Albion lover through and through. I am 5’8" with legs as long as my 5’11" father and Albions are the only saddles that I am actually comfortable in. Plus the horses love them 
I’m also fairly narrow in the hips and relatively thin, so I generally prefer a narrow seat, not always a narrow twist, and a 17. I think the narrow seat is key, so that my seat bones are in the proper place and allow for the long leg to hang correctly.
If you really like the Scandica, there are about 10 of them on eBay right now. There are a few under $1000 even that look in perfectly fine shape.
I’m another long-legged rider with lo-o-ong thighs who finally found a saddle that works for me. It’s not a new model, but, a 1980s Passier PS Baum with an 18 inch seat. It does not have straight flaps with big knee blocks or a deep seat. It has a slightly forward-curving flap and minimal knee blocks. My legs hang right where they should. I can move my legs anywhere without interference from those blankety-blank knee blocks.
I tried lots of new models and they all seem to have this straight-flap-big-knee-block design. And some had trees that felt like you were sitting on the edges of a two-by-four because that’s where your seat bones hit the saddle!
I don’t know why they aren’t making saddles like this any more. A number (4 or 5) of long-legged people at my barn have tried my saddle and are just amazed by how great it is.
Also, the saddle seat size does really relate to whether you are heavy or thin. It will determine how your leg falls relative to other parts of the saddle such as the stirrup bars, stirrup leathers, and flap. People with long thighs need saddles with larger seats.
TOTALLY disagree with this statement! :no: If you have a saddle with a more forward flap, then the rider will sit in the correct position in the saddle and will be able to have a saddle size that actually fits them–especially if they don’t have a large backside. Compensating with a larger seat for a longer leg is what puts you out of position relative to stirrup bar and center of the saddle to keep you over the middle of the horse.
Think about it. It’s simply the leg that needs more room up front to lay correctly. Your seat doesn’t need to swim in the saddle when you have a long leg on the horse, nor do you want to be in the back of the saddle rather than the middle (with your crotch).
[QUOTE=Velvet;6031715]
TOTALLY disagree with this statement! :no: If you have a saddle with a more forward flap, then the rider will sit in the correct position in the saddle and will be able to have a saddle size that actually fits them–especially if they don’t have a large backside. Compensating with a larger seat for a longer leg is what puts you out of position relative to stirrup bar and center of the saddle to keep you over the middle of the horse.
Think about it. It’s simply the leg that needs more room up front to lay correctly. Your seat doesn’t need to swim in the saddle when you have a long leg on the horse, nor do you want to be in the back of the saddle rather than the middle (with your crotch).[/QUOTE]
100% agree with this :yes:
sounds like you just need to sit in a billion saddles.
Though that can get pricey. I think I dished out 1K in shipping costs on saddle trials before I bought my Vega.
The Vega is built a bit different from the Amerigo so don’t over look it just yet.
The Amerigo has a narrow gullet and bigger full sized blocks.
The Vega, not so much.
The Amerigo was the only saddle my horse every said, “um…screw you” to when I hopped on board. lol. He HATED it.
Try an OLD Prestige. The new ones are a bit different.
Prestige Top
2000D
and there is an Apollosa or something like that.
Pelham has a load of used saddles. Did you take a peek at that sight!?
I’m 5’9 but am all leg, particularly long in the femurs, I needed a new dressage saddle for my high withered and big moving TB cause my Isabell just wasn’t cutting it. A friend of mine was selling her 17.5" Arthur Kottas Imperial, so I tried it out. It was PERFECT! The seat is seatbone heaven and it’s pretty deep but isn’t so deep that you feel stuck in it. It has pretty substantial knee blocks, but once again they don’t make you feel stuck. The leather is awesome and it has plenty of room for my TB’s withers and I actually have enough room for my leg on my saddle for once. It also has a fairly narrow twist so it’s very very nice to ride in. I got mine for a great price cause it was used- but they run around $3000 new I think. It also fits my roly poly arab and my other sharkfin TB. I would definitely check it out.
[QUOTE=Bogie;6020173]
I have a Roosli which was ordered to my dimensions. Luckily it fits almost every horse I put it on, too.[/QUOTE]
5’9" with long legs here. I also ride in a Roosli, but a used '97 model. It was made for someone else with long legs, as it has extra long flaps and fits me very well.
I second the Wave - I LOVE this saddle! I have no butt to speak of and very long legs (I’m only 5’6" though) but it is heaven to ride in!
[QUOTE=Bogie;6020173]
I have a Roosli which was ordered to my dimensions. Luckily it fits almost every horse I put it on, too.[/QUOTE]
I am also a fellow 5’11’er and love Roosli’s! They last forever and fit all shapes of horses. My other fav seat/leg combo is the Passier Optimum’s. I also have liked the older style Prestige’s and the fit of the Amerigo’s but the Amerigo we had fell apart quickly.
