I’m thinking of going ahead and getting a dressage saddle in a little bit. I have access to a Hulsebos to try, and a Hulsebos fitter was out and checked the fit of my jump saddle and got measurements if I go that way. If it ever stops raining here (no indoor ring), I’m planning on having the fitter who sold me the jump saddle come out with some other things to try. He carries Adam Ellis, Passier, Albion, Patrick, and Black Country. I’m not too worried about what to look for in terms of fit from the horse side of things since that’s what I’m paying the fitter for, but I’ve never really ridden in a dressage saddle (and may or may not have an instructor handy to give an opinion when I try them).If something feels odd I’m not sure I’ll be able to tell if it’s just because I don’t know what I’m doing or if the saddle is not quite right for me. Any particular things to watch out for, make sure to try to do when I’m trying them, any particular thoughts on the brands in question? The jump saddle we are using is an Adam Ellis Chloe (that I like a lot and the Hulsebos fitter said fit him “perfectly”), I’m 5’3 and short-legged with it, Tobler is a quiet sort with very smooth gaits so I don’t need any particular extra help in terms of security and sitting trot (but don’t want to feel like I’m slipping all over the place like a couple of the jump saddles I tried). I know I have a tendency to lean too far forward and pinch with my knees in jumping or AP saddles, always have. Riding in the Hulsebos the once it was dry enough out, it seemed to make me want to rock my pelvis forward so I was sticking my butt out more than do in the Chloe, but don’t know if that’s me or the saddle. Competition goals are very modest. No illusions about actually placing in anything, just want to get out there and see what we can do and see if we can get better as time goes on.
A good fitter is worth their weight in gold. It sounds like you have that going for you already.
As far as brands go: I’m ambivalent on Patrick saddles. They’re really nice for certain people, but it’s not my preference. Adam Ellis makes a nice saddle and I know several people with them & like the Patrick saddle I know, I’ve ridden in them somewhat regularly so have a feel for them - I like them better than Patrick for the balance of the seat. Black Country is a brand that I find really undervalued - I almost bought one years ago (and still kick myself that I didn’t get that saddle!) and the balance it put me in was superb. The Passier saddles I’ve ridden in are all very clearly quality, but something about the balance they put me in doesn’t work well for me. As far as the brands you’ve mentioned, I don’t really have any insights as far as problems or concerns, beyond just make sure it fits you and the horse - they aren’t ones that I have mentally flagged as brands with issues/quality concerns.
One of the best recommendations I can make for seeing what saddles work for you is have a friend video you in all the saddles you trial. Take note as you ride of what shapes of saddle you feel most comfortable in (some people love a deep seat - I hate them, I feel claustrophobic, thigh blocks and stirrup bar position are two other things that can be super impactful for rider form/function). Compare those notes of what you felt to what you see in video. Are you seeing a consistent trend with what pitches you forward, or has you tipping back?
The ideal saddle balance for me, is one that I feel like I can sit neutral in (my leg doesn’t naturally want to come forward or behind, based on the design, my spine is relatively straight and in alignment, my pelvis isn’t getting tipped forward or back).
One thing I found is if you like the demo saddle, buy the demo - don’t order one just like it. These saddles are hand-made and they’re supposed to be the same or as measured, but for some reason, they always are just a little different when ordered. It could also be that the demo is broken in a little bit, but our barn ordered 3 of the same exact saddles and none of them fit like the other and none like the demo.
Saddle finding is HARD. You like it but your horse doesn’t. Your horse likes it but you don’t. You’ve tried 15 saddles and 1 feels better than the rest but you wonder if there’s anything else out there, yet your saddle fitter doesn’t have anything else in your/your horse’s size. I can go on. My default is that it fits the horse and I’ll get used to it (as long as it doesn’t put me in a bad position - eg, if I automatically adopt a chair seat, it’s a no go).
This may be specific to the individual fitter, so take with a grain of salt: One of the gals at my barn uses Hulsebos, and after seeing the issues she’s gone through and then observing a fitting session, I would be hesitant to use them. The saddle itself is lovely, but never ever seems to fit quite right - and the horse shows it in his gaits/attitude.
I’d borrow every saddle you can and ride in a bunch. Dressage saddles are much more fit sensitive than jump saddles (for the rider) which makes sense because you spend a lot more time sitting in them. Try as many as you can before thinking about committing.
Do not get overwhelmed with information. Just pick the saddle your horse and you like the best and do not second guess. I see it time and time again, people get paralyzed in a loop where they keep second guessing based on what they have read about saddles. 6 months to a year later they are still not happy, still saddle searching, having spent a lot if money on fitters and shipping.
Remember that as you are new to dressage, the saddle you buy now may not suit you in a year or so’s time when you’ve actually started to develop a dressage seat.
The quality and availability of the fitter is probably the most important thing about the brand of saddle you buy. If they are an accomplished dressage rider as well, then they should be able to tell you whether the saddle sits you correctly.
Don’t buy anything that hurts. I know that sounds obvious, but a lot of people forget that it’s just as important that you are comfortable as is that the horse is comfortable!
I just bought an Adam Ellis Kemlyn cob. I love the Velcro blocks and swing billet although I know some people don’t. It seems very well made.
Your pelvis should not tip forward like it did with the Chloe. That would happen to me when the seat was too small. Even though I was told an 18" should fit me they were always too small. Oh and there is absolutely no consistency in sizing from one manufacturer to another. A 19" Duett Companion and a 19" Black Country (? Can’t remember the model) were too small, while the same size seat fit me in the Adam Ellis.
Try as many saddles as you can. You will
learn to detect the differences. I spent a small fortune in shipping costs but it was worth it in the end. I second atr, don’t buy anything that hurts.
Thanks for all the advice, everybody! Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of options for borrowing saddles to try, my boy is a bit of an odd duck at our barn, at least among those that have dressage saddles. Kinda flat and wide, not much whither, dramatic difference from the OTTB’s and such everybody else has. I like the idea of getting video if I can’t have an instructor handy, I’m not sure how knowledgeable the multi-brand rep fitter is about the rider side of dressage saddles. I’m hoping that there will be the same kind of clear-cut AHA moment with the dressage saddle as there was with the Chloe. Out of the eight or nine the fitter tried on the horse, there were three or four that the fitter felt were good enough for me to try riding in, and the Chloe was the only one of those that even I thought “Wow, that looks fabulous.” Riding in the others was good, and a darn sight better than the saddle I had been using, but the Chloe was practically “the heavens opened and the angels sang” kind of a feel for me. Fitter didn’t even try to upsell me to one of the more expensive options with anything like “Well, we can put in blocks and adjust the flap position on this one to give you more of the same feel…”. And I was able to just keep the demo. Fingers crossed the process will be as clear and relatively painless as it was for the jump!
