Stressed about wanting my own saddle

[Lolatwinkletoes]

I’m an older rider starting over after a twenty year break. My old saddle doesn’t fit me anymore (nor my jeans from twenty years ago either!) I’m riding at a great hunter barn and hope to start showing again soon. I do not want to own a horse again, but am definitely interested in a half-lease at some point.

Here is the rub: the saddles at the barn do not fit me. I need an 18" saddle. I make do but I don’t like having to fight against a saddle to get my correct position. The trainers at the barn are supportive of me getting my own saddle but I’ve been getting flack from some other people asking how I can get a saddle without it being fitted to one horse - like I’m going to hurt the lesson or lease horse through my selfishness.

I was under the impression that if you bought a good quality saddle with a medium wide tree that with pads, half pads etc., you could make it work on most horses I’d be riding. Am I being selfish to want a saddle that fits me and makes it more comfortable and secure (!) to ride?

Btw, I wouldn’t wish trying to find a good, used saddle at a reasonable price that fits you on anyone! It’s soul crushing at times.

[BeeHoney]

You are completely right, there are saddles out there that will fit a wide variety of horses with relatively “normal” backs quite reasonably well. Let’s not be ridiculous here–no matter how high end of a barn you are in, I highly doubt each horse in this barn you are at has it’s own custom fitted saddle.

The only problem I see with getting your own saddle is that 1) sometimes you may indeed ride a horse that your saddle doesn’t fit and your saddle will have to sit that ride out, and 2) at some point you may purchase your own horse and according to the dictate of fate that horse will almost certainly be one of the few that your saddle doesn’t fit.

[jaybird660]

Many people do ride horses with the same saddle. Nevertheless, horses are all different and if the ones you ride are very similar in width and topline, then you might be able to work. Yet, how would you feel if there was one pair of shoes and everyone padded them to try to make them fit their feet. Wider is easier to pad. If it is too narrow, rocks or bridges, the horse does suffer.

[Canaqua]

I was in the same situation you are when I came back to riding five years ago, after 20 something years off. I have long legs and a very long femur and most of the saddles available in the barns I’ve ridden at do not fit me…knee hanging over the flap and balance way off. None of the places I’ve been have traditional school horses, just boarders who will lend/part lease their horse and a few personal horses belonging to the trainer. Like you, I never intend to own a horse again, I’m not willing to take on that long term commitment at this point in my life.

Since most horses at these barns are TB or TB/WB with similar backs, I did what you are thinking of and found a used saddle that fit me, had a generous medium tree, could accommodate withers and had standard/generic panels. I also invested in a Mattes pad with shims. This has worked for most horses I’ve ridden. When riding a new horse, I have the trainer look at the setup with me and we’ll adjust shims as needed. There have been a handful or horses that my saddle was just wrong for and no amount of shimming would fix: a draft cross with a flat back, a medium pony and a VERY tall and narrow TB…tree wrong shape or size and not something that can be accommodated with padding.

For my two half-leased horses (one for two years, one for three), I have the saddle fitter look at the saddle on the horse when she is out. She’ll make sure the fit is still acceptable and adjust shims, stuff wool into the Mattes to fine tune things. That only costs $50.

[Daventry]

[QUOTE=Lolatwinkletoes;8377343]

I was under the impression that if you bought a good quality saddle with a medium wide tree that with pads, half pads etc., you could make it work on most horses I’d be riding.[/QUOTE]

No, this is incorrect. It would be comparable to you purchasing a size 7 pair of shoes, but your feet are a size 8, and then putting on two pairs of socks to try and fix the problem. Adding more padding to an already ill-fitting saddle can actually make the problem much worse.

I agree with everything that has been said so far. Some great suggestions to try and help.

[Draftmare]

[QUOTE=Lolatwinkletoes;8377343]
I’m an older rider starting over after a twenty year break. My old saddle doesn’t fit me anymore (nor my jeans from twenty years ago either!) I’m riding at a great hunter barn and hope to start showing again soon. I do not want to own a horse again, but am definitely interested in a half-lease at some point.

