I’m 5’2, size 6, and ride in a 17.5 with a standard flap. Most of the people I know ride in at least a 17.5 even if they’re petite. It’s way more important that you get the right fit/feel than trying to match what you feel like you “should” fit into. I think there are a lot of 17" saddles for sale because a) tall juniors grow out of them, and b) a lot of people eventually realize their saddle is actually too small and sell for the right size.
Middle aged woman now really regrets putting her thighs on the internet
To be clear: I don’t really care what size saddle I ride in. The 18” saddle felt huge to me and which is why it feels funny to me that the pics would make it look that much different than how it felt. I should have been more clear in my original post that I was mostly trying to figure out forward vs standard flap. I think a 17.5 is probably what I want but these are what I had to try.
Not sure if it is still true but there was a time when the average American woman was 5’4” in height - so that’s what I meant about “average” vs “unusual.” I don’t really care to argue over semantics but it’s COTH so that’s what we do I just took a look at jump saddles currently for sale at Highline: there are 66 17”; 96 17.5” and 33 18”. Most people I know ride in a 17” or 17.5” seat - and Highlines inventory (as an example!) reflects that as well. Statistically it’s most likely that I would be a 17 or 17.5 too since I am average-ish. There I go with that “average” word again
To answer your question, it looks like you definitely need the forward flap. Your leg barely fits on the flap of the 17" and you have no room to maneuver if you need it.
To be clear though, no one is commenting on the size of your thighs. As others have said saddle fit has way more to do with the proportions of your bones than with any other element of your size. It’s entirely possible to be a tiny person with a femur size that requires a larger saddle. And I would disagree with the idea that a 17" saddle is “average.” Looking at Highline’s inventory isn’t a great metric because those are the saddles people have decided they DON’T want anymore, including those they have grown out of.
You never actually answered the question of how the saddles felt. If you legitimately felt better in a 17 then go with that. But don’t buy it because the reps said so - buy it because it puts you in a good position and leaves you plenty of room to shift around if your horse tries to jump you out of the tack or something. You shouldn’t fit snugly in the seat, there should be more room than you might think you need so you can sit deep or drop back as needed. The 18 looks like you could fit a hand in front of you and behind you in the saddle which is the rule of thumb I’ve always been taught. That might feel like too much space if you’re not used to it
It was a joke about posting your legs and bum on the internet for all to judge. I am trying to keep the mood light.
I did say the 18 felt large to me.
this is why photos and video trump “feels” Ever had a trainer tell you to sit UP, and you kept insisting you WERE, despite evidence you weren’t? And the trainer then had you lean back, and when you felt like you were leeeeaning, you were actually upright? Same thing
It is most likely you’re like a lot of riders who have spent years in a too-small saddle, to the point where a properly-sized one makes you feel like you’re swimming
I promise, it doesn’t take long to get use to a properly-sized seat, and your horse(s) will thank you for lowering the PSI on the saddle
You barely have room in this 18", I can’t see how even a 17.5 in this 18" model, whatever that is, is going to fit properly, forward flap or not
We have to get away from thinking we should/shouldn’t fit into a given size anything, when there is zero standard for any of those sizes Even a 5" bit is not the same as all 5" bits
I’ll add myself to the list of people who say the 18" looks much better. You might also be fine in a 17.5". I’m around the same height but am very small and ride in a 17". I just got my first 17" in awhile (usually in a 16.5") and it felt big for a few rides but I’ve adjusted.
Yeah TBH I feel the 18 in this particular saddle is too small for you as well. The seat has nothing to do with your weight/size. As everyone else has reiterated numerous times, it has to do with your femur length, the saddle itself, and the type of seat. I feel a 18.5 would fit you better in this particular saddle brand. You look like you’re fixing to bust your crotch on the pommel and that saddle is doing you no favors position-wise. It has you pitched forward.
For what it is worth, I am 6 feet tall and 115 pounds. My saddle is a 17.5. Get what fits you and helps you ride correctly. Going based off seat to make yourself feel “smaller” is like squeezing into one size of shoes that are too small because you feel that is the size feet you have. Why not get what fits? No one is walking around asking what size your saddle is, nor do they care.
