Saddle question

[pony-girl]

So I’m posting this here because I’m rehabbing from knee surgery and I’m curious if others have found having a properly fitted saddle to them helps with knee pain.

Right now the plan is to do a partial lease on a draft cross mare when I get the go ahead to ride again. The saddle that the owner has on her is a close contact saddle but I’ll be focusing on low level dressage. Her current saddle is also way too small for me and left me with back pain when I rode in it.

So my question is; is it crazy for me to buy my own saddle for a horse that I’ll be riding 2-3 times a week? I am considering getting a Schleese (used) so that if/when I start riding a different horse I can have it refitted. I’m willing to spend about $2K. My issue is MY comfort and putting myself into the best situation to get back to riding and not aggrevate my knee and back. I’ll also be buying MDC hinged stirrups as a lot of folks said they relieved knee pain.

I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts. Am I making a $2K mistake or does it make sense given my injury, etc.

Thanks!

[Sacred_Petra]

It’s not what you wanted to hear, but having a well fitted saddle didn’t help me ( and I have well fitted ones in multiple disciplines), but it does depend a lot on your knee injury. If you don’t mind me asking, what was your knee injury?

In terms of stirrups, I thought the bow balance stirrups were easiest on my knees, but they’re also quite pricey.

[pony-girl]

Thanks Sacred_Petra. I appreciate all replies/advice even if it’s not what I was hoping to hear. I had patellar realignment surgery after having multiple patella dislocations. I haven’t been cleared to ride again yet but I’m looking for ways to make getting back into the saddle more comfortable and with less stress on my joints. I was thinking of buying the saddle not only for my knees but also for my back. Pre-surgery I had tried out a friends saddle that fit me better and I noticed that “hey! My back doesn’t hurt post ride!” I think it just reinforced a better alignment for me. Now post surgery I want to do everything possible to not put excess stress on my knees. Some people have said the longer leg of a dressage saddle would help vs. a close contact. I’ll wait til I’ve gotten the go ahead from my surgeon before I try or buy anything but at this point it’s all about researching options.

Thanks!

p.s. I had my first physical therapy appointment today. It felt good to finally be doing something again after 6 weeks in a leg immobilizer!

[Sacred_Petra]

A well fitting saddle definitely does help your back! IMO, I would look for a dressage leaning all purpose or more forward flapped dressage saddle at this time. A lot of the dressage saddles I’ve ridden in put your leg really underneath you and require a lot of flexibility in the hip and I’d wonder about that putting more strain on your knee. I found having some bend in my knee (much less than I would generally use in a close contact saddle, but more bend than I used to use for dressage) to be most comfortable, especially on a broad barreled horse.

[wateryglen]

I suggest avoiding a lot of knee roll and go for a flat flapped saddle like a no contact type. I have same decrepitudes and found an endurance/trail well padded seat & long flat flap saddle the best. Bought a cheap Thornhill one used and it was perfect. It’s like a dressage saddle but with a western seat. I found knee rolls banged up against my knees and hurt. Also had to avoid thick knee area saddle pads. And very round horses bend your knee wrongly when gripping so a slab sided one would be nice! My PT also told me to ride long; like western/dressage length. I also bought the vinyl stirrups with the western looking foot hold and thick padding. Reduces the concussion too for both knees & back. Remember knee bending/banging hurts! Just my two sense!!

[betsyk]

Another thing to consider: you said you’ll be leasing this horse. Is this a long term arrangement? do you see yourself leasing this horse for several years? several months? because spending a couple thousand dollars, and all the time and aggravation involved, to find a saddle that fits you and the horse, and then your lease doesn’t work out for some reason and you now have a saddle you can’t use… There are so many different styles of saddles that something that works for a draft cross might not work at all for a TB, regardless of how readily it can be reflocked - sometimes the shape of the tree is all wrong. If you said there was a particular breed that you’ve ridden for years and plan to ride in the future, that might make a difference, though the 3 Arabs I’ve owned could never share saddles…

[Kitt]

If the saddle fits you AND the horse, it’s going to cause you a lot less pain in most places, though knees can be tricky depending on the set of the flap and the blocks. Otherwise, pretty much ditto betsyk.

[Kyrabee]

Pony-girl,
I responded to your other thread. I had similar surgery oh…40 years ago. They didn’t have outpatient PT back then. After I got the cast off, they sent me home and said do quad sets. I got right back on the horse. I haven’t ever found the type of saddle problematic to my knee. Back in the day, I was riding western, saddle seat and then found dressage.
Ideally both you AND the horse should be happy but i’m not sure i would spend that much for a saddle for a lease. I think you could find something for less than that.

Once it (the knee) was fixed, it was fixed. I initially tore my knee up playing tennis then over the next 3 years developed the kneecap dislocation and it happened multiple times finally getting the patellar tendon transfer surgery. Other than having no cartilage left under my kneecap, that knee has been golden. I do have to be careful with kneeling and exercises that have some kind of kneeling pose like yoga but I’m now 58 and rather creaky in general:lol:

Good luck in your rehab and get back on that horse!

Susan

[Paks]

I would say the saddle isn’t going to be your problem but your horse might. A well sprung draft cross is going to be harder on your knees than a horse of normal width or a slab sided one. I have two bad knees and a fused ankle. I recently switched to a narrower horse. My old wide backed horse had died and I bought a new one one that was smaller and much narrower. Suddenly posting wasn’t as painful any more and two point was possible again.

[vali]

I had massive knee surgery this spring and I definitely found a well-fitting dressage saddle to be more comfortable to ride in, and it took several months before I could ride in my jumping saddle again. I started back riding without stirrups and then with fairly long stirrup length, but that obviously depends on your comfort level. I also have the MDC stirrups, which helps with the angulation. I wouldn’t recommend a Schleese in your situation, they aren’t that easy to refit to a new horse, and the resale value can be poor. I really like my Albion SLK, and you can get it with an adjustable tree, and also with the knee blocks on velcro, so you can customize the size and the spot. I also got it with the narrow seat option, short flaps, and extra padding in the seat, all without an extra charge. I also have a problematic back, and it’s been great. I did change the tree when my mare widened, and it was a painless process, although you can’t do it yourself. I also agree that the horse makes a big difference. A slab sided horse is your friend, as well as one with fairly smooth gaits.

[infiniti]

Hi so, I was in a similar situation as you and forked over for an adjustable saddle for a horse I leased. I had been leasing prior to injury and was planning on for a while and a well fitted saddle was really my only hope of getting back in the saddle. My budget was $2500 for a pre-owned and I ended up going over budget because we discovered the saddle me and my horse liked the best could be brand new for $3000. Key selling points:

• if you can afford its worth the investment to keep riding and riding comfortably
• a quality adjustable saddle will depreciate slower than a non-adjustable due to its ability to fit different horses
• it could be adjusted if I bought my own horse or started a lease with another

I went for a Sommer but Schleese was my initial choice. There are a lot of pre-owned Schleese’s, so my advice is set up an appointment with a Schleese dealer to find which saddle fits you two best and then wait for one in your budget.