Lower leg issues - do I need a saddle with a more forward balance?

[Promise_No_More]

As a Jr I showed a fair bit in the smaller eq and children’s hunters on the A circuit and rode exclusively in a 16.5" Crosby Excel for YEARS. Now I have a young horse that I was toying with the idea of doing some eventing with. I’m currently riding him in a Corcoran Major Event saddle with long billets. I LOVE IT because it’s ridiculously secure and he can be… athletic… and it seems to fit him well. But I have noticed that I am finding my lower leg out in front of me both on the flat and on course. Even in half seat it creeps out there! And sitting trot is very sad in this jump saddle!

We’re sticking to just jumpers (even started showing again - YAY - and possibly some mini medal type stuff if I can confirm this lead change) for now and while I love having the Corcoran for schooling xc and we may still do some baby events, I am thinking it might be smart for me to pick up a more traditional looking CC saddle that also maybe has a more forward balance, or straighter flaps, or something that will help teach me to keep that lower leg under me again? What do I need to look for? Am I crazy thinking a differently balanced saddle may help?

Cheers!

[SnicklefritzG]

A differently balanced saddle can make a big difference.

I tried, and rejected many saddles because the stirrup bar was set too far back. That is great if you want to ride in a more defensive position. However, it’s not good for people like me who are short, not particularly leggy, and need to have as much leg as possible directly underneath me.

The saddle I’m riding in now has stirrup bars placed further forward which helps keep my leg in a better position. Sitting trot is also easier.

The saddles that are designed specifically for equitation are the saddles I felt the best in. I event in addition to doing the jumpers, and have found that a lot of CC saddles put me in too much of a chair seat.

I would recommend trying as many saddles as you can. If you feel you struggle with some you’ll quickly be able to tell when the right saddle comes along.

[sheltona01]

There are a few things that can cause your leg to be too far forward. It could be that the stirrup bars are too forward for you. With your leg in the position you want, are your stirrup leathers hanging straight down or are they being pulled towards you?

Another reason could be you saddle is not balanced on the horse.

[Promise_No_More]

sheltona01 - I will check how the stirrup leathers hang tomorrow morning and report back. To me, the saddle looks fairly well balanced front to back on the horse, maybe trending towards pommel high? I can probably get Mike out to balance both this and the dressage saddle if it comes down to it.

SnicklefritzG - any models you particularly like? Sounds like we may have a similar body type or at least similar rider-fit needs!

[jaybird660]

Vega/Amerigo have a forward balance point but if you find you are consistently in a chair seat, it is likely the balance of the saddle. Stirrup bar placement does play a role but if the saddle is pommel high it will put you behind the center making it harder to get your legs under you.

[fordtraktor]

Yes. I am very tall with long legs but often find myself with this same problem in saddles…I struggle to keep leg under me instead of too far forward. I love my Tad Coffin, its balance point is perfect. I agree to look for equitation-marketed saddles too, my other saddle I love is is built with eq riders in mind.

[Promise_No_More]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Here are a couple shots of the saddle in question:

http://i.imgur.com/upW7elD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6O8KlDL.jpg

Didn’t get a chance to check out how the stirrup leather hangs when I’m sitting in it because baby horse is footsore on his left hind (he just had hind shoes pulled 8 weeks ago for full time turnout which he LOVES, so I think he’s brewing a little abscess in there, farrier will be out in a couple days to take a look)

ETA the old Crosby Excel I loved so much may very well have been their “Equitation” model, so you guys may be on to something that I should look for one marketed towards the eq riders. I vaguely recall they had a couple different styles of the excel. I will poke around on eBay and see if I find anything similar. I just don’t want a flat-as-a-pancake seat! LOL

[jaybird660]

It’s hard to assess the fit with all of the padding. I prefer to see it girthed without any padding, side, front and back.

[vineyridge]

Quite a few eventers and foxhunters prefer to ride XC in a defensive position, which is just another word for a chair seat. I’ve found that with my particular body conformation many saddles, and most of the older Stubbens, don’t have the right balance for me to keep me out of a chair seat. The Roxane S did. The difference in my position was like night and day. Stubben designs for XC riding and hunting often had a balance point that seemed to place the rider automatically in a defensive position.

