Riding in a saddle a bit too big in the seat

[mydogs]

I. Hate. Saddle. Shopping.

Have you/others ridden in a saddle that is just bit too big for you in the seat? How long did you ride in a “too big” saddle before you bought one that fits you?

Having an uncommon size is proving to be difficult when trying saddles. I have only sat in one saddle that my trainer and I truly love, but it didn’t fit my horse as well as I would have liked. Buying that saddle new won’t be an option for another year. I’ve already ridden in my current saddle (that is a hair too big for me) for 6 months now, so I guess I just want some justification that another 12 months won’t be that bad and maybe I will get lucky and find my unicorn used saddle in the mean time. My current saddle isn’t a horrible fit, but my legs are a bit in front of me so my balance isn’t perfect but I’ve learned to work with it, though it is more of a struggle than the properly fitted saddle.

[mmeqcenter]

I have no problem with saddles that don’t perfectly fit me, as long as they don’t significantly affect my position. If it’s affecting your position that much, I’d say you should get a better fitting one sooner rather than later.
My saddle is a bit too small in the seat for me, but I ride just fine in it, and it fits my mare perfectly, so I’m comfortable using it for a year or so until I save up enough money to get a better one.

[ThreeFigs]

Agree you need to find your unicorn saddle, but in the meantime, maybe try a sheepskin seat cover to take up some of the extra space. If you’re still struggling with your legs in front of you – then try a 'shim" behind your seat, under the sheepskin seat cover. Perhaps a piece of foam or even a facecloth folded or rolled.

Better a saddle too big than one that’s too small. Ouch!

[rothmpp]

For me - it depends on the horse I am riding. I normally like a saddle that it is a touch too small rather than too big - but I have one horse that I have been riding while his mom is recovering from surgery that I couldn’t possibly ride in a saddle that was too small - he’s so uphill and forward that the one time I tried he practically blew me out the back of the saddle.

If you’ve gotten through 6 months and your trainer thinks you’re managing - keep shopping for the unicorn.

[caper]

Better too big than too small. I couldn’t for the live of me sit the trot anymore in my new too small saddle. After a year a traded in and got a 1/2" larger and voila sitting trot became a breeze again and I could find the sweet spot. Like above poster mention about a wedge pad or sheepskin to level the saddle more.

[outerbanks77]

Try to ride as snugged up to the pummel as possible. Some of the thinner riders seem to ride in seats that appear too big, but they are fine if positioned up to the front of the saddle. Wit tome stirrup bars, you might be able to slide the leathers back half an inch or so too, to get your leg more u derbyour center of gravity.

[mydogs]

@ThreeFigs

Agree you need to find your unicorn saddle, but in the meantime, maybe try a sheepskin seat cover to take up some of the extra space. If you’re still struggling with your legs in front of you – then try a 'shim" behind your seat, under the sheepskin seat cover. Perhaps a piece of foam or even a facecloth folded or rolled.

Better a saddle too big than one that’s too small. Ouch!

I have never thought of that before and I love the idea! Do you have any recommendations of brands that worked well with this?

[mydogs]

@outerbanks77

Try to ride as snugged up to the pummel as possible. Some of the thinner riders seem to ride in seats that appear too big, but they are fine if positioned up to the front of the saddle. Wit tome stirrup bars, you might be able to slide the leathers back half an inch or so too, to get your leg more u derbyour center of gravity.

That’s pretty much my problem. When walking I can sit more towards the pommel but trotting I tend to sit on my pockets. My stirrup bars are pretty long so I might be able to move it back a bit and use something to keep it from sliding forward. Thanks!

[Scribbler]

I suspect it isn’t the seat per SE but other aspects of the saddle bthst are causing your problems. Are the stirrups hung too far forward? Is the balance point too far back? Is there a mismatch between your thigh length and the pads or blocks?

I have an 18 inch older Passier Optimum and I when I had a petite younger teen riding my horse, the saddle looked big for her but her balance was perfect in it.