Here is the rub: the saddles at the barn do not fit me. I need an 18" saddle. I make do but I don’t like having to fight against a saddle to get my correct position. The trainers at the barn are supportive of me getting my own saddle but I’ve been getting flack from some other people asking how I can get a saddle without it being fitted to one horse - like I’m going to hurt the lesson or lease horse through my selfishness.

I was under the impression that if you bought a good quality saddle with a medium wide tree that with pads, half pads etc., you could make it work on most horses I’d be riding. Am I being selfish to want a saddle that fits me and makes it more comfortable and secure (!) to ride?

Btw, I wouldn’t wish trying to find a good, used saddle at a reasonable price that fits you on anyone! It’s soul crushing at times.[/QUOTE]

I had this same issue when I was riding with my school’s EQ team. All of the saddles in the barn were 16.5 or 17 inch seats. I typically need an 18 or 18.5 inch seat. I had such a hard time in those saddles. At the time I did not own a horse of my own, but so badly wanted to get a saddle that would fit my butt. I ended up buying a Collegiate with the changeable gullet system. The saddle fit most of the lesson horses, and I could change out the gullet if I needed to. It was soooo much better, and made a huge difference in my riding to have something that fit me.

If your trainer supports you wanting to buy your own saddle, ignore the other people. Just be aware that if you do get serious about one horse via a lease, you may have to buy something different. But for now, make yourself comfortable. A well fitting saddle can make a world of difference in your progression.

[yellowbritches]

It is ridiculous to rise in saddles that make you fight for your position. You can’t get better and stronger if that’s the case. Buy a saddle that fits you. Unless the horses you ride are all VERY, uniquely different, you should be fine with a generous medium or medium wide and a decent selection of pads. Talk to your trainers and get some guidance on what to look for. Obviously, if you’re riding school horses, they’re going to know what brands will work best for them, and should be able to give you ideas on things to look for for YOU.

[x]

As a trainer, when I bought a saddle, I tried several, and the way I tried them was to try them on multiple horses; when I found one that tended to fit the larger majority of horses, I bought it. I had some other saddles to fit the odd shaped horse, but my good french saddle does fit many of the horses I ride. I would try the saddle you are getting on a number of horses, and pick the one that seems most versatile fit-wise.

[Madison]

I came back to riding after a long break, and the saddle I used on my retired hunter fit NOTHING. I too need an 18 or 18.5, and the only saddle at the barn I could use was slippery and not helpful to my position. I also need a long forward flap. Used saddles in my configuration were hard to find, and I actually ended up having to buy a new saddle, but I have never regretted the purchase and it really helped my riding. I bought a CWD SE01 and the tree has a 4.5" point-to-point measurement, and has fit almost everything I’ve put it on, with help from a shimmable half pad for easy adjustments. The reality is you need a saddle you can comfortably ride in, and that means you need to buy one. So, find something you like, buy it, and ignore the questions - you have good reason to buy one even if you don’t own a horse. The only caveat is that in this situation you have to recognize that if you later buy or lease a horse that it doesn’t fit, you could have to find something else.

[Hunterkid]

[QUOTE=Daventry;8377495]
No, this is incorrect. It would be comparable to you purchasing a size 7 pair of shoes, but your feet are a size 8, and then putting on two pairs of socks to try and fix the problem. Adding more padding to an already ill-fitting saddle can actually make the problem much worse.

I agree with everything that has been said so far. Some great suggestions to try and help.[/QUOTE]

That’s true if the saddle is too narrow. Does not apply if the saddle is too wide.

[OveroHunter]

I’ve heard great things about CWDs fitting a wide variety of horses if you can find a reasonably priced used one. Most of the truly weirdly shaped horses in reputable barns probably already have a custom saddle if the average saddle cannot be padded to fit it that you would have to use anyway regardless of you buying a saddle.

I own one of those horses and he has to be ridden in his saddle no matter what, so when I’ve leased him out or lent him to a friend, they have to take my saddle with them.

[Wonders12]

More or less echo-ing what others said:

Yes, a med-wide or moving to the wide side is going to be your best bet.

Invest in some good pads if your instructor doesn’t have a bunch you can borrow. The mattes pad with shims mentioned above might be a good choice.

Get good at saddle fitting. I don’t mind when students want their own saddles, but if I need to custom fit your saddle to every horse before every lesson, I’m going to be a little frustrated. I’ll always check it, but I’d prefer if you already have it fitting well most of the time.

