# Finding a saddle for a draft cross



## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Drafts and draft crosses can be difficult to fit. If she is just wide and not *ginormous* an aussie will be a good fit for you. I love this sites saddles. You can get their clearance saddles super cheap *and* they still offer a 'wither tracing' fitting on all their saddles, clearance or not. 
Australian saddles at clearance prices from Down Under Saddle Supply

As far as english goes, I know that you can get all the way to a 'wide' tree and have it still not be wide enough. Here is a nice 'wide' on ebay Stubben Siegfried VSS 17 inch english saddle wide tree - eBay (item 160539225453 end time Feb-05-11 20:08:33 PST)

And while these saddles are generally 'cheapies' the reviews on them are remarkably good. For a cheap saddle, it might be worth a try. Rare 18" Draft Horse Dressage Saddle by Ascot - eBay (item 370140736582 end time Feb-24-11 22:11:04 PST)


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

English brands that are good for wide horses include Duett, Thorowgood Broadback or Cob saddles, Wintec Wide saddles, Black Country, Lovatt & Ricketts, some Albion, some County, and some of the Thornhill saddles. You want one with a "hoop tree". They do better on wide horses.

Those "draft tree" Aussies and English saddles on eBay should be avoided. Almost all of them are Asian made junk. The only mid-priced Aussie saddles I would trust are Wintec's synthetics and those form downunderweb.com, and I don't know if either would work for a draft horse.

For western saddles, both Abetta and Big Horn made draft saddles. I believe Big Horn's is labeled as a "Haflinger" saddle, but it will fit drafts well too.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I finally bought a Bates with the CAIR and adjustable gullet for my draftX he loves it and so do I. But for years I used a Stubben siegfried, med tree, and that was OK...not great, but ok. 
I love the Bates, since I wanted to fit him, but not have a custom.
Wintec has the same system, I believe.


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## hmhgordon (Jan 30, 2011)

Thanks so much for the advise! I think we're going to go with an Australian right now since it seems easier to find one that would fit her properly and because that's what she's use to. Though I will keep the advise about the English saddle in mind as I would like to get one of those for her in the long run as well.


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## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

I would recommend trying an aussie on her before buying one, if you are not used to them or have never ridden in them.

In my experience, on a wide horse, an aussie saddle can be pretty unstable and inclined to roll. It's not an issue if you have a really secure seat and are well balanced, but if you ever want to put someone else on your horse - well, in an aussie saddle, good luck even getting them up there! A really good tall mounting block will be a must.


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## hmhgordon (Jan 30, 2011)

When my mom rode her before we bought her it was in an Aussie saddle and she loved it. It's good to know about the issues with the unstableness and rolling. I'll pass that on to my mom and sister, thanks so much!


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