I’ve recently bought a saddle, and the more I’ve ridden in it the more trouble I’m having. IT has an 18" seat, which is a move up from the like 16.5" barn saddle I was riding in. I’m constantly fighting to stay back in the saddle, my knees are always being pushed over the knee rolls and its like my whole body wants to go over the pommel. I’m 5’6 and have LONG thigh bones, I think 30" insime (can’t spell it sorry lol) . The barn saddle I rode in before also had no rolls or blocks and I felt very solid in the saddle. Anyways, it’s ruining my equitation- I’m constantly fighting to keep my legs in place and they’re always trying to slide forward. I don’t know what to do! I’ll try to get some pictures on here! Do you think this is because the saddle is to big?? Please help!!
Um I don’t know how to put a picture on here. Great
The seat may be fine, but it doesn’t sound like the flap is forward enough for your long leg.
From the picture it does not look too big, the seat looks like a good size for you and, if anything, it looks like you need a more forward flap to accommodate your long legs.
Second pic it looks a bit too big, might could have gone with a 17" or 17.5", I agree with needing a more forward flap.
DO you have a picture of the saddle on the horse while the horse is standing? I wonder if it is the balance of the saddle rather than the size. When you run the stirrups down, do they hand vertical, or do they hang forward or back from the stirrup bar? Where is the lowest part of the saddle?
As a tall person with a long thigh…I think the size is good but you need a saddle with the balance point farther back. Look for saddles marketed toward equitation riders. A long deep leg is what you have, and a forward flap is going to keep pushing your leg forward where you don’t want it, into a chair seat feeling. My leg conformation is very similar to yours. Take it from someone who has fought chair seats in half a dozen forward flap saddles before ditching them completely for long flap, eq saddles that I cut the knee rolls out of…
Look for a Tad Coffin or a Smith Worthington Stoneleigh AO, both work well for me.
How did you do this? I could definitely do without the knee rolls on my saddle
I am tall and it’s all in my legs (5’10, 36" inseam) and I ride in a 17.5" long regular (NOT FORWARD) flap. My guess is that the forward flap is putting your knee too far forward and up, which is messing up your balance point.
From your photo, I would say the same. Your knee is ahead, which is drawing your heel forward so it’s not under your butt anymore.
Can you try the same saddle in a long, regular flap?
What saddle is it?
[QUOTE=ellevt;7907914]
How did you do this? I could definitely do without the knee rolls on my saddle[/QUOTE]
The blocks on all the saddles I’ve owned have just been sewen in. You should be able to take a seam ripper to them.
Yep, seam ripper. Fast and easy. Save them in case you change your mind, you can pay a saddler to sew them back in for you. Once I had to cut the leather along the front with scissors too.
[QUOTE=CHT;7907895]
DO you have a p
[QUOTE=avesane;7908092]
I am tall and it’s all in my legs (5’10, 36" inseam) and I ride in a 17.5" long regular (NOT FORWARD) flap. My guess is that the forward flap is putting your knee too far forward and up, which is messing up your balance point.
From your photo, I would say the same. Your knee is ahead, which is drawing your heel forward so it’s not under your butt anymore.
Can you try the same saddle in a long, regular flap?
What saddle is it?[/QUOTE]
It’s a Crosby equilibrium DSL, which is the longer flap version haha! It’s not supposed to be a forward flap though, it’s supposed to be regular:)
Is there a certain thing I could search I guess? or can I just search eq saddle lol?
It doesn’t look that bad to me. The seat looks a bit big in the trot picture, but the flap looks pretty decent. You’re stirrups looks shorter in the trot picture and your knee a little more out in front of you, but sometimes that happens at the beginning of a ride and as you start stretching down more, your leg gets more under you and longer.
The picture with the horse standing show a saddles that is too high in the cantle. You do have a riser in the back, though that you need to take out.
FWIW: When I’m in a saddle that’s too big for me, I tend to fall back, not forward. My leg ends up out if front of me and I can’t get over my thigh…I do not feel like I’m tipping forward.
I will feel like i’m tipping forward when the saddle doesn’t sit level on the horse. My Tad Coffin didn’t fit my mare the best and was pommel low. I always felt like I was going to come off over her shoulder. I’m now in an 18" Delgrange, which, while too big in the seat, is not pommel low. I feel much more secure in this saddle. I like the Tad, but it just didn’t work for me and the mare.
Agree: saddle looks like it is too high in back in both pictures. This will make you struggle to stay in balance and is likely not comfortable for your horse either.
Take the riser pad out. The saddle might need to be shimmed up in front slightly, but more than likely is in good balance with no padding at all.
[QUOTE=ellevt;7908654]
Take the riser pad out. The saddle might need to be shimmed up in front slightly, but more than likely is in good balance with no padding at all.[/QUOTE]
I dont use a riser, but I do use a gel pad because my horse high withers and a sensitive back. Take the gel pad out?
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