[Berry0317]

I have a 13" Smith & Worthington Mystic saddle for my almost four year old daughter. She only weighs 37 pounds. I had to buy it new, as I could not find a used one (of any brand) in that size anywhere!! She's had it for about a year now. Her little butt is not doing anything to break it in. There is no one at the barn that is tiny enough to ride in it. Any tips on how to help it get a little softer?

[llsc]

You just have to oil it and really bend the leather in every direction. It will soften right up. I always give my husband that job.

[MIKES MCS]

oil both sides of the flap and roll it , you might try warmed olive oil instead of conditioner too

[alto]

Any tips on how to help it get a little softer?

Give SW a call about how best to accomplish this - if the saddle has a sealed finish on it, you need to strip this away before the leather will soften & "break in" BUT doing so generally voids any warranties on the saddle workmanship/leather.
In order to bring these sorts of saddle in at a lower price point, lesser quality leather is used & when you strip the protective finish off, it may wear excessively or unevenly.

Beval usually has something in a 13" in their used or junior saddles; also look for the o.l.d Collegiates, Stubben junior saddles start at 14" (I think - & new ones seem to come in at 16").

[RolyPolyPony]

"In order to bring these sorts of saddle in at a lower price point, lesser quality leather is used & when you strip the protective finish off, it may wear excessively or unevenly."

Totally not true w/ SW saddles - the leather they use is really good stuff, but it takes awhile to break in because it's not the fancy-pants leather that the French saddles use these days. Once you break it in, it'll last for the next 600 years of heavy use!

I'd try oiling and rolling, oiling and rolling.

[axl]

I have a 13" Smith & Worthington Mystic saddle for my almost four year old daughter. She only weighs 37 pounds. I had to buy it new, as I could not find a used one (of any brand) in that size anywhere!! She's had it for about a year now. Her little butt is not doing anything to break it in. There is no one at the barn that is tiny enough to ride in it. Any tips on how to help it get a little softer?

That's because no one sells them, lol! Mine just came out of storage after 25 years for my niece. It's on at least the fifth child, still looks fantastic and is probably worth more now than it cost new. In a couple of years you can pack yours away for your grandkids