[QUOTE=esdressage;6031724]
100% agree with this :yes:[/QUOTE]
110% DISAGREE with this. We bought ~6-7 dressage saddles before finally getting it right for DW (has posted here). Most saddle fitters don’t know squat a/b fitting a tall FEMALE rider, trust me, been there, got the t-shirt.
It’s all about geometry. It’s a series of triangles, draw it out if you need to to prove it to yourself. She demo’d all kinds of saddles and our trainer finally said, “have you looked at a Laser?” She had recently bought Jeremy Beales saddle right out from under him and loved it. A couple of weeks later after talking to and trading emails/pictures with Jeremy, DW went to GA to be fitted for a saddle.
After watching DW ride in her trainers Rendezvous he stated that she needed an 18.5" Trident. Given that she’s 5’11 and 145lbs it sounds too big, however b/c of the research I had done, we were on board. I had even gone so far as to model her leg in AutoCAD and prove the geometry stuff to myself! Since she’s 6" longer in the femur than the lower leg, it REALLY screws up the geometry of the saddle fit/balance.
During our discussions we talked a/b saddle fit theory. He said that the issue isn’t flap position/shape for her; it’s the stirrup bar in relationship to the bottom of the seat. It would be a huge understatement to say that he knocked it out of the park on his pick for her. She LOVES this saddle and her trainer said that it has improved her riding immensely. After she and I talked about it more, she said that she remembers when Jimmy Wofford was making saddles, he told her that the most important thing is the relationship of the stirrup bar to the bottom of the seat.
Schleese has a good article on the subject.
http://www.schleese.com/documents/Leg%20Length%20and%20your%20position%20June%2008.pdf
- Think of your hips and the bottom of the seat as fixed positions that line up with each other.
- Femur goes from the hip to the knee roll.
- Knee to the heel, then forward to the ball of the foot.
- Straight up from the ball of the foot to the stirrup bar.
You can change the flap all day long, but if you don’t move the stirrup bar aft, you won’t accommodate a rider with a long femur in such a way that they will be able to sit (balance) correctly. B/c of their long upper leg, the balance point will always be too far forward which will force them to chair seat, regardless of stirrup length. It’s all geometry and physics. The larger seat size allows the rider to have the distance they need to accommodate their leg length. Coupled with the fact that he sets the stirrup bars further back, it fits. If your seat is secure and balanced, the extra “space” shouldn’t matter.
ETA - Fixed Link, Sorry!! lol
This is absolutely the case. The position of the stirrup bars is the key. In most saddles they are not far enough back for riders with long femurs.
[QUOTE=wlrottge;6033905]
You can change the flap all day long, but if you don’t move the stirrup bar aft, you won’t accommodate a rider with a long femur in such a way that they will be able to sit (balance) correctly. B/c of their long upper leg, the balance point will always be too far forward which will force them to chair seat, regardless of stirrup length. [/QUOTE]
The link didn’t work, but I understand the logic of what you are saying. I’m not terribly sure if I fall victim this? My saddle pushes my thigh too straight and I carry my legs too far back instead of the traditional chair seat. I’m currently riding in a borrowed 18" and I have to admit I hate not being able to feel the saddle at all behind me. I’m not sliding around or anything, just don’t like the feeling. Don’t really know how to merge these two ideas (i.e. farther back stirrup bars and keeping with my traditional - and comfotable for me - 17.5" saddle)?
I’ll be trying out the Stubben next week, I might be able to try a Schleese Wave as well as an Arthur Kottas Imperial.
The advice I’ve gotten has been great, please keep it coming!!
If you think your stirrup bar is to far foreward try sliding a rubber martingale stop over the bar in front of your leather
Although it isn’t a big and fancy name in saddles, I bought an HDR Rivella 17.5 with an XL flap (I’m 5’9 and pants size 30) about a month ago. It is extremely comfortable, puts me right where I want to be (saddle fitter and trainer both concur). Might be worth a look! Plus it is nicer on the wallet 
After riding in a clinic with Maj Beale where he described my femur as “unusually long” I went to a 19 inch seat Trilogy Verago. Far and away the best saddle decision I ever made. Absolutely could not stand the Passier GG, it put me in an awful chair seat.
I know this is a super old thread but it was so helpful, I thought I would check in for tips. I am looking to purchase an endurance / trail saddle out of the English tradition. My last saddle was a Courbette CC saddle in (I believe) 17". I have a 35" inseam (36" until my feet went flat), with long femurs. I ordered the saddle with “extra forward flaps” which helped a lot. I am going to buy used so I am trying to garner as much info as possible so as to narrow down options. Also, when I got the Courbette, I weighed about 148lbs in a 34 y.o. body and I am now 160lbs in a 60 year old body. I would consider an Aussie or Western saddle if it maintained the simplicity and weight of an English saddle. I will also purchase a “schooling saddle” of some sort, but it is the long ride saddle that takes precedence. Thank you!
