French vs german vs uk saddles and stirrup combinations - hunter jumpers and neuropathy

[dressage_for_everything]

I’m a longtime former dressage rider starting to jump again on a hunter, with hopes of eventually doing the jumpers. My trainer likes French saddles. I have found the CWD, Devoucoux saddles smash my, er, private parts. They are incredibly uncomfortable. I currently ride in a very old Butet that is also not right, but better than the other options. I have a very long femur, and feel unstable, and need to keep my lower leg still (quite the opposite of the dressage stuff, it seems). Are there any French saddles that will fit the bill? What should I try? I think I want a flat seat, and a low pommel, but not sure; I think I feel “stuck” in the deeper seats and need to be better about standing in my stirrups and using a lighter seat overall. Also need to stop bashing my body against the slope of the pommel. I need to get my leg beneath me more as well, and have tried a variety of stirrup lengths without success. Finally, I have numbness in my feet when riding in part b/c of some nerve damage from a prior accident and also general neuropathy; are there stirrups or saddles that might help with this? I don’t have problems picking up a lost stirrup but definitely struggle with electrical zaps up the leg while riding.

In dressage, I loved old Kieffers or Stubbens or maybe an Adam Ellis or Patrick with flatter flaps and shallower/more open seats, a more classic approach; hated Albion (crotch buster) or Custom (or any saddle with big thigh blocks that locked you in). I preferred not to ride in stirrups at all but now need them for jumping, it seems. Any suggestions/ideas?

[Amberley]

@dressage_for_everything

I have a very long femur, and feel unstable, and need to keep my lower leg still (quite the opposite of the dressage stuff, it seems). Are there any French saddles that will fit the bill?

Only Voltaire. All us tall people ride in Voltaire if they fit your horse Which is a crapshoot as they only have one tree.

Try an English Ideal brand saddle or a Harry Dabbs they fit my tall legs well enough and have a nice flat seat.

[Posting_Trot]

Make sure you’re riding in a large enough saddle. Many people get stuck on the idea that they ride in a 17" saddle and gag at the idea of going any larger. But if you’re tall, especially, sometimes you need a larger saddle to take up the length of leg.

[dressage_for_everything]

I am not even that tall, just a long femur. I will look at Voltaire.

Will also look at Harry Dabbs and Ideal, thanks.

[dressage_for_everything]

I really need to be in an 18" I think. I need an 18.5" for dressage, honestly, though people kept trying to put me in smaller (I could only do 18" if the seat was very deep, which was not my preference anyway). I just realized that the CWD I was sitting in was said to be an 18" but the stamp decoding says 17.5". So I will look at 18s.

[Belmont]

I will say, a lot of this suonds like the wrong combo of saddle. If you’re having trouble with your leg contact and bashing against the pommel, you might need a different pommel (since you’re in a Butet currently and most comfortable, I’d say you lean narrow). The deeper seats will also also roll your hips under you and can cause you to feel like your bashing into the pommel. If you like deeper seats, maybe going up half a seat size will help.

Id suggest sitting in a lot of things. Let you rep or saddle fitter know what you’re struggling with. If they are good, they will know to focus on parts of the saddle/flap/size configuration (and paneling!!) that will help you feel more balanced and “correct” in the saddle. There is a magic saddle for you! You might just have to sit in a LOT. The wrong combo of seat/flap/model can make you feel like you’re drowing in a saddle and ONE thing could change that.

[Peggy]

CWDs have a reputation for having “overly friendly pommels.”

I ride in with Antares with a long and forward flap. It’s a definite improvement over my Stubben, but I think that’s more about fit than brand.

Do you have access to someone (a knowledgeable someone) who can come out with a selection of used saddles? That’s the route I went. Or can you go to a show where you can sit in a variety if saddles.

The advantage of used is that you know what your getting.

[dressage_for_everything]

My trainer wants me to sit in everyone’s saddle (big-ish barn with a range of options), and I will! just not sure if there are saddles I should consider that are not represented at the barn as well.

[dressage_for_everything]

OK, this is interesting. In dressage, I didn’t feel like one saddle over another made a huge difference in terms of the effectiveness of my seat and leg, just that some of the saddles were more comfortable than others. (Well, ok, maybe some lent themselves more to chair seat than others but that was it). If saddle fit makes such a big difference, that makes sense, but is definitely new to me.

