinch. I had one from a box of old tack that had been given me, but didn't want to ride it that way.

My Australian saddles are fairly heavy...not as much as a roping western saddle, but more so than a synthetic western saddle. My English saddles were much lighter.

Australian leathers are a bit different:










I preferred English leathers:


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## ModernThreat101 (Feb 3, 2012)

I'm investing in Australian leather fenders. Found them at a reasonable price on eBay, compared to the English leather/iron combo sets available there.

Chestnut Leather Replacement Fenders for Australian Saddle | eBay


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## EdmontonHorseGal (Jun 2, 2013)

I too use english leathers on my aussie. actually, right now my saddle is kind of a mash up of english/aussie as i'm using english leathers and irons, english a/p pad, and an old wintec dressage girth. i need to buy a new girth. likely i'll come out of the tack store with at least a few more items.......... lol!

with my aussie being more of an endurance model, having long dressage style billets and not having an overgirth, i have a lot less strapping to worry about than if it were a regular aussie stock saddle. 

bsms - i put my leathers just like yours, with the buckle just under the flap/jockey. way too much lump under there if you run the buckle right up next to the stirrup bar. i was concerned i'd have the buckle interfering/rubbing my upper inner thigh, but thankfully it isn't an issue. i really didn't want to go with aussie style wide leathers, as i didn't think they wouldn't look right on such a light/short flapped saddle (kimberly lite rider).


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

you know traditionally with Australian leathers we just put the buckle just above the stirrup on the other side of the leather to that that faces the leg.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I used to ride endurance in a Caprilli AP (English saddle, English leathers and stirrups) and that worked well, but they have made saddles so much more comfortable for horses these days. Wish I'd had my Ascot Romana AP back when I was competing. I do lots of distance and lots of fast riding in it and it's dreamy comfortable for both of us. It has a deep seat like an Australian stock saddle, but has cleverly cut shoulder flaps that allow the horse a lot of unimpeded shoulder movement, spreads the rider's weight over a lot of surface area on the horse's back, and the rider's knees are softly cushioned by the saddle, plus the blocks under the flap make it really hard to slide out of when your horse gets startled by a kangaroo etc. Flaps, on the other hand, like on the Australian stock saddle, and horns, can make it harder to come off clean in a fall. (Which is another reason I look at Western saddles with horror. But that's just me.)


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

What do you want to convert the girth too? Western cinching?

Australian stock saddles usually just have one wide strap as the girth, with some people using the surcingle as a secondary/back up one that goes over the seat. 

Horns are not traditionally used at all on Australian saddles. However it doesn't really effect the usage. They are an English style saddle and don't require additional padding between the horse and panels. A saddle cloth, pad or blanket is used to absorb sweat and keep the saddle clean. 

Stirrups and leathers vary. They have a stirrup bar that allows you to slide a leather on, english style. Many people just use English ones, others use wider ones that buck near the stirrup to minimise bulk under the seat. You can get ones that flare out that are reminiscent of fenders, so long as the leather strap isn't too wide for the stirrup bar they can be used. However, they do add another layer of leather between you and the horse, which is why they're not overly common. 

As far as getting a pad with shoulder parts, generally this isn't done. Australian saddles aren't designed to be used with thick pads, and english saddle pads don't usually have built up areas. 

Traditionally the saddles were used on Australian Stock Horses and their predecessors, which were horses used on stations. They had a pretty standard appearance, so stock saddles fit most horses of that type. They're not built with that much flexibility, and they're reasonably narrow, although some modern, overseas companies are making them wider. In Australia the wider horses these days are generally ridden in halfbreed saddles. 

Saddle fit is paramount, so you need to make sure it fits well. You may look at getting a saddle fitter to adjust the flocking to fit your horse.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Altho not an endurance ride, we trail rode for 5 hrs, me in a 14" JC Higgins, slick seat. It worked well for me. When we got back I could have gone again had we had fresh horses waiting.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

This is too weird. I mentioned the JC Higgins saddle this morning, went to a tack sale this afternoon and lo and behold, a JC Higgins, identical to the one I rode in. She wanted $150, more than I'm willing to pay. It does need some work.


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## SueNH (Nov 7, 2011)

I use an Aussie on my TWH. She's built like your typical big lick victim.I couldn't get the girth to lay right on her with that saddle for the life of me. It wasn't until I got converters and put a western girth on that the saddle would stop sliding back. I also had to use a breast collar until the stuffing conformed more to this horse.

I have a round toklat coolback pad I use most often. I do have a big fuzzy toklat dressage saddle pad that fits as well but I loose so much feel in the leg I don't care for it.

The western saddle I ride her in does have semi-QH bars. Fits ok but I wouldn't want it for an all day ride. Can't even put my finger on it. Just feel like it could be better.

She gaits fine in the Aussie. At no point to I feel like it's constricting her. I find the deep seat very comfortable.

You're going to have to play a little with pads and girths to see what works best for you. I tried a cheap western style saddle pad. I guess maybe my saddle is just a hair wide for it. The coolback took it up to perfect. I'm comfy, more importantly the horse is comfy.

I use the wide leathers the saddle came with but I switched the keepers to a smaller pair. The big ones were irritating my calves.


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