Saddle must-haves

[Fruehling]

For the past three years or so I’ve been struggling finding a saddle that fits both me and my horse. Living in the boonies, I don’t have to ease of access to try many different saddles. I ended up with a couple that “do the job”, but aren’t ideal. My current saddle is slightly too flat and too steep in the panels for my horse, and is too small in the seat for me, but after being checked by two saddle fitters, was ok’d for my horse, and was the better option for me.

Recently however, a saddle fitter came to our barn and brought a dozen or so saddles. One of which I tried and fell in love with. It was lucky it wasn’t a perfect fit, or else I probably would have made a very expensive impulse buy. The one I tried was a Ryder Zara. The flap was not forward enough for me, so the knee block was too far back, and the seat was 1/2 inch too small, but even with that it was the best jumping saddle I’ve ever ridden in. It was more deep seated than what I’m used to. And I’ve never ridden with blocks that big. It put me and kept me in a good position. I’m very seriously considering getting a ryder saddle in the following months.

So it got me thinking. What are the key qualities of your saddle that make it ideal? And beyond that, what kind of rider are you? I have long legs and tend to fall into a chair seat, which is why I think the knee blocks and deeper seat worked better for me than I expected. But what’s a must have for you and why?

Knee blocks, no blocks? Monoflap, dual flap? Deep seat, flat seat? Calf skin, standard leather? Low profile panels, more padded?
And what are the rear blocks for? They just seem somewhat decorative on monoflaps.

[Marigold]

@Fruehling

What are the key qualities of your saddle that make it ideal? And beyond that, what kind of rider are you? I have long legs and tend to fall into a chair seat, which is why I think the knee blocks and deeper seat worked better for me than I expected. But what’s a must have for you and why?

Knee blocks, no blocks? Monoflap, dual flap? Deep seat, flat seat? Calf skin, standard leather? Low profile panels, more padded?
And what are the rear blocks for? They just seem somewhat decorative on monoflaps.

Could I recommend travelling by yourself to a saddle fitter with a big inventory? Sometimes it’s too difficult to get the horse and the saddle fitter to the same place, but something that can work is going to a fitter yourself. Bring pictures of your horse’s back and tracings, and maybe pictures of your current saddle and then bring that saddle. The fitter could then fit the saddles to you, and then give you a few options that you know work for at least 50% of the horse-and-rider equation. Hopefully with the pictures of the horse you could also have a better-than-average chance of something you get fitting your horse, and depending on your level of confidence in your saddle-judging abilities you could then make a selection once you bring the saddles back to the horse.

As a rider, I have stubby little legs, but I also fall into a chair seat given the option. A must have for me in a dressage saddle is the ability for my legs to just hang from my hips. I did not realize that I had been fighting just about every saddle I’d ever sat in…until I wasn’t. A must have for me in any saddle is balance. Assuming you have moderately good fitness and technique, for me a good jumping saddle is one that you can canter around while standing for multiple laps without feeling particularly taxed (my very unprofessional assessment methodology).

I personally don’t care much about the leather type - if the balance is right, you won’t need much extra help sticking, in my experience. Same for the depth of the seat, actually. If I feel balanced, I just kind of stay put. Leather, seat depth, even blocks won’t totally solve the problem if the balance isn’t right, and if the balance is right I don’t notice any of these factors at all.

If I could be very particular, I love a monoflap, but it’s not what I own so clearly not a dealbreaker for me! I just find there is less between you and the horse and you never risk the flaps doing funny things if you adjust with no stirrups or something. I have a strong preference for wool flocked panels, as they are more adjustable (especially for green horses, young horses, etc). I would think if you are in a hard-to-access area, wool flocking would be an advantage for you as well, but to each their own.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

As an infrequent saddle buyer, I would caution that just because something feels different from what you are used to riding in doesn’t mean it’s going to work better for you after you get used to it. Especially when a saddle feels significantly different, I think you need the opportunity to ride in the saddle multiple times to confirm that different really IS better. I rushed into a dressage saddle purchase because the fitter was so horrified by the fit of the saddle I had been riding in - on the initial ride, I “thought” it put me in the correct position, but after a week, I knew it tipped me forward and was too small a seat size.

[Hey_Mickey]

I’m a leggy 5’2… my saddles are size 16 or 16’5. I like a forward, flatter saddle with very small knee blocks and no lower leg? block… I gallop racehorses and do tend to find myself in a really light soft chair seat vwhen bad things are happening bc my comfort zone is that from galloping. I forget how to sit in the saddle. So maybe a deeper seat would serve me well??