Accept (in practice, not just in talk) that your saddle isn’t going to fit everyone. Again, I don’t mind if students have their preferred saddle, but it’s not ok to try to force fit a saddle onto a horse it doesn’t fit. I see a lot of students looking at the fit and trying to justify why it will work. The difficult part is, most aren’t doing it maliciously, but it’s easy to become bias. So be extra aware of that.

[Xanthoria]

I come from the school of thought that each horse should have it’s own saddle, and when I was growing up in 10 years of school horses each one had a saddle and nobody shared: bringing in a saddle to fit many backs would never have been considered OK, and yes, as you mention would have been seen as selfish.

Having returned to horses as an adult 17 years ago, I can say I would not allow anyone to put their random saddles on my horses and ride in them.

I get that in instances where funds are short a lesson program manager might have to do some saddle juggling, but it’s not truly in their best interests: they earn a living from their animals, and a sore back due to a bad saddle fit loses them money.

They are also in the awkward position of wanting to make the client happy, so no doubt they may agree to this sub-optimal situation out of fear of losing you.

If you’re serious enough about riding that your position is holding you back, and the trainer doesn’t have/won’t get a saddle that accommodates your size, it may be time to either stick to one or maybe two horses who can realistically, truly share that saddle, or lease a horse.

By now you will know that a poorly fitting saddle affects a horse’s way of going just as much, if not more than poor rider position. So no doubt you’re keen to remove any impediment to poor rides.

As Wonders12 said, being proficient, and also not delusional, re saddle fitting, is a skill you’ll have to develop. Perhaps go on a ride along with a saddle fitter for a day?

[jhg140]

You will be fine.

I rode tons of horses as a working student, and used my same saddle on all of them. Most of the trainers I know have 2-3 saddles, and none of them are custom fitted to any one horse, since horses are constantly coming and going through their barns. How on earth do people expect that to work??

[AmmyByNature]

I’ve never been at a barn where every lesson horse had its own saddle. If your trainer is okay with you getting one and thinks it’ll fit the majority of the horses you ride well enough, go ahead with her assistance.

Despite what you read on this board, not every horse is an impossible to fit, hot house flower with a totally unique back. You just don’t hear about everyone who does NOT have saddle fitting issues.

If your trainer is fine with it, go ahead.

[snaffle635]

^^^ This.

I’ve never seen a school horse with a really nice, custom-fitted saddle*. I’d venture to guess that the saddle you buy for yourself will be nicer and more comfortable (for you AND the horse) than the average school-horse saddle.

Go buy yourself a nice saddle.

*oops, I just lied. I did see some college school horses with their own, very nice tack once.

[BAC]

You should go ahead and buy a saddle that fits you well, I have always had a saddle whether I was owning or leasing. I bought my CWD with pro panels which will help fit more horses and was lucky that it was a good fit for the horses I was riding at the time. Occasionally it didn’t fit and I used the horse’s own saddle or my old Stubben which seemed to fit almost everything.

[RugBug]

[QUOTE=AmmyByNature;8378663]
I’ve never been at a barn where every lesson horse had its own saddle. If your trainer is okay with you getting one and thinks it’ll fit the majority of the horses you ride well enough, go ahead with her assistance.

Despite what you read on this board, not every horse is an impossible to fit, hot house flower with a totally unique back. You just don’t hear about everyone who does NOT have saddle fitting issues.

If your trainer is fine with it, go ahead.[/QUOTE]

This. My mare, who has a sensitive back likes saddles that she shouldn’t. No one told her how a saddle is supposed to fit, apparently.

But, even though I don’t think every horse needs it’s very own special saddle, I wouldn’t let anyone put just any saddle on my horse. :winkgrin: In fact, I cringed when my geldings former owner came to ride and put her saddle on him. The one he wore the whole 3 years she owned him. :eek: :DTotally hypocritical, but oh well.

[Lolatwinkletoes]

Wow that is a really good suggestion about the shims and the saddle fitter. I would never want my lesson horse or lease to be distressed or uncomfortable by a poor saddle fit. Thanks - that calms me a little!

[Lolatwinkletoes]

Thank you!