Saddles

[laura jeanne]

I don't have my own horse, but may want to buy my own saddle. The question is, how can I buy a saddle if I don't know what horse I will be riding? I ride the different school horses every week but may be leasing a horse in April, month to month. Even this horse will probably be changed to another as I progress.

[Dreamchaser]

Well I just bought my own saddle and I don't own my own horse, but I will soon. My instructor told me that as long as you buy a nicely used saddle it can fit many horses, although there are some horses it might not fit. One thing about buying a used saddle is if take care of it well, you can sell it later for the same amount of money, or sometimes even more. So you would be best to get a used medium tree saddle, and then you have to find out your seat size. Be careful to get a well used saddle, not a badly used saddle. Do you have anymore questions about buying a saddle?

[Lucy J]

i disagree, thats like saying shoes fit all people. My horse developed back problems due to a badly fitting saddle and now has one specially made, even that has been re-adjusted a few times.

how would you feel if you were wearing a pair of shoes a size to small?

oh, and don't think a thick numnah will help - can you imagine wearing thick socks under those shoes that are too tight?

saddle fitting is a specialist task.

i would not, under any circumstance, buy a saddle that fits me to use on more than one horse. it is not a cost effective exercise.

yes, when buying a saddle for a horse i have to find it comfortable too, but that is secondary to its fit for the horse.

just my view.

[Tootsie4U]

my view too Lucy J :)

[Dreamchaser]

I'm not exactly sure if I am right, that's just what my old instructor told me.

[makebelieve]

Get a saddle that fits YOU and the HORSE.

I am a tiny person, 5.3" and only a 24" or less waist. I find that anything over 17" is too big for me. I currently own a 17.5" but I am exchanging it or doing something with it. A 16.5" fits me perfectly. I have talked to a saddler, and she also suggested that I may be able to pass with a 17.5" but I will feel like I'll slide around a lot. It will fit my horse, but it won't nessecarily fit others.

[tubby]

I agree with Lucy & tootsie, a saddle must be fitted to the horse it's for.Saddles come in fittings ranging from narrow to XX wide, also the trees come in different sizes ie 15ins to 18ins.The shape of the tree has to be taken into consideration too as some are quite flat while others are more curvy. Even the shape of the tree can make a difference to whether a saddle fits or not. Even horses of the same haight will want different sized saddles,& remember people train to be a saddle fitter you won't know enough to do this yourself. So don't buy a saddle if you haven't got a horse it is likely to be the wrong fit & you will have wasted your money.Why not put money away every week so that when you get a horse you will be able to afford a correctly fitted saddle.

[shandy84]

I would either hold off on getting one for the moment as they can cause so many problems if not 100% for the horse or if you really want to buy them although many people don't like them a wintec with adjustable tree would mean you may be able to get it to fit a horse you lease? I wouldn't just buy one and hope for the best always get a saddlefitter and get them to recheck the saddle regulary :)

[laura jeanne]

Thanks for the answers which really make sense. I am five feet tall and weigh 112 pounds. So I think I would need a small saddle but I don't know anything about how they fit a horse.

What if I had a big horse and I am small?? How will it fit me and the the horse at the same time? Why do instructors suggest I get a saddle if they know I am riding different horses all the time? I would not know any better and would probably buy one if I was not reading this web site!!

[Mehitabel]

it's something that's often done in mainland europe and some parts of america. personally, i think it's a terrible idea - lucy explains why. when i worked in france for a year, the saddle i was using (they were amazed when i explained i wouldn't be bringing my own as it was fitted specifically to my horse) didn't fit any of the horses i was riding. i did what i could with gel pads and risers, but it was tough to put it on every day.
http://saddlecheck.co.uk seems to be down at the minute, but keep checkng back and you will be able to learn about saddle fitting.
in a nutshell though, lucy's analogy to shoes is a good one. saddles come in lengths - the size of the bit you sit in - and widths, which correspond to the size of the horses shoulders and back. horses are different sizes, some are wide, some narrow.

[Dreamchaser]

Saddles come in two sizes. The tree size, which is for the horse, and the seat size, which is for you. I just bought my own saddle and without owning a horse, maybe I shouldn't have bought it. Oh no, I think I made a mistake. Maybe I can sell it for more money than I bought it for, since I bought it for cheap off of ebay. Have I done the wrong thing? Should I wait until I find a horse to buy and then find out if it fits them before I sell it?

[whoa]

First Laura J I have to say what I'm about to write is not directed at you!:D (or anyone else!!!)
I am pretty new to riding so I dont have a lot of experience but poorly fitting saddles drive me mad. I'm sure most times it's because people are trying to save some money getting a "nearly fits OK" saddle instead of investing in one that fits perfectly. But how does it save you any money in the long term if your horse develops back problems, has to stop working and you end up with expensive vets bills (nevermind the fact that you're hardly going to ride well if the horse is in pain). Last week I saw a saddle being taken off a pretty broad horse and put on a little pony - even my inexperienced eye could see the saddle couldn't have possibly have fitted them both correctly. I would never consider buying a horse unless I had the money to kit him out properly.
Rant over:D

[PonyCrazy]

well i dont have a horse either but if all goes to plan, i could be loaning simon.
however, as he has his own saddle, it is a size 16" i think and i wanted to buy him a new saddle as a present for me to use myself without having to borrow the YO's so its better to find the horse first and find it's saddle size.
i know my post may be irrelevant to the topic but i just thought i could mention that.


makebelieve, i too am 5'2 and only about 24-27 waist and a 1625 saddle is perfect for me really, i dont find simon's saddle too big or too small.

[Yann]

I agree with everything that's been said, sharing saddles and making do with half fits is a non starter.

The only half possible way to do what you're suggesting is to get a treeless saddle, but they're mostly fiendishly expensive, and don't suit all horses.

[Lucy J]

just to add, i tried to make do with saddles that 'nearly almost fit' and put my horses schooling back months, the first was too narrow and the second far too wide. my poor horse went a terrible length not to work properly and i was devestated when i realised how much pain she had been in.

spending money on a saddle fitter and geting one made was the best thing i ever did. instead of buying a 2nd hand expensive saddle i went for a newer slightly cheaper one which was semi-synthetic. it can also be readjusted indefinitely.

[laura jeanne]

AT the place I ride, I use the same saddle for every horse. I did use a different saddle last week because of what we were working on (2 point) and it had a larger knee roll. I also, 2 weeks ago, used a minimal contact saddle which was awful because I don't have a very good seat yet.

I suppose that at a barn where horses come and go fairly regularly, it would be impossible to have a saddle for every new horse!