Uncomfortable in the saddle

[JBCool]

Ok, I guess it is time to admit my saddle just isn’t comfortable for me (of course it fits the horse), but I’m not sure what differences to look for that might help when shopping. The saddle is a Pessoa A/O if that helps comparison. No friends seem to have had quite the same problem, so I’ll ask you guys.

I have been dealing with a lot of discomfort in the hip/lower back/butt (might as well be honest) area. Mostly where the upper thigh muscles tie in at my seat bones like if you’ve been sitting on a board fence or hard bleacher too long. Almost feels like pressure on the inner front of the seat bones is stretching soft tissue in the area? Burning discomfort in any muscle/ligament surrounding the hip joint itself that then extends up and around the outside of the hip and even into the lower abdominal area.

I think I may need a flatter and wider seat as it is possible my seat bones are pressing on the seam of the seat. Seat savers have helped some, but I don’t feel like that is a true fix and it doesn’t go away entirely. I am trying some different saddles at the barn, but was curious if anyone here has had a similar problem and what helped. THANK YOU!

[Small_Change]

Try sitting in a variety of saddles, if you can, and make note of what feels good and what doesn’t. Sometimes, a narrower twist (the “waist” of the seat of the saddle, right under your perineum) is actually more comfortable for women. Although it feels like more support in that area would be better, sometimes less width is actually much more comfortable.

[Calvincrowe]

I agree-- I take a narrow twist saddle. The wider, flatter ones are so uncomfortable for me. Try as many as you can, maybe get an independent saddle fitter out as well. Everyone’s anatomy is different and what we see on the outside isn’t always indicative of our inner structure.

[HorseLover65]

I agree with Small_Change and Calvincrowe. I rode in a Stubben for one year that fit my horse great but caused me the most hip/low back pain of any saddle I ever rode in. The twist was wide. Replaced the saddle and noticed immediate relief from discomfort.

[Bristol_Bay]

My trainer has a loose policy of community saddles. When I realized how much my saddle was limiting me as well as causing the Inverness problem (do a search if you’re not familiar), I got to try a bunch of different saddles and ended up with a used CWD that is working well. Less back pain and I can sit the canter and some trot. The saddles that work for me are the CWD Mademoiselle and any County jump saddle I’ve ever sat in.

Just try as many as you can and go from there. All the online used saddle sites allow free trials with shipping on them.

[Paint_Party]

I’d also suggest a more narrow twist. I need a narrow twist for both my English and western saddles. Not only was I having lower back pain (an Acavallo seat saver helped some), but I also developed chronic pelvic pain. My doctors were at their wit’s end trying to diagnose it. I was almost embarrassed to tell them that once I switched saddles, the pain eventually went away.

As you try different saddles, be sure to ride in them a few times before deciding pro or con. The inflammation in your body has to have enough time to subside.

[GreyDes]

You may be right about the saddle seat. I have seat bones that are fairly wide apart and need the saddle to be wide enough to support them. I’ve painfully found out that not all saddles do this!

You can get a rough measure by sitting on your hands and feeling where your seat bones dig in, then estimating the space between. If you measure saddles across the seat you’ll see there are some major differences between models. Try a wider one and see if that helps. The twist suggestion is a good one as well, although I’m the opposite and can’t do a super narrow twist.

[hoopoe]

It is always good when you can try saddles within your barn. Relieves a lot of the fuss of the take and try.

Consider,as well, the possibility of issues inside the pelvis. Fibroids can put pressure on nerves which radiate and cause discomfort. Tightness in some of the muscles and ligaments can be chronic and a Urogynocologist ( not a gynecologist) can get to the bottom of this. It might involve some PT and home exercise to help keep the pelvis floor free from tension . Mine exclaimed how tight my hips were and that was diagnosed from the inside of the pelvis.

I have experienced pain you describe from both fibroids and muscle and ligament issues. The latter long after I stopped riding

[sheltoneb]

Not a hunter/jumper rider, but I have had problems in that area in a dressage saddle. The issue was the the seat itself wasn’t wide enough and the outside portion of my butt hung off the saddle. This created pressure points because my seat wasn’t fully supported. It had nothing to do with the twist of the saddle. In my case, it caused me to go numb. You might want to check to see if that is the problem.

For context, I am 5’3 and 165 lbs. So overweight but not particularly obese.

[JBCool]

Thank you, everybody. Several of these ideas make sense. I will see what I can borrow around the barn and def talk to my doctor if it does not improve. Figured someone else has to have been there!

[CHT]

I have had that issue and I am thin, so I don’t think it is a weight/width issue, but more just where your seat bones sit relative to how the seat drops off at the sides. Some seem to drop off more sharply. Pelvis shape can be very individual.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

I actually had bleeding and chafing on my seat bones riding two different lesson horses-a 13h pony and 17.3h Thoroughbred, both of whom took very narrow-twisted saddles. A seat saver helped some, but it’s not really a replacement for a saddle that fits.(These were ancient lesson saddles.)

[Calvincrowe]

Me too, Bristol! County saddles are my absolute favorite fit. I ride in the Mademoiselle now but am hoping to get the county rep out to see if a model fits my mare.

[Bristol_Bay]

That’s what I have, the Mademoiselle. I previously had an SE02, which I hated. The gal who part leases my horse has owned that saddle for two years and loves it. Everyone is different!

[ComingAttraction]

I bit the bullet and found one that fit the horse and is so comfortable!! Wasn’t cheap though but at my age my azz deserves it!

[JBCool]

Resurrecting this old thread rather than start anew. I am still on the saddle hunt. I have been riding in a (very generous!) friend’s saddle, but haven’t been able to find one like it. I have tried several other brands and models (Antares, Voltaire, Devocoux, Amerigo) and come close but haven’t quite hit the nail. The closest fit for me was the Amerigo, but my horse vetoed it. So, what rides like a Bruno Delgrange Rivoli? And where do you look for budget-friendly ones? Thanks again!

[Ponyplusaninch]

What about an Equipe? They’re very close to the Amerigo but foam paneling instead of wool. Maybe your horse would like that better?

[Bristol_Bay]

Might be a good idea to send feelers out to the online consignment tack shops and let them know what you’re in the market for. They might run across such a saddle that they’d otherwise not take in trade because it’s older or too specialized.

Highline, Redwood, Pelham, Old Dominion— there are many out there that will all let you take saddles on trial.

[JBCool]

@Bristol_Bay

Highline, Redwood, Pelham, Old Dominion— there are many out there that will all let you take saddles on trial.

Oh, I haunt all of those and have tried & returned a bunch. Just wasn’t sure if there was a source I didn’t know about.

[JBCool]

I haven’t tried those. Just didn’t know anything about them. Thanks for the info.