[Belmont]

It makes a HUGE difference, especially in the more HJ style saddles because each model puts you in a different position. The pommel will effect your ability to put a leg on a horse, the seat will effect how you sit in your pommel and what your upper body does, and then the wrong size flap will put your leg in the wrong position which could attribute to all the problems as well.

For example, if your flap is too forward, you will tend to ride up into the flap, which in turn could hurt the pommel/pelvis area because you’re being forced against it while chasing the flap.

Or maybe the seat/flap is correct but you feel like your leg has no contact and is hanging loose because the pommel is too narrow and you might need a smidge more. Suddenly, you sit in the right saddle and you go “wow, I’m not struggling against myself at all anymore”.

You have to be like Goldilocks and the Bears and sit in them all. And it really helps if you have a trustworthy, trained eye on the ground.

[Roo]

I have a freakishly long femur and am very comfortable in my Butet. I wonder if you were custom fitted, if it would make a difference? Mine is a flat seat and the pommel has never bothered me. I too have neuropathy in my feet from living through two courses of chemotherapy. Occasionally I’ll lose a stirrup. Riding without stirrups to strengthen and stabilize my legs is the best defense. If I lose a stirrup, it’s not a big deal. I’ve thought about trying magnetic stirrups which might be the best solution for jumping and showing.

[Belmont]

It could very well be the saddle for you as well if you feel balanced, comfortable, and don’t feel like you struggle against it!

Saddle fit has SO MUCH to do with how your individual body is. So while, traditionally, I look like someone that wouldn’t love a flat, extra narrow saddle - that is what I am most comfortable in, as skeletally it fits my body best and gives me the best position in the saddle for my height/leg/etc. I love an equitation type saddle, and I do NOT have an equitation type body.

A lot of people overlook how important it is that a saddle fits their body, and I don’t mean just flap and saddle seat. There are so many small things on a saddle that make a HUGE difference when it comes to pommel, models, seat , and even paneling. It’s definitely more personal than a lot of people realize.

[Ibex]

The seat/flap combo is EVERYTHING. I have a long femur as well (and I’m tall), and if your leg is jammed into too short or insufficiently forward a flap it will put you in the wrong place in the seat. Look around your barn for saddles labeled 2A or 2AA - there are a few brands that use that to indicate how forward the flap is. I found an Antares with an 18" seat and a 3AA flap is my best fit, but I’m 5’10".

[Amberley]

It really is so individual. I’m 5’11" and that exact saddle and flap combo was like 4" too short in the flap for me. I was sad because I liked the seat

Voltaire or " find and older saddle" is always my first suggestion when someone says they have a long leg and can’t get their lower leg back under them tho. I think the number of long femur / short calf people hugely outnumbers us long calf types so over time less saddles are designed for us.

[GreyDes]

I’ll also throw in looking at stirrup bar placement. A forward one can put you in a chair seat and make it harder to keep your legs under you.

[Clov3rLily]

I know a few people who have had success with Forestier who are taller and ride in an 18”, so maybe also look into those saddles. I’m sure they have a bigger seat as well. They’ve been acquired by Voltaire and from what I’ve seen so far the customer service has been pretty good, to the point where I almost wish it was easy to find anything in their range that would fit a 5’1 shortie like me

[Mouse_amp_Bay]

Love harry Dabbs. So comfortable and great balance point for me (I run long hip to knee).

If you need something wider than Voltaire, consider Meyer. Very similar in feel but a bit more width.

[dressage_for_everything]

it’s not just my femur, it’s also the twist, I think. Unfortunately can’t afford a custom saddle. Will keep riding in the Butet for now as I try new options.

[Festivity]

If older Kieffers have worked for you, I’d suggest trying their jumping saddles or all purpose. They probably aren’t fashionable but they might work as you get going. I did Pony Club and low level eventing in a Kieffer Aachen AJ.

[Bristol_Bay]

@Peggy

CWDs have a reputation for having “overly friendly pommels.”

I replaced my custom CWD for a Voltaire for that very reason, but the Voltaire was eventually worse.

It was the balance of the saddles, neither of which fit my horse well. I ended up with a CWD Mademoiselle that I’m very happy with, and maintain a distant yet cordial relationship with the pommel.