Icelandic Saddles... For Non-Icelandic? Aka, am I nuts?

[TimeForAHorse]

I historically have had some… “Comfort” issues regarding saddle/rider fit while riding, across a broad variety of saddles. I’ve recently purchased the Acavallo “Ortho-Pubis” gel seat saver (recommended through another COTH thread)… If that gives you an idea of what I’m facing.

I have a pair of young colts I’ll be lightly backing this fall, one of which is a smallish, short-coupled, dimple-backed QH- type. Historically, I do best in very wide twist, flat-seated saddles.

I recently stumbled across Icelandic saddles… Would I be totally nuts to buy an inexpensive used one and give it a try? It would seem to check my major boxes: fits a wide, small, short-coupled horse, seat/twist reasonably likely to work for me, I can find a few used ones that don’t break the bank. What is it going to do, give Mr. Stock Horse too much shoulder freedom? Talk me out of this.

[jvanrens]

A cheap one might be really uncomfortable, just like a cheap western or english saddle can be. If you can ride in it and find it comfortable for you and the horse, sure, why not.

[luvmyhackney]

Try a saddle meant for saddlebreds. Freedman’s makes a flat saddle with a wise twist that I love to ride in.

If you find the Icelandic saddle comfortable and it fits, go for it. I’ve just had better luck with the saddle seat saddles.

[StormyDay]

Have you tried an endurance saddle? They tend to be made for short backed Arabians and are designed for comfort.

[Posting_Trot]

Have you tried one of the newer treeless saddles, like the Barefoot saddles, Black Forest, or the Ghost saddles?

I don’t have personal experience with them, but they might suit your needs.

Or there’s also the Arabian Saddle Company that I think is owned by Lovett and Ricketts, that makes saddles designed for shorter backed, wider horses.

[candyappy]

Try it. My QH rides in a draft horse saddle. Not something I would have ever tried but I had him measured and that fit the bill…

[phantomhorse]

I personally prefer a narrow twist, so suspect you would not like an Arabian Saddle Company saddle, as I love our Rubicons.

If you like a wide twist, you may want to try a treeless. I find a Bob Marshall sports saddle to be agonizing on my hips because of the lack of twist, so that may be a good option for you. I am more comfortable in a torsion or Barefoot, though neither of those have the flattest seats in the world. Ghost has many seat types to choose from, so that may be another option (though they are not inexpensive).

Are your horses built downhill? If so, that is going to add to your comfort issues if you don’t get the saddle balanced appropriately.

[TimeForAHorse]

These are all good ideas, and definitely sent me down the rabbit hole of “English trail” saddles and endurance saddles!

I didn’t even know there were saddles that looked like this: https://setzisaddles.com/collections/saddles/products/reale-a

Or:

Endurance Leather Horse Saddle With Carbon Fibre Tree And plastic Stirrup 16"...

If I dig too hard into these spacey-looking endurance saddles, I end up on some UAE websites… Might be hard to get a test ride

[KayGee]

I’ve ridden in Icelandic saddles on Icelandics and other breeds. The ‘others’ were built like your QH, and saddle fit was an issue. It was a game changer for them.

If you find a good used one, I’d say it’s worth a try. Stübben made one at some point, and there are used ones around. I would not buy the cheapies from India.

[Jarpur]

They still do:

https://stubbennorthamerica.com/product-category/products/saddles/icelandic/

[phantomhorse]

@TimeForAHorse

I didn’t even know there were saddles that looked like this: https://setzisaddles.com/collections/saddles/products/reale-a

Or:

eBay

Endurance Leather Horse Saddle With Carbon Fibre Tree And plastic Stirrup 16"…

If I dig too hard into these spacey-looking endurance saddles, I end up on some UAE websites… Might be hard to get a test ride

Please don’t waste your time looking at no-brand endurance saddles made in India that cost $500 on eBay. Those are just crap.

Setzi is a real brand. Others that have models of that minimalistic type include Pandora, Podium, Specialized and Reactor Panel, just to name the first few I can think of off the top of my head. Ghost makes a treeless saddle with that type of seat, too.

[TimeForAHorse]

Yeah, I just wanted a picture of these endurance saddles - I just wouldn’t have even recognized that as a saddle out of context!

Since you seem to have experienced both ends of the quality spectrum - for these hyper-minimalist saddles, what exactly is the difference between the real-deal Setzis and Podiums, vs. the copycat Ebay knockoffs?

[KayGee]

Oh wow, those are quite different than the one I rode in, but I’m glad they’re still making them all the same. Thanks for the info!

[phantomhorse]

@TimeForAHorse

for these hyper-minimalist saddles, what exactly is the difference between the real-deal Setzis and Podiums, vs. the copycat Ebay knockoffs?

I cannot speak to those specific eBay saddles, but a local trail riding acquaintance bought a eBay copycat of the treeless Torsion saddle I own.

The leather was thin yet somehow super stiff. Even after cleaning and conditioning, it had a bizarre texture. The pommel of the Torsion has a rigid wooden insert which is removable (so you can change the width of the gullet), whereas the eBay one was not removable. And whatever was in the pommel was not rigid (we joked it was stuffed with a giant beanbag, as that is what it felt like). Part of the bottom of the flap (where the stirrup leather contacted) tore on her 3rd ride. A couple rides later, the stitching on the seat started to unravel. At that point, she gave up and gave it to her grandkids to play with.

I have heard of similar issues with knockoff english saddles. Cheap materials and poor workmanship are universal!

[TimeForAHorse]

Yikes! Glad she didn’t get hurt in any sort of equipment failure!

You know that rings a bell… Another boarder I knew ages ago bought an ultra-cheepie saddle and it did have the weirdest cardboard-y leather. I mean, it “looked” like a saddle from a distance but up close, it was like a prop or something.

[quietann]

I’ve ridden in a Portos 1 and it was quite comfortable. Onevif those probably would have fit my Morgan mare well.