Does anyone have any accessories they recommend for trail riding in an english saddle? I have started wearing a fanny pack 
to carry a water and phone with me, but I’m just wondering if there are any accessories for english saddles like there are for western saddles?
For short rides I use one of the Stowaway Easyboot carriers and mount it with the clip on the front D ring of the saddle pommel and one of the strings tied off to the top of the girth buckle. It holds a 16oz bottle of water, keys, camera, phone, etc. It sits steady along the horse’s shoulder well in front of my knee and easy to access. It’s on the bottom of the page. They make other packs for English saddles, too.
http://www.easycareinc.com/Other_Products/Stowaway_Packs.aspx
That looks great! Thanks so much for the link. I just haven’t been coming up with much on web searches.
Although…now the more I read through this forum…I’m getting interested in an endurance saddle.
Most people recommend starting out in what you have! Everyone has a different opinion as to which saddles are best and use everything from dressage, aussie, western & treeless. Whatever is comfortable for you and your horse over long distances and terrain is just fine.
I’ve been using a Crosby close contact saddle for all our trail rides. Now that I’ve started doing 3 hour plus rides I do sometimes wish I wasn’t in a saddle that puts me in such a forward seat. The endurance saddles interest me a bit just as far as distributing the weight over more of his back. I’m bringing a horse back from being extremely out of shape and skinny, so I worry about doing what’s best for his back.
Stowaway makes pommel and cantle bags specifically for English saddles. They fit pretty snug and close to the saddle, so there is minimal bounce.
My wife sent her VSD-DL back to Stubben and they put 10 d-rings on it in the same pattern as my Scout. It was pretty reasonable (under $200 including shipping and tax). She really likes the saddle for both trail and ring work. It was an elegant solution for us. 
I would think a good saddler could add d-rings to about any English saddle in the number and pattern the owner wants.
G.
There are other threads that delve into saddle preferences and they can get as heated as the barefoot/shoes threads so I wasn’t going to go there unless you mentioned it. They also make saddlepads with D rings on them if that is your only concern but it sounds more like you’re worried about his back and your position.
I am no lightweight so long rides in any English saddle will leave my horse sore but others ride 100 miles in dressage saddles. My suggestion is to try try try as many saddles as you can. What works for one horse and rider may be horrible for another. I love my Freeform (“It’s like a couch!!”–my old dressage instructor) but it is not for everyone. I can’t ride in the Torsion comfortably but other folks love it. I have not found one treed saddle with enough bearing surface that doesn’t restrict my horse’s shoulders, but that is mostly due to her movement and conformation. Others find treed saddles fit their horses better and find treeless makes them sore. Just try as many different saddles as you can before you buy.
They sell saddle english saddle pads that have a pocket in them. When I used to ride trail in an AP saddle I used that for a hoof pick, etc.
My hubby, who rides in an english saddle, is considering buying this right now… http://www.sportack.com/cms/index.cfm/path/94789/96913/96322/96332/96933/202057/
Cashel used to make a product called Tie-One-On for English saddles, which you could put in between your saddle and pad to add 6 D-rings to your saddle. I can’t find it on their site anymore, so they may have stopped making it. But I did find it here:
http://www.thedistancedepot.com/Cashel_English_Tie_One_On_D_Rings_p/ftr-ctooe.htm
For starters, I made sure when I had to buy a new English saddle 6 years ago to get dee rings on both sides. I have a little English saddle bag that goes on one set of dee rings (it’s a cheapie, I got it at wholesaletack.com or some similar site), and a leather water bottle holder I had made that goes on the other set, it holds a 1/2 liter water bottle. I also have a big square quilted pad with pockets. And another bottle holder that can clip to a front ring if desired.
If you want to go so far as pack an English saddle for camping- see article w/pics at www.bchu.com, click on Education page, and scroll down the page to the link that says ‘English Saddle single horse.’
I use a regular western horn bag and used tie spots that were on it to add a couple of dollar store dog collars to attach it to my billets. The flat part goes under the back of the saddle, between the saddle and pad, then I put the collars around the billets to hold it. Pictures can be seen here:
http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/cap7297/
The nice things are that it is easy to use on any saddle and holds a lot of stuff. It does kind of flop at the gallop like western saddle bags, but I have never had it move or fall off and the horses quickly learn to ignore it.
