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Dana,

I had EXACTLY the same problem with my previous mare, though she was 
not a big horse.  Everything slid back on her.  I too tried everything. 
 I did try an OrthoFlex that worked, but I didn't care for the saddle, 
nor for how tight I had to get the cinch... but it DID stay where it 
was supposed to.

I finally borrowed a Saddle-Tech gauge from a local saddle maker, 
measured her back, then emailed the results to three different Aussie 
saddle distributors here in the states.  They measured saddles, and 
sent back recommendations.  What really surprised me was that I didn't 
end up having to get a custom tree!  There were several saddles amoung 
these three shops that had measurments like my horse's back. (It was a 
medium tree)

So... I picked the saddle I liked best(and it was even in stock, so I 
didn't have to wait!) and it was absolutely perfect!  I could mount and 
dismount with a loose cinch, and ride with no breast collar up and down 
the mountains all day and I NEVER had a problem.

I ended up with a Syd Hill Dingo Poley.  It's not the lightest saddle 
in the world (nor the cheapest), but I've always been of the opinion 
that fit is far more important than weight.   And because Aussie 
saddles have three billets, I was able to use the rear two billets, 
givng a bit more room ahead of the cinch for her elbow and shoulder 
movement.  She had an extremely long stride for a horse her size (14 
hands) and a VERY sloping shoulder.

We had a big gelding with the same "problem"  We ended up with a full 
quarter horse bar saddle with centerfire rigging, which worked 
perfectly as well.  My son, as a heavy weight, rode this horse hard for 
a year, and we never had problems.

Hope this helps

Julie


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