saddle seat size for me!!

[kdreger]

I am so lost… Years ago I had a Thorowgood saddle that I loved and rode to death. I would like to get a saddle that feels that good again. I am short, 5"1" and fat with very narrow hips and little rear. Slowly loosing weight (-35 in last 5 months).
I know I like a narrow twist and after that I am lost.
Most of my weight is in my belly not my rear.
There are 2 saddles that look very promising I could buy and try. One is a 19" and one is a 16.5"
I am worried I will float in the one and worried I might overflow the other. With being so short how do I size a saddle for me?

Does english saddle fit have more to do with my short leg length? Could one reason i am not happy with the ones I have tried lately is because they are too big? I am slowly riding again after a back injury.

[caryledee]

I am guessing that the 16.5" will be too small and the 19" will be too large. Sorry! It makes a huge difference when you ride in a saddle that fits you. I rode for years in a saddle that did not fit me. I was constantly fighting it but I never realized that it was a saddle issue (I just thought it was me!) I have really long legs and most off the rack saddles don’t fit me. I finally broke down and bought a custom saddle and it is amazing how much more secure I feel. It just puts me in a better position.

There are a lot of good websites with used saddles. Or if you are in Lexington, Wise Choice has a ton of used saddles downstairs. Keep looking until you find what makes you comfortable!

[Foxtrot_s]

Yes, but better a little too big than too small for eventing. Lucinda Green used to say that because if she got jumped out of the tack she had a better chance of landing back in the saddle.

I bought a saddle with an long flap because I am tall, but did not account for that when I ordered my saddle in my usual size (17-1/2"). But with the longer flap my leg is taken up and I do float around in the new saddle a bit.

So you really have to try them IRL.

[mvp]

I’m 5’1", 130 and built pretty proportionately, and that’s for a woman. That means, among other things, my legs are long compared to my torso and I’d say my femur was a tad long, but not way out of line.

That means I ride in a 16.5" in terms of the length of my femur. I suppose my ass would like a 17". That’s in a close contact saddle. And I’m not a fan of huge knee rolls and very forward flaps. Insofar as so many modern saddles are built this way, I tend to stay on the 16.5" side of things so that my knee isn’t way behind the pocket.

In dressage world, I like a 17.5" or an 18". That has to do with liking an open seat. That comes in part from the size of the seat but primarily, too, from the build of the saddle. Again, I like old skool rides: I ride in very flat, minimalist forward-balance Stubbens that allow be to get right close up to the withers and (close to) over the horse’s center of gravity.

So buying an 18" saddle built like a bucket that sat me farther back would be a bad idea. If I had to ride in that saddle, I’d choose a 17" with a short block. Being forced to sit behind the horse’s center of gravity (where his back moves more) with a big, long knee block wedging my leg down makes my hips hurt just thinking about it.

Hope all this info helps you figure out what’s right for you.

[kdreger]

Thanks! I did find this site and according to it I would take a 16.5. I guess I will go measure my daughter’s outgrown saddles and sit on them. Maybe too big is the reason I dislike the english saddles lately?

[Bogie]

Saddle fit for the rider is influenced by:

• depth of the seat (deep seats fit smaller, flat seats fit larger)
• position of the flaps (if you are shorter you want to avoid a very forward cut flap)
• position of the stirrup bars (if your legs are long you want bars that are set back under your body
• balance point of the saddle.

This means that a 17" in one brand/model will feel different from a 17" in another brand or model. You really have to ride in a bunch of saddles to figure out what you like in a saddle.

I’m 5’11" and ride in saddles that range from a Kieffer size 1 (about 17.25" to 18"). I have very long femurs. There’s no possible way that a 19" would fit you.

Ideally, when you are riding in the “right” saddle, you should feel balanced without fighting to hold your position.

[vineyridge]

Deep seat saddles need to be bigger in the seat than flatter ones. There may only be a half inch difference, but the difference is real.