Saddle shopping for dummies

[Laurierace]

I am an (extremely) low level eventer who finds myself with an insanely talented horse. I have done very well riding all phases in my close contact but think it is time to look into a dressage saddle. I rode in my trainer’s Voltaire and liked how it held me in place making it easier to concentrate on my aids but that saddle is not in the budget. The only other dressage saddle I ever rode in was a friend’s County that I didn’t like at all because it put me into a chair seat that I was constantly fighting.

I have done a cursory search of some local sites and am so overwhelmed that I am almost ready to bail and stick with my close contact.

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Budget about 2k max.

[no.stirrups]

Start with just sitting in everything you can beg, borrow, or steal to develop some thoughts about what you like or don’t. Keep lists of makes and models, take notes. Notice seat depth, seat width, twist width, flap straightness, block size, internal or external blocks, or whatever strikes you as something you do or don’t like.

An independent fitter will usually bring a selection of saddles from a variety of brands for you to try, and talk you through what to look for to determine whether it fits your horse. Well worth the educational value!

Once you have sat in a bunch, it will probably seem less overwhelming!

Likely the County was not sitting level on the horse to have put you in a chair seat, so do make sure you have them sitting straight to give a fair trial.

[Laurierace]

Thanks, I will try that. So far everyone is recommending their saddle fitter to me which I imagine is going to muddy the waters even farther.

[Scribbler]

Some saddle brands just will not work on some horses; no brand will work on all horses. The shape of the tree is critical, and the basic shape of the saddle can only be altered to a certain degree with flocking, shims, etc. Did you go through a saddle fitting process to get your jump saddle? If so, everything still applies, and the same brands of saddle that fit for jumping, will be a good starting point for dressage. If you didn’t go through a saddle fitting process for your jump saddle, I suggest you read up on line.

The second part of the equation is how the saddle fits you! A lot of contemporary dressage saddles are very, very padded, with deep seats and huge blocks and rolls. They look like something you might joust in :). I prefer a flatter saddle, but many people love the feeling of security the deep dressage saddles give them. If you want a flatter saddle, you might be looking at older models. If you do get a deep saddle, the placement of the blocks and other things is very important, as they can throw your seat off if they are in the wrong places. Also, your leg/stirrup length will become longer over a course of several years of riding dressage. So the block placement that works for you now, won’t work for you then; also, setting the block for your ideal long leg will mean you bounce around a lot now, and possibly never develop a firm dressage seat.

Sitting in lots of different saddles is a great idea. Ride w/t/c as well, if you can. But remember that the feel of the saddle will be influenced a great deal by how the horse moves.

[mountainhorse]

Find a certified independent fitter that can help you.

[fordtraktor]

You are close to several good used saddle stores, Laurie. I would go and sit on as many as you can, then if you think you love one take it on trial. Middleburg tack exchange, that newish one in Purcellville…

[partita]

[QUOTE=fordtraktor;8950395]
You are close to several good used saddle stores, Laurie. I would go and sit on as many as you can, then if you think you love one take it on trial. Middleburg tack exchange, that newish one in Purcellville…[/QUOTE]
I agree. If you have some knowledge of how a saddle should fit to a horse’s back, then I don’t believe you need to turn that over to a pro. I have several tack shops in my area who sell used. I took them home in 3s to try on the horses. With your budget, I would look for a good used saddle, rather than a cheap new one. Unless the cheap is the only thing that fits. I rode in a Thorowgood once and it fit and rode very well.
Good luck!

[Cheltenham]

Might want to look up on internet how to do a wither and back tracing–get yourself a flexible curve thingy to do it with. Make traces of your horse, familiarize yourself with what that means, what it looks like you should be trying out on them.

I live with zero access to fitters unless I haul 4hrs. I educated myself on fit/measuring. Used fitters that would work at a distance, ship stuff to try. Asked to borrow friends stuff, even to just see how it did or did not fit my horse—for that visual “ah ha”. If I located a private seller, even if they had to ship, I just asked if they would allow me to tria the saddle, I’d pay shipping, return in same condition as received. Never had anyone say no or not refund my money if I sent it back. Most people have been thru it too—so thay “get it”.

County dressage saddles have “bucket seat”. It’s a very deep scoopy seat that tends to ride smaller, hold you snug, and usually point your thigh straighter down—that can be painful/not good for anyone with hip issues, or a really wide backed horse, or someone totally new to dressage. Being able to have your thigh /knee with more angle/ hip closed is something to consider and totally fine in dressage despite the image everyone has of the straight down thigh…which too often makes riders like a Barbie stuck down on a Barbie horse. Rider shape and orthopedics and horse shape do come into play…to find the combination that works.

There are many nice saddles out there. Shopping on the cheap— keep an eye on used ones TackTrader and Ebay and local tack sales listing. You can get some steals if someones kid got out of it, sold horse, etc etc.

Some brands that are good, also have a lot of saddles out there. Albion for example, makes wide variety of rider and horse flavors…and there are a lot of them out there, and they are good quality and can be tweaked if needed no problem. I have a hard to fit horse—tried many saddles, had saddles fitter thought should be perfect…horse clearly did not agree. A aquaintenance had a Albion that I could see fit him well and he liked…kept an eye for one like it on ebay. Bingo $800 one came up for sale. It was well used /broken in but fine. Had it reflocked/fitted by independent fitter and everybody’s happy.

[Laurierace]

The whole I will need a different saddle as I progress thing freaks me out a little but I guess you need to start somewhere. I would prefer a used nicer saddle but my daughter works at Dover so I am looking at a couple of theirs. I sat in all they had in stock the other day and only really liked the way one of them felt but have no idea how that translates to fit for me or the horse. It was a Wolfen something, I can’t remember the name. They ordered a Stubben 1849 for their saddle fitter to bring to me but my daughter got it in 17 1/2, I think that is going to be too small so don’t know if I will be able to tell if I like it or not.