[Jarpur]

I used a Mattes sheepskin seat saver on a saddle that was a perfect fit for both a mare and her primary rider (my much taller husband), but too large for me. Not ideal, but workable when I needed to ride her.

[Dbliron]

I ride in everything from a 16.5" (my saddle) to 18" (clients’ saddles) and am perfectly comfortable in the seat. However, having flaps/thigh blocks in the wrong place and/or too long causes me great discomfort. I rode in a 17" County on Saturday which has very long flaps and blocks, and was not only struggling to find the sweet spot during the ride but was aching for hours afterward. I think a saddle that’s a little too big in the seat is OK, but crotch bite from a seat which is too small is truly an agonizing proposition!

[ThreeFigs]

I’ve never tried the Mattes seat saver, but love their other products. Whatever you get, be sure it’s a real sheepskin and the sheep hide is in contact with the saddle seat… The idea is, it takes up some of the extra space in the seat. I would be careful of shimming the back of the saddle (as in UNDER the saddle) as that can cause more pressure forward on the horse. True, the stirrup bars might be set too far forward – which is why I suggested a pad of some sort to move your seat forward. The bars don’t move…

[mydogs]

@ThreeFigs

I’ve never tried the Mattes seat saver, but love their other products. Whatever you get, be sure it’s a real sheepskin and the sheep hide is in contact with the saddle seat… The idea is, it takes up some of the extra space in the seat. I would be careful of shimming the back of the saddle (as in UNDER the saddle) as that can cause more pressure forward on the horse. True, the stirrup bars might be set too far forward – which is why I suggested a pad of some sort to move your seat forward. The bars don’t move…

I have actually found two companies that could make custom seat covers for me and add more padding to the back of the seat cover to bring my seat more forward. This would be a better short term solution than just sticking it out with how my saddle currently places my balance.

[mydogs]

@Scribbler

I suspect it isn’t the seat per SE but other aspects of the saddle bthst are causing your problems. Are the stirrups hung too far forward? Is the balance point too far back? Is there a mismatch between your thigh length and the pads or blocks?

The saddle in general isn’t the best fit for me, so it is more than just the seat, but that is a bigger part of the problem. I could bring my stirrups back a bit and if I can fill in the back of the seat, it at least provides me with a better solution until I can save up to buy a new saddle that I absolutely knows places me in perfect balance. I want a new saddle, I want to tell myself that I “need” a new saddle, but it isn’t the same as “needing” a house.

[Scribbler]

@mydogs

The saddle in general isn’t the best fit for me, so it is more than just the seat, but that is a bigger part of the problem. I could bring my stirrups back a bit and if I can fill in the back of the seat, it at least provides me with a better solution until I can save up to buy a new saddle that I absolutely knows places me in perfect balance. I want a new saddle, I want to tell myself that I “need” a new saddle, but it isn’t the same as “needing” a house.

Photos or video might help COTH diagnose too. Would be interesting to see you ride in a saddle you feel fits you versus this one.

[mydogs]

@Scribbler

Photos or video might help COTH diagnose too. Would be interesting to see you ride in a saddle you feel fits you versus this one.

I don’t have a video or photos of this saddle. My trainer and fitters both agree it isn’t the best. I had a saddle on trial that fit me perfectly but sent it back before getting videos. But the feel, the balance, and my position improved so much just by riding in a saddle that put me in the perfect “sweet spot”. Everything about my riding improved, literally & honestly, just by riding in that saddle. My legs were longer, I had weight in my heels and they acted like true shock absobers, I sat up straight instead of leaning forward, and I truly felt like if the horse and saddle were removed, I would be well-balanced.

[mydogs]

@Scribbler

Photos or video might help COTH diagnose too. Would be interesting to see you ride in a saddle you feel fits you versus this one.

Thanks. My trainer, saddle fitter, and I are aware of what is wrong with this saddle and how/why it doesn’t fit me. I don’t have videos of my rides in the fitted saddle but it is very safe to say that everything about my riding improved (my seat, hip angle, my entire position, my balance). If the saddle had fit my horse, it truly would have been “the perfect saddle”.