[EventerAJ]

I’m a very experienced rider, and I can manage to ride in just about anything (8 horses in an exercise saddle will do that for you)… this is to warn you that most of my Key Saddle Features are geared to the horse, and not myself. Flatter seat, deeper seat, big blocks, little rolls, I can be happy with any of that: provided the saddle has ideal balance. A lot of leg-slipping-back or struggling to get out of the seat is not simply a rider strength issue, it is a saddle fitting issue! A saddle that sits too low in front will tip the rider forward, in a hunter-perch position. Too high in front, the rider’s leg is usually shoved forward, seat back, and maintaining an effortless 2-point balance will be difficult.

A tree too narrow, even slightly, will pinch the horse’s shoulders and lead to atrophy over time: you may not notice immediately how sore the horse is, maybe he’s happy in his job, not a bucking maniac. But when you find a saddle that fits, you will feel incredibly guilty for causing your horse discomfort because he will move so much better! A tree that is too flat or too curvy won’t suit the horse’s back either. Foam panels feel nice and squishy, but they are a one-size-fits-all answer to a complex landscape between withers and loin.

I vastly prefer wool flocking. I want to my saddle fitter to be able to tweak saddle fit as necessary; to fill in a gap on the right shoulder, to balance out the left rear panel; to totally remove and re-flock when the old wool becomes too hard and compressed. The ability to add more wool when the horse is 3-day fit, and take some out when he’s fat after a vacation. A good wool panel is best, IMO. I have sat in some air panels-- WOW saddles, for instance-- and I like the customization they provide. However, you may have to account for extra “bounce” or rebound balloon effect. But you can get a pretty decent fit with a customizable FLAIR panel system. I stay far away from Wintec CAIR and foam panels.

Saddle tree shape must agree to the horse’s back shape…taking into account what the horse’s back SHOULD be, and what it is. Fitting a tree snugly to atrophied shoulders won’t allow the shoulder muscles to rebuild. Better to go with a wider saddle that will accommodate the “normal” shoulders, and use a shim pad in the mean time until proper muscle can be developed. A horse with a tall wither and dropped back may need more build up under the seat.

I’ve learned to shop for the horse FIRST, and don’t fall in love with a saddle just because you sat in it at a tack shop…and don’t fall in love with it on someone else’s horse!! Lots of saddles will work for one horse and make you feel like Phillip Dutton…but on a different horse, you feel like an uncoordinated sack of potatoes and can’t find your balance to save your life. One horse, I LOVE my Amerigo vega monoflap; on another horse, I hated it. Try it on your own horse!

[lucegoose]

Monoflap vs. Dual flap: I used to love my Devoucoux Chiberta, but since I’ve switched to a dual flap Albion Kontrol I’ve been much happier with how the saddle/girth sits in relation to my horses’ shoulders. You can’t change where the girth sits on a monoflap because the billets are fixed. I don’t feel like I need a breastplate to keep things in place anymore and I’m not losing saddle pads all the time.

I’m sure there are ways to amend that with the fit/tree shape, but moveable billets just seem friendlier to changing back/body shapes in horses, and I don’t find monoflaps to be that life-altering in comfort/fit for me.

[Duckz]

I feel your pain. Last winter my jump saddle was not working on my thoroughbred. My friend of similar height and build with a similar height/build thoroughbred let me borrow her Stackhouse while her horse was laid up. Sweet Baby Jesus. My leg stayed underneath me instead of sliding back. I stopped throwing myself at my horse’s neck. My balance was amazing. Jumping was amazing. Flatting was amazing. My horse loved it. I loved it. I had to have it. Alas, I had to give it back. So I called Leslie at Stackhouse and left a message that my stupid friend wouldn’t sell me her stupid saddle so I needed them to make one for me. Stupid expensive friend :lol:

Actual saddle is a monoflap with pretty standard knee rolls and thigh blocks. I don’t ever notice the thigh blocks to be honest. Aside from general good balance and good fit, my favorite feature in a saddle is buffalo leather. So soft. So grippy. My dressage saddle is also buffalo leather and it’s the best thing ever. I hate saddle shopping with a passion, so even though it meant plunking down $$$$$$$ I was happy to do it knowing I would get a saddle I loved. My horse is actually a complete weirdo when it comes to saddle fit, so even though on paper the new saddle fit perfectly it wasn’t balanced in real life. Leslie and David took it back and refit it and now it’s perfect.

There are some tack stores that will ship you a saddle on trial. Shipping back and forth gets expensive but if you have a decent idea of what will work for you then it might be a good option for finding something you love.