Another saddle fitter is bringing a couple out, one is a Bates which is what my CC is, the other is a Kent and Masters. A friend has a Lovatt and Ricketts she wants to sell so I am going to take a look at that as well. Hopefully all that will give me an idea where to start.

[Twigster]

Ann Jacobsen who posts on here regularly is out your way-ish, in Virginia. She is an independent fitter and who I and many of my barn use.

www.thesaddlefits.com

[jaybird660]

First you should have an idea of what your horse needs and then sit in saddles or have some shipped to you and evaluated. It’s not particularly helpful if you love a saddle that is completely wrong for your horse so it’s a good strategy to narrow the type down first.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=jaybird660;8951207]
First you should have an idea of what your horse needs and then sit in saddles or have some shipped to you and evaluated. It’s not particularly helpful if you love a saddle that is completely wrong for your horse so it’s a good strategy to narrow the type down first.[/QUOTE]

That is part of the problem, I DON’T have any idea what my horse needs.

[Cheltenham]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;8950749]
The whole I will need a different saddle as I progress thing freaks me out a little but I guess you need to start somewhere. I would prefer a used nicer saddle but my daughter works at Dover so I am looking at a couple of theirs. I sat in all they had in stock the other day and only really liked the way one of them felt but have no idea how that translates to fit for me or the horse. It was a Wolfen something, I can’t remember the name. They ordered a Stubben 1849 for their saddle fitter to bring to me but my daughter got it in 17 1/2, I think that is going to be too small so don’t know if I will be able to tell if I like it or not.

Another saddle fitter is bringing a couple out, one is a Bates which is what my CC is, the other is a Kent and Masters. A friend has a Lovatt and Ricketts she wants to sell so I am going to take a look at that as well. Hopefully all that will give me an idea where to start.[/QUOTE]

The dressage seat will ride smaller than a flat/jump saddle. Think go up a full seat size.

Saddle wwill feel very different on horse than on a dummy in store. So, be prepared for that, don’t rule out something that didn’t make you go ahhhhh in store—if it looks a good one to try for the horse.

Kent and Masters and Lovatt and Rickets are very nice. L@R are really well made, nice leather will last forever look great when you resell. They can have similar seat to County, deep, bucket like with straighter thigh—so if you didn’t like county may not like L&R. If it’s a friends saddle, I’d give it a try for sure though.

what’s the horse? big withers? Mutton withers? tent shape over spine or round/flat?

[Laurierace]

She has a nice topline, I use my saddle with just a baby pad. I would say normal withers, maybe a little round back. It is a Bates that the saddle fitter switched from CAIR to wool for her.

[mountainhorse]

This is where a trained fitter can help you. Ask questions, get educated. They should offer advice and ‘why’ they recommend certain saddles over others. It’s an investment in professional help, and educating your own eye.

[QUOTE=Laurierace;8951274]
That is part of the problem, I DON’T have any idea what my horse needs.[/QUOTE]

[Scribbler]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;8951274]
That is part of the problem, I DON’T have any idea what my horse needs.[/QUOTE]

This is when you need to work with a saddle fitter to understand the basics of saddle fit. You can do tracings of the back that you take to the tack shop, and see if they are a match.

[Scribbler]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;8950749]
The whole I will need a different saddle as I progress thing freaks me out a little [/QUOTE]

I don’t know why this would be true. You need a saddle that works for your body type and allows you to drop your leg slowly as you learn dressage. Your horse might need a different saddle if her muscles change from dressage, but cross that bridge when you come to it; same can be true for young jumpers.

[sheltona01]

If you are new to dressage and are worried about needing a new saddle as you progress, I would highly recommend a saddle with Velcro blocks. It will allow you to change the block position as you develop as a rider. If you are use to riding with a shorter stirrup, it can take a while to develop the strength and flexibility to drop your leg down. This will allow you to adjust your saddle as you progress.

PS: Your horse is lovely! From that pictures, does not look that that difficult of a fit. My biggest concern is the length of the saddle. For some reason I get the impression from the picture that she does not have the longest area for the saddle which should not go beyond the last rib.

[alibi_18]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;8951327]

She has a nice topline, I use my saddle with just a baby pad. I would say normal withers, maybe a little round back. It is a Bates that the saddle fitter switched from CAIR to wool for her.[/QUOTE]

Oh… She lovely!

Like No.Stirrup said, try as much saddles as you can. Make sure it sits level on your horse’s back (and that it fits relatively well obviously)

Custom saddles (not the brand, in general) can come with velcro blocks (external or underneath the panels).

I’ve sat on millions of saddles… (I wish I was kidding!) and usually, I can tell right away if it fits or not. It has to feel right, like putting a glove on. You can still get use to a not so well fitted saddle but if it really doesn’t fit from the start, you’re just going to be miserable for each ride.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=sheltona01;8952439]
If you are new to dressage and are worried about needing a new saddle as you progress, I would highly recommend a saddle with Velcro blocks. It will allow you to change the block position as you develop as a rider. If you are use to riding with a shorter stirrup, it can take a while to develop the strength and flexibility to drop your leg down. This will allow you to adjust your saddle as you progress.

PS: Your horse is lovely! From that pictures, does not look that that difficult of a fit. My biggest concern is the length of the saddle. For some reason I get the impression from the picture that she does not have the longest area for the saddle which should not go beyond the last rib.[/QUOTE]

Thank you! You are right, she does look a little short backed in that pic. I don’t think she is but will make sure to pay attention to that during the search.