It took a while of saddle searching to find what I liked and fit my horse.
For my jump saddle I learned that I appreciate a saddle that will help me sit back and feel secure, something with support up front. I like the “locked and loaded” feel. Something with a deep seat, a forward flap, and narrow/medium twist. I usually like a slightly bigger seat. I’m small, 5’6, but ride in an 17.5-18" saddle b/c I like having room to move in the seat. I ended up with a Black Country Wexford with a forward flap and big knee rolls. With my prior jump saddle I was constantly falling forward, having a hard time maintaining my leg position, and feeling like I had to fight to keep myself in the right position. In my new saddle it really helps to rock me back and allow me to sit up straight, while still having the ability to get up out of the tack. I also like the saddle because I have a wide horse, that fits best in saddles with a wide twist, but I don’t like a wide twist. The BC Wexford feels like a narrow/medium twist to me but fits him really well. I’ve never felt insecure in it and it really helps when riding the spooky babies.
For my dressage saddle, I’m the opposite. I need to be able to move. I hate the saddles with huge knee rolls that lock you in. I prefer the knee rolls that end about mid-thigh or minimal knee rolls.I like at least an 18" seat in dressage. I ended up with a PDS Carl Hester. It fits my horse well, and fits me pretty well. Still a bit too much knee roll at times, but I’ve gotten used to it. It also has a wider twist than I’m used to, and initially I thought I wouldn’t like it but in time I stopped noticing it.
The deciding factor for both saddles, other than how it fit my horse, was how confident I felt in it. When I tried the BC Wexford, that big oxer didn’t seem so intimidating. In other saddles, it did. Some people are totally opposite of me and would hate my saddles. Its just about figuring out your personal preferences. Think about your riding flaws and if they can be helped with different saddle features.
As for how you can tell if the twist is right for you-- you’ll know. If you sit in a saddle and immediately think “ow”, that’s too narrow or too wide. If it just feels slightly different, ride in it a bit and see if you’ll get used to it. Flexion nailed it with the board analogy. In my experience unless you have wide set hips, most women prefer a narrow to medium twist.
