would you buy the saddle before the horse?

[sally]

has anyone ever bought a saddle( say allaround english) for their own comfort
to use on different school horses)i might be a couple years off from a horse lease or
purchase, but i was thinking today, maybe
it would be nice to have my own saddle...
what say ye? sally

[Sonia]

An interesting question and one that I would like answering too, as I'm about to share a horse whose antiquated saddle does absolutely nothing to help me sit in the correct position

[Maria]

The answer is I'm afraid - no! You shouldn't buy the saddle before the horse! It is really important that the saddle fits both the horse and the main rider. Horses like riders come in all shapes and sizes and you may find that a particular saddle just doesn't suit the horse.

Why not consider buying one of Heather Moffett's seat bone savers which you can fit to any saddle to make it more comfortable and to help you sit in the correct position. If you're riding school horses it's often useful to have your own set of stirrup leathers and irons too, which you can put on any saddle.

[judyl]

Hi Sally

I must agree with Maria, you must have the saddle fitted to the horse. You can cause all sorts of problems for the horse by the saddle not fitting properly. I think getting a Heather Moffett seatbone saver and your own leathers and stirrups is a good idea so at least you can feel you are providing something of your own.

Judy

[czar]

I am sorry, I also agree with Maria and Judy becuase buying a saddle for a horse is a bit like buying shoes for a person. They have to be fitted for size and if one saddle fits one horse, it won't necessarely fit another!

CZAR