Saddle/Rider Fit questions

[Bellabeau]

Hi everyone,

I noticed that both my saddles (one for practice and one for show) tend to put me in a chair seat. I primarily ride hunter/eq but I also have several years of western show experience and I was wondering what can be done to fix this problem?

I have my stirrups at a good length for me and I know that the seat size is the one I need… but I have to constantly make sure I’m sitting a little forward from the cantle and work on keeping my legs back for the shoulder-hip-heel alignment. Are there any exercises or anything that can be done to help with this? I never notice it until I see a picture of me riding and realize my legs are ahead of me.

[beau159]

Sometimes, it’s just the way that the saddle was made.

Some saddles put you into a chair seat position. Yes, there are things you can do as a rider to make sure you aren’t “allowing” yourself to go there, but I’m inclined to think that if you have to work so hard at it, then you may need to try a different saddle.

Where do your stirrups hang naturally on your saddle?