Saddle Supplies
Where should I get a saddle and bridle from? ALSO, stirrup sizes?
I am getting a 22yr old 15.3hh gelding for a free lease, and I am wondering where to get a saddle and bridle, etc. from. I want to get a saddle with a changeable gullet, so I can use it on other horses, what kind do you recommend? I will be doing eventing, and will be jumping 2'6"+. I will be using him for Pony Club.
I am under 5'2" with fairly short legs, so would child sized stirrup leathers fit me? What size should I get?
Also, I have saddle pads, halters, lead ropes, grooming supplies, and have a saddle and bridle for temporary use. What else do I need? he will be kept at a boarding barn.
I'm not an inexperienced horse person- just very forgetful!
Thanks for help
I tried measuring from hip to knee, but since my hip and waist are the same, I'm not sure where to measure from.
I liked both of the answers, but I don't want to buy an expensive saddle and then not have it fit well, especially since I don't know how long I will have the horse for.
Good thing you mentioned changable gullet, because you didn't say what type of horse your 22 yr old is. Being 5'3", long waisted but short of leg, if I sit a 16 1/2 " seat in an ENGLISH saddle, then you'd probably sit in a 16" seat. To be sure though take a tape measurer and start at your hip and go down to your knee. That will give you the right size of seat that you need.
Even if you are short of stature, your feet still need an adult stirrup.
Instead of buying one of those Wintecs or Wintec type saddles, why not go with an older gently used European made LEATHER saddles?
Stubben (My personal favorite), Pariani, Kieffer, Courbette and such will outlast the synthetics. My reasoning behind this is that a synthetic, no matter how they make 'em has no "GIVE", that's one of the reasons for the interchangable gullets in the saddles of the Wintecs. I can honestly say in the decades of owning my Siegfried (Stubben), I've NEVER had it on a horse it didn't fit and I've owned a LOT of different sized/breeds of horses. From WIDE Quarter Horses to Narrow TBs and even a couple of Arabs.
I've owned BOTH kinds and the leather ones are still with me. In the early 90's I traded a set of corner plates for a Wintec Sport and grant it, it was a GREAT saddle, BUT the difference in sitting in one vs my now 39 year old Stubben Siegfried is like the difference between owning a Saturn and trying to compare it to a Mercedes. Let's see if the Wintec holds up to the standards of a Stubben nearly 40 years later
Decorating in a box - Campfire Creek (Saddle Ridge Ranch)
Can anyone recommend a good saddle pad without being to expensive and if I need an underpad with it.?
I purchase the majority of my supplies from Country Supply.
I really like the wool pads.
They are about $35 (?) and really seem to help keep my gelding comfy and cooler. It's about 2 inches thick and no other pad/blanket is needed.
The fleece pad that is used for my girl is not my favorite but it's what I am forced to use with her. For some reason the wool pad is too small for her (she's wide).
She gets wetter underneath than when I used wool with her, but she prefers this one. It cost about $25 or so.
I can't really remember. I also use a waffle pad ontop of her fleece pad to help with slippage.
That's for inexpensive western.
If you are asking for English, I'm at a loss 
I added a couple of links besides Jeffers that was already mentioned.