[Promise_No_More]

Jay - I think I misunderstood when I took the pictures - was trying to show how the saddle sits when I use it with current pads, to see if my setup was making it sit too high in front. I totally understand the need for better photos for overall fit assessment. I am heading out to the barn now and can try to take some better ones - I really appreciate everyone’s input.

Vineyridge - I think I like to school xc in a bit of a chair seat, too ;-), makes me feel less like I’m going to die if something sketchy happens… but I have noticed jumping in the arena that, wow, the horse travels a lot better with a more open stride if I stand up and get off his back.

Should be noted that the hunter mare I also ride is built quite differently and I have been using a lollipop pad on her with this saddle so while I know the fit on her is not correct, once it’s on and padded it does not sit pommel-high on her, and I still get the occasional comment from trainer about my lower leg being out in front of me - even when my tush is out of the saddle!

More pics to come, thanks again everyone. A friend has a Beval Butet I may try in a jump lesson this week or next to see if there’s any difference in how much I get yelled at

[pattnic]

[QUOTE=Promise No More;7595566]
Should be noted that the hunter mare I also ride is built quite differently and I have been using a lollipop pad on her with this saddle so it definitely does not sit pommel-high on her, and I still get the occasional comment from trainer about my lower leg being out in front of me - even when my tush is out of the saddle![/QUOTE]

Needing to use a lollipop pad to make sure the saddle is sitting level implies that the saddle sits pommel-high without said pad - which further implies that on that horse, the saddle is likely too narrow… which can definitely make the rider tend towards a chair seat.

[Promise_No_More]

[QUOTE=pattnic;7595591]
Needing to use a lollipop pad to make sure the saddle is sitting level implies that the saddle sits pommel-high without said pad - which further implies that on that horse, the saddle is likely too narrow… which can definitely make the rider tend towards a chair seat.[/QUOTE]

Yes! On her it certainly is narrow and without the pad sits pommel high. I guess what I meant was that once I have boosted the back of it, I’m still not sitting square… I am trying to find a better option to ride her in for sure but it’s starting to sound like maybe both of them could use a different fit, and maybe it’s not just the balance inherent to this saddle.

Here’s a conformation shot of my personal horse:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151323520041646&l=e5651518ee

And here are some photos of the saddle on him, girthed, with no pads:
http://i.imgur.com/pDnWvZu.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Epogc8B.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iBEKvaZ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pq09Pql.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1heJfcr.jpg

Hoping all links work. Thanks again everyone for your help sorting this out!

[jaybird660]

You are right in that it is too narrow and perhaps the fit can be adjusted. The overall shape is looks okay as I do think your horse can use the wither gussets or a some support but your horse is flairly flat behind the wither. The rear shape looks good but if you need a large wedge type pad then think of the extra pressure being applied to the front of your horse.

[akhunterrider]

I had a saddle that fit my horse in a similar way. It was a bit narrow and pommel high and that combined with the stirrup position, put my leg way out in front of me. Even on another horse. Due to that issue, I swore off the brand. I have had two different saddles now (different brands than the first) and my leg position had been a lot better.

[Promise_No_More]

Thanks Jay, I am so thankful that other than being a little narrow in front the overall fit doesn’t look too bad. He does go better in this than in almost everything else I’ve tried. We have our local Custom rep coming out soon for a couple horses on farm, I will ask if she can take a look at it and possibly adjust the flocking up front so it sits with a better balance. Otherwise I will see if I can get Mike out in person.

I don’t like using this saddle with a big lollipop on the mare for exactly the reason you mentioned, it makes me feel like I’m squishing her withers! So I’m on the lookout for something cheap and a little wider that might work for her if I keep riding her on a regular basis.

FWIW I checked the stirrup leather position when I rode the mare in it yesterday - when it’s sitting level with the lollipop on her, the stirrup leather appears to hang nice and straight in line with where I want my leg to be. So I am holding out hope that getting it rebalanced a bit for my horse will improve the leg position issue! (And of course I didn’t get yelled at for lower leg yesterday, just hunching shoulders!)

Thanks again everyone for all your help