By femur length, I’d ride in a 16 or a 16.5. I’m 5’1" on my best day.
My big thighs and bum put me in a 17.
It works for me!
I’d try a 17.5.
I bought a new-to-me saddle in December. Because I wanted a particular brand, needed a wide gullet to fit my horse, and needed to find a used one to be able to afford it, I was willing to try a variety of seat sizes and flap styles/sizes in my quest to find one that would work.
What I discovered was that I couldn’t really feel much difference between a 17, 17.5, and 18. Flap size and shape was the key factor in whether the saddle felt like it fit or not.
I thought I needed a 17.5 seat. The last 2 saddles I used were 17.5. But I ended up buying an 18 because it was comfortable for me, it fit my horse well, and the flaps were a good size and shape for the stirrup lengths I ride with.
That saddle isn’t working for you in either configuration. The 18 is better because it gives you more room to scoot forward to therefore get the stirrup bar more underneath you, but if you’re spending a good sum of money on this saddle and not just making do, I would look for another model.
I think the forward flap is unnecessary on the 18. But if the 17 seat makes you feel like you are in the right spot, then I would put a forward flap on it. But I tend to think this particular saddle model isn’t great for you and that probably a 17.5 would be overall the better choice or the 18 with a straight flap if you have to go with this saddle.
I can’t stand riding in a saddle that’s too big. The 18" is too big for you, especially in the flaps. An 18" seat seems weird for someone your size. Be careful here, there are a LOT of dressage people. You should post a riding video. Plus ask people to watch you in person.
I’d like to compare you in a different saddle. I can’t put my finger on why I don’t love this one for you. Maybe your ankles look forward of your hips.
I always assumed there were so many used 17" saddles on the market was because people/teens tended to outgrow them
Back to the title of the thread: Do Either Of These Saddles Fit Me(OP)?
I’m gonna say no. Maybe well enough to make do, but not great.
5’2" here, size 6, and I ride in a 17.5. I would not be swimming in an 18 if the flaps were short and straight enough. I rode in a 16.5 as a kid and a 17 as a teen… There are so many of them because there are a lot of kids/teens that outgrow them or quit riding when they become adults.
Also, saddles are not all the same in terms of how you end up sitting in them. A deep seat that puts you a little further back just isn’t the same as a flatter seat that puts you closer to the pommel - the seat measurement includes space that your butt isn’t occupying.
There are?
I’m the same height as OP but around the 120 lb range. I ride in a 17” saddle and it fits lovely. If I go bigger I feel lost without a home, so I kinda get where OP is coming from.
In general, the saddle in the pics looks like a poor fit for OP based on where the stirrups are hanging. I’d keep trying saddles cause neither of those are your prince.
That’s funny to me as all I see are 18” saddles for resell.
I did not expect a thread with this title to be as weirdly contentious as it is. I don’t think either saddle looks great in the picture, but what matters most is that the rider feels comfortable. Feel trumps looks.
Why? There is no standard seat sizing. And how large or small a seat fits someone also depends on how deep or flat it is. 18" is really not weird for her size
We need to stop focusing on “I should/shouldn’t be in X seat size”. Either X size in a given make/model is too big, too small or just right, and you go down or up or stay the same. And that might or might NOT be the same seat size in a totally different make of saddle. Who cares what the number says.
The 18" seat is NOT too big for her, it’s barely bit enough, there’s barely room to fit a cupped hand in front of or behind her seat. It may be that the balance, and the stirrup bar placement make it not a good fit, but that’s not about the seat size.
Dressage or Hunter, who cares, it doesn’t matter, it’s all the same - gotta have some room in front and behind. The only thing that matters is that because Dressage saddles usually have a deeper seat, the seat size is generally larger than the same make saddle in a CC model. That’s it. But you get into the flatter Dressage saddles, and those seat numbers are much closer to an equivalent CC saddle.