western riding

Question
Hi Kate..I have a question regarding western riding I am very keen to get a western saddle but being adult size but only 5 foot tall I am finding it hard to find a saddle with short enough fenders so I can shorten to my length(about 4 inches too long ) when shortened right up still ..do you know if there is a way without haveing a custom built saddle made to alter fenders maybe  from the top or  where? totally at a lost to figure out how to make them fit..thankyou also never used a western saddle before have you a picture or something on saddling up(eg. girthing shorteneing stirrups etc)

Answer
Dear Diana- It never fails that I don't check my mail box for 2 days & I find a question waiting.  I am so sorry it took me so long to reply.

I spent close to an hour online looking at info related to your question.  There's a ton of stuff out there!

What I really decided after all my wanderings was... Im sure there is a solution out there that could customize an adult saddle but maybe I need more info as to why.  
The reason I say this is a think the simplest solution would be to buy a youth saddle.  A youth saddle is a western saddle built for a smaller rider- that's the only difference.  It is not any less of a saddle. You could show as an adult with a youth saddle unless there are specific saddle dimensions required in a class. I found tons of youth saddles available, new and used, of all types.

Keep in mind that a saddle must fit the horse too. Most of the stores online offered trial periods & fitting help. If you buy used try to work out a similar deal.

Here are some of the inquiries I made in my search that turned up useful sites:

saddle fitting for a short rider
fitting rider to saddle
western saddles-youth
custom saddles- western youth
how to alter fenders on a western saddle

If you take a look at the results from any of those searches you will have all the pictures & step by step instructions you could want! ( I think)

I hope this answer was worth the wait! Again I apologize for the delay.  I enjoyed the searches I did because of course I got to look at all the cool gear & found some real interesting info sites.  If I can be of any further help please let me know.

Happy Trails-K8
(PalaminoK8@aol.com or thru allexperts.com)