Christa
I’m glad I saw this thread. I have a Wintec Pro Dressage and it has ZERO “D” rings. There are no rings to attach anything. Am I missing something??? I have to use a fanny pack when I trail ride. I wonder if the leather-saddle repair guy in our area can add some rings for me.
[QUOTE=tpup;4130769]
I’m glad I saw this thread. I have a Wintec Pro Dressage and it has ZERO “D” rings. There are no rings to attach anything. Am I missing something??? I have to use a fanny pack when I trail ride. I wonder if the leather-saddle repair guy in our area can add some rings for me.[/QUOTE]
My horn bags are simply attached to the girth billets - no d-rings needed:
http://s620.photobucket.com/albums/tt284/cap7297/
and they are available at most tack stores that carry western and trail equipment.
Christa
You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for all the suggestions. They are all great. I never knew there were so many options!
Thank you Christa! That will definitely work
Just looking at that Tie-One-on, it looks like it would be very easy to copy cheaply, and maybe even improve. The price is pretty high for what it is.
You can get canvas, leahter, pl-eather, and heavy nylon at any fabric store. And the dee rings are sold at fabric stores and I just recently got a ocuple pkgs. at Wally’s.
I have a saddle bag which I got from Tack-of-the-Day awhile back - sweet deal! It fits with both my English and Western saddle.
I’m a h/j rider, so I spend more time in my english saddle. I usually ride with a sheepskin 1/2-pad, so I just add a square pad on top (so the saddle pad sits on the square pad, instead of on his back). It has straps that connect up to the front D-rings, and I usually add a second strap lower (going around the girth under my knee), so it doesn’t flap around when we’re trotting/cantering. Here’s a pic:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w78/megan_eileen/Megan2.jpg
[sorry, the view isn’t the best to see the saddle bag…]
I also use it with my western saddle. I can secure it there with the leather tie straps, and it fits over the back of the western saddle & the pad:
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w78/megan_eileen/IMG_3372.jpg
I usually keep the following in my saddle bags (for rides in the 2-3 hr range):
- windbreaker - never know when it will get cold unexpectedly (mine is very light-weight and folds up really small)
- swiss army knife - never know when you’ll need to cut/break something
- bailing twine - handy for random repairs and such on-the-go
- trail map - I ALWAYS print one before going to a new place (many parks’ map boxes are empty when we’ve arrived), and find myself regularly checking them to decide on route, timing, & elevation gain
- water - usually 1 bottle for me & 1 for whatever other riding friend is coming along
- snacks - granola bar, etc.
- horse treats - 'cuz he’s a good boy
- sunscreen - 'cuz skin cancer is evil
- extra lead rope - never know when you’ll need it in an emergency
I usually leave the halter on under the bridle & tie up the lead rope. I like the ability to tie my horse quickly in an emergency, or be able to let him relax for a break by taking off his bridle. Also, make sure you load the saddle bags evenly between the two sides. Water bottles make the biggest impact, so I usually put 1 on each side.
I have a cordura water bottle bag I got at Tractor Supply. It’s got the main pouch for a water bottle and then an added little velcro pouch for other small items–I can fit a hoof pick, small bottle of sunscreen, ID, etc. all in there. It’s got a clip so it can clip onto the D-rings on my saddle…
Check out the bicycle section at Target or Wal-Mart. They have some small bags that go well across the pommel or on the back dee rings. Also check out Horse.com, They have tons of saddle bags that can be modified with spur straps, snaps, or dog collars to work on english saddles. Any saddle repair shop should be able to add dee rings to your saddle. The saddle pads with the pockets are really great, I bought one from State Line Tack a few years ago and it is indespensible with my dressage saddle. I am not sure if they still sell them. They are also ok with some endurance saddles if they are not long or large seat size, measure carefully so the saddle doesn’t sit on the binding and make your horses back sore.
Happy trails, Jen 
