A couple months ago Practical Horseman ran an article about a show jumper who shows one of her main horses in an exercise saddle, and has taken to schooling her others in one as well.
. I’m intrigued, and a quick look online shows many in the $99-479 range. I can well imagine leather quality varies, and workmanship… What exercise saddle do you ride in, like, or keep in your barn? What would you refuse to sit in?
I love my Gibson’s Newmarket half-tree exercise saddle. Seems to fit every horse well, and completely comfortable for me even when I gallop 6 a day.
They are pretty much all half trees so I don’t think brand makes much difference aside from maybe quality of leather. They all fit pretty much the same. My saddle was made by a guy on the track so not an actual brand but I love riding in it as long as I am staying up off their back in a half seat or galloping position the majority of the ride. Even posting becomes hard on the hiney after an hour or so. I once rode in it for a 3 hour trail ride, most of which was walking and I two pointed the last hour.
Fitting an exercise saddle to a horse that no longer has a racehorse physique, can be challlenging as these saddles don’t come (off the shelf) in a vatiety of tree sizes. Channel width is irrelevant since 99% of exercise saddles are 1/2 tree.
Once all my OTTBreds gained weight and filled out, none of my exercise saddles fit them anymore. – totally pinched, were too narrow. Disappointing because I do love riding in them – very close contact. It’s almost like riding bareback with stirrups.
If I were to ever buy another exercise saddle for everyday riding I’d get a Tad Coffin full tree with smart ride. That is if I had 6K to spend.
I don’t think there’s a particular brand of exercise saddle I wouldn’t sit in – maybe not a synthetic, but only because I’m a leather fan. And now that I’m no longer galloping on the track and riding short for breezing, I’d choose one that didn’t have those exaggerated forward flaps.
Mine is a Beavertail, built by Ason, a local leatherworker in our area who had a brilliant reputation at the time. I bought it about 35 years ago. I paid a couple hundred $ for it at the time, new, my colours and my initials on it. It has a half tree, and fits everything, it fits more like a surcingle than an english saddle. Very comfortable to sit on. It has been repaired, patched flaps when they wore through. The repairs do not effect the use of the saddle. I haven’t galloped on a racetrack in ten years now, but still have the saddle. I like to use it when breaking babies, because it is light and easy to put on a green horse (can pick it up and place it with one hand, holding horse with the other, just in case horse is not as accepting as I thought it was). If the worst happens and a horse flips over and lands on it, the tree can be easily replaced (I hear, it’s never happened to me, but still something to consider). If that happened, I would rather have it happen with this saddle than one of my jumping saddles. I have trail ridden in it, jumped some jumps in it, and liked using it when working post parade on lead ponies also, because one feels so secure when so close to the horse. More secure than a western saddle, for me. But you do have to watch for sore back problems when it is used for riding for a long time, because the lack of a full tree does not distribute the rider’s weight as evenly as a full tree does. When I was training racehorses, I also kept a full tree saddle in the barn, in case I needed that full tree. It was a steeplechase saddle actually, but was OK for flat training too. Jockeys always complained when they got it with a horse they were sent out to work though, they said their skinny arse needed more padding, softer seat. “Too bad, so sad”.
If you are the trainer, and do the riding yourself, you buy the saddle you like. If you are an exercise rider for other trainers, you may make complaints if you don’t like the tack, but have less control over that sort of thing. Too many complaints and you are replaceable cheaper than buying different equipment. If the billets, stirrup leathers and girth are in good shape, that is the important thing. So it is rare that a rider “refuses” to ride in a saddle that is in safe condition.
NancyM is correct, an exercise rider can bring their own saddle to ride out (I do) but if the trainer has tack they want to use, or your next horse is tacked and waiting when you get off the one you are on, then it’s “too bad, so sad” for the rider. You just ride. I would say, though, that I’m 5’10" and I get down around 140lbs (10 stone) to ride, so those full tree saddles really are hard on the one’s bottom at that point - the half tree ar much better.
Oh, and every horse is different, but many horses fox hunt (at least in MD) in exercise saddles, often for hours, with plenty of jumping, over tough country, with both horse and rider remaining comfortable.
Thanks all for your info! Guess I’ll start with some cheapo without the narrowest half tree to see what I think, then I can always upgrade if I want. Appreciate the guidance
