Measuring for your new Saddle

Horse Riding Saddles – why choose a style and fit

Some riders use one saddle that suits and is comfortable for them to fit all of their horses whether it be a discipline specific saddle such as a dressage or jumping saddle or the general purpose saddle. This situation is not ideal as the saddle must be perfectly fitted to each individual horse’s back, as with humans all horses are slightly different and this needs to be taken into consideration. If the saddle is too tight at the withers or too wide it will pinch or put pressure on back causing at least discomfort or bruising and in the extreme actual muscular damage, impair the muscular development or even damage the horses spine. Many horse riders use pads to help the saddle fit better, whilst being a good short term measure it is no substitute for having a correctly fitting saddle. Try walking in shoes that do not fit to appreciate how uncomfortable a poorly or badly fitting saddle will feel for your horse.

What Size of saddle do you need?

The size of your new saddle is reliant on two main factors; how big you as the rider is and the length of the horses back. A correctly fitted saddle should never extend beyond the 18^th thoracic vertebrae which is the region of the last rib. A saddle that sits on the lumbar region, between the last rib and the pelvis, can cause discomfort, pain and movement problems for your horse. A saddle that is too small for you as a rider will be uncomfortable and may result in you purching forwards. Equally a saddle that is too long will result in feeling insecure and potentially moving about in the saddle. English riding saddles come in a variety of standard seat sizes, it is important to know whether the saddle you are considering purchasing is measured in inches or centimetres.

Measuring an existing saddle that already fits both you and your horse is the best and easiest why to get a new or second hand saddle that will fit. To get the measurement for the seat, there is a button on either side of the pommel, measure from this to the centre of the cantle at the back of the saddle and that provides the seat length.

What width of saddle is required?

Again the best way to find the width required for your new saddle is to measure an existing saddle that you know fits your horse. Horse riding saddles are usually sold in five standard sizes ranging from narrow to extra wide. This measurement is taken between the two D rings on the front of the saddle. It is also worth measuring the distance between the flocking at the front of the saddle. To measure your horse to establish a well fitting saddle create a template with some semi-fliexible wire, sketch it onto a piece of paper and then take the measurement where you would want the saddle to sit, this would equate to the measurement between the flocking on the saddle not D ring to D ring.

Getting a saddle of the correct width and length is extremely important for both your performance and that of your horse so it is well worth spending some extra time making careful measurements and waiting for the right saddle to come for sale.

What style of saddle should I buy?

General Purpose (GP Saddle) – A great saddle for everyday riding, basic schooling and hacking out. A general purpose saddle will provide an adequate tool for competing at lower levels of dressage and jumping. The majority of horse riders never actually compete and enjoy riding their horses out on the roads and bridle ways, the saddle for this activity must be comfortable for long time periods. General purpose saddles are usually the best tool for hacking out providing the stirrup position not too far forward and not too underneath the rider. The GP Saddle will usually have a moderate knee roll, cantle and pommel.

Jumping Saddle.

The Jumping saddle or more correctly show-jumping saddle has the stirrup bar further forward than the GP saddle but not as far forward as the cross country saddle. Jumping large show jumping fences require the rider to have shorter stirrups to enable the rider to stay in balance but also use the legs to provide guidance between fences and encourage impulsion before and after a jump.

Cross Country Saddle

A Cross Country Saddle will have the stirrup bar further forward than any of the other saddles and generally less of a cantle or pommel, the idea being that the rider has much shorter stirrups than the dressage or show jumping rider and for hacking out. The relatively flatter pommel and cantle enables the requirement of the rider to lean further backwards and forwards to maintain balance whilst jumping fences at speed, quite often in the traditional ‘hunting seat’. If the cantle or pommel were to be high then this would be extremely uncomfortable for the rider.

Dressage Saddle

The dressage saddle is designed to enable the dressage rider to ride with a longer length of leg and a much deeper seat, the stirrup bars and further back than any of the other saddles and the cantle is generally relatively high with a much deeper seat to allow the rider much closer contact with their horse. Many specialised dressage saddles have large thigh blocks that assist the rider in maintaining their position and staying very still in the saddle. Jumping in a dressage saddle can be quite an uncomfortable experience with the pommel usually being quite high and the higher cantle prevents much forward movement.

Why buy a saddle for each discipline?

As previously mentioned, the General Purpose saddle is an adequate tool for lower level competitions and if you have never ridden in anything else you may be quite happy with its functionality. However, if you plan to do any number of competitions then a specific saddle designed for that discipline will be an excellent investment. The discipline specific saddles have evolved over many years to provide the best functionality for both rider and horse and whilst they cannot stop a fence pole dropping or improve the accuracy of a dressage test they can make the job more comfortable for the horse thus improving technique and the ability to move with greater freedom.

Which ever type of saddle you choose to ride in the most important factor is that it fits both you and your horse perfectly.