I noticed that I have a tendency to slide forward in the saddle towards the pommel. After taking 3 months off (pregnancy + postpartum), I’ve noticed that it is even worse now that I am out of shape/rusty. I keep having to slide myself back physically in the saddle. It occurs both in a dressage saddle and close contact saddle (with a flat seat).
I couldn’t find an obvious answer in a Google search, so maybe I’m not using correct terms? Any tips or exercises I can do to fix it? Preferably exercises off a horse as I am currently only riding once a week at the moment.
That suggests the saddles are too wide/low in front, and now that your stability muscles are weaker, it’s a bigger issue.
can you post a picture of the saddles on, girthed but no pad?
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Currently riding in borrowed saddles/on other people’s horses, so I don’t have a say in saddles unfortunately.
Can you get a picture of one of those saddles, preferably one of each?
If it’s a simple matter of being too wide for your horse, then if the shape is good enough, a thicker pad or a front shim may be a workable solution.
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Agree completely. You shouldn’t need to fight to maintain proper balance in a saddle that fits the horse properly.
If you are sliding forward, it is likely the saddle is too wide. You may be able to fix it using shims but it’s hard to tell without photos. Keep in mind that if the saddle is so wide that it’s putting you off balance, it’s probably exerting pressure on the horse’s withers.
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