Saddle Size?

[TwoDaysTooLate]

Hi,

I asked my friend to measure my saddle today, and it came up with an 18" seat, and then a 5.5" gullet.
What would that be d-ring to d-ring approximately?
Also would that be wide, extra wide, medium wide?
Thanks,
Julia

 

[eventerbabe]

A recently retired and highly regarded master saddler in my neck of the woods took to social media to berate the use of d to d measurements. They don't tell you much of any use. They don't tell you tree width, panel width or tree type. At a recent saddle talk it was interesting to hear that the same model of saddles can have different types of trees in them without us lay people knowing. What was the purpose of asking your friend to measure the saddle (haven't been on NR much lately so may have missed a previous post)?

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

A recently retired and highly regarded master saddler in my neck of the woods took to social media to berate the use of d to d measurements. They don't tell you much of any use. They don't tell you tree width, panel width or tree type. At a recent saddle talk it was interesting to hear that the same model of saddles can have different types of trees in them without us lay people knowing. What was the purpose of asking your friend to measure the saddle (haven't been on NR much lately so may have missed a previous post)?

Alas it seems to be what most people go by
I am currently abroad and where I am, there are many saddles etc for sale - so having contacted my saddler, he recommended that I measure the gullet size and seat size of my current Stubben and apply them to my search!
I am fully aware that he might be advising me wrongly, but haven't head of any other way...

 

[eventerbabe]

Oh I agree. You see it all the time on social media, potential buyers asking for D measurements. So you are wanting to use the measurements to track down a new saddle? Have you had your friend check for sizes/widths stamped on your saddle?

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

Oh I agree. You see it all the time on social media, potential buyers asking for D measurements. So you are wanting to use the measurements to track down a new saddle? Have you had your friend check for sizes/widths stamped on your saddle?

Yes, I'm after a dressage saddle because my instructor thinks it'll really benefit both myself and my horse! We've checked for measurements many a time on my Stubben but unfortunately because it is so old and so used (I bought it in shocking condition and restored it) all the measurements have rubbed off or been so scratched that they are unreadable!

 

[Cortrasna]

I agree with everything EB has said above but just a small observation here - in my experience even the widest Stubben (in particular older models) never come anywhere near a 'wide' fitting let alone XW etc. Judging by your picture I would be rather surprised if that is an 18" saddle you have there - where did your friend take that measurement?
If you have a reputable saddler it is well worth paying a call out fee to establish the exact size you need IMO.

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

I agree with everything EB has said above but just a small observation here - in my experience even the widest Stubben (in particular older models) never come anywhere near a 'wide' fitting let alone XW etc. Judging by your picture I would be rather surprised if that is an 18" saddle you have there - where did your friend take that measurement?
If you have a reputable saddler it is well worth paying a call out fee to establish the exact size you need IMO.

See, that's what I was thinking...
Annoyingly enough, that picture is from when I loaned my horse - when I bought him I also bought a saddle, but whether it's the same saddle? No one knows...

 

[Jessey]

D to d is definitely no science, if you think of the front of the tree as an inverted V, how far the d's are from the apex will change how far they are from each other without changing the width of the V, however it can give you a rough guide as to weather the saddle might be wide enough to possibly try which is why lay people use it. A saddle width is actually determined by the angle of the bars, not any measurement of distance.

As an example my XW is 10.5" from d-d, so 5.5" sounds pretty narrow to me, but if that is a narrow, narrow/med or medium I've no clue.

 

[newforest]

If the saddle is in front of you, you can measure the d measurement as well?

Can you get a saddler out to bring dressage models? It might just be the shape isn't right for you.

 

[carthorse]

I cannot recommend strongly enough that you get a saddler out. Yes you'll pay for the visit, but it should be money well spent as you'll end up with a saddle that fits you & the horse & that you know is sound. It may even be that the one you have can have the flocking altered so that it fits better & helps your position. Where are you? Perhaps someone here can recommend a saddler that covers your area. Before coming out a saddler will want to know what you're looking for, what type of horse you have, your size & your budget so they can tell you whether they have anything suitable & bring the sort of saddle you're looking for.

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

I cannot recommend strongly enough that you get a saddler out. Yes you'll pay for the visit, but it should be money well spent as you'll end up with a saddle that fits you & the horse & that you know is sound. It may even be that the one you have can have the flocking altered so that it fits better & helps your position. Where are you? Perhaps someone here can recommend a saddler that covers your area. Before coming out a saddler will want to know what you're looking for, what type of horse you have, your size & your budget so they can tell you whether they have anything suitable & bring the sort of saddle you're looking for.

Yes, getting a saddler out would be ideal but I don't know of any in my area really - I'm based in Harefield, Middlesex if anyone knows of any! Hopefully they would have something with my low budget - it really isn't much at all

 

[carthorse]

You could try ringing the Society of Master Saddlers & ask for contact details of qualified saddle fitters that cover your area.

If your budget is tiny you may be better to get your current saddle checked & see if that can be adjusted then save up to get a bit more choice in what you get. A bigger budget means you're more likely to get something that fits rather than having to make do with the best available within your range. You might hit lucky & find a cheap saddle fits well though, some of the synthetics around nowadays are decent if they fit your horse.

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

You could try ringing the Society of Master Saddlers & ask for contact details of qualified saddle fitters that cover your area.

If your budget is tiny you may be better to get your current saddle checked & see if that can be adjusted then save up to get a bit more choice in what you get. A bigger budget means you're more likely to get something that fits rather than having to make do with the best available within your range. You might hit lucky & find a cheap saddle fits well though, some of the synthetics around nowadays are decent if they fit your horse.

Yes, i'll definitely call them once I get home. There's a secondhand place very near to my house, and I am friends with the lady who owns it so perhaps she'd let me return saddles if they didn't fit... I have looked at synthetics also but I'd rather a leather saddle Unfortunately it's a dressage saddle i'm after, and I have a general purpose Stubben, hence why I'm looking for another saddle! Thank you so much

 

[eventerbabe]

I actually ride better on the flat in my working hunter saddle than I ever rode in my dressage saddle. Could be worth getting in a fitter and going for just one saddle? I looked at buying my old lad a second hand saddle but even my £800 budget wouldn't stretch to much from the second hand stock my saddler had. My dressage saddle is synthetic and I loved it. No oiling, no cleaning, no worrying about it getting wet. Don't discount them, especially on a limited budget.

 

[carthorse]

Yes, i'll definitely call them once I get home. There's a secondhand place very near to my house, and I am friends with the lady who owns it so perhaps she'd let me return saddles if they didn't fit... I have looked at synthetics also but I'd rather a leather saddle Unfortunately it's a dressage saddle i'm after, and I have a general purpose Stubben, hence why I'm looking for another saddle! Thank you so much

Getting a saddle that fits is far more important than the material it's made of, and unfortunately if your budget is small you might have a very limited choice. If the saddle doesn't fit well - and there's much more to it than length & width - then it may well hamper your position rather than improve it, not to mention having a negative effect on your horse's way of going. I only mentioned the possibility of tweaking the fit on your Stubben because you said the reason you were looking for a dressage saddle was to benefit both of you & it might be that this could be done more cheaply by adjusting what you already have.

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

Getting a saddle that fits is far more important than the material it's made of, and unfortunately if your budget is small you might have a very limited choice. If the saddle doesn't fit well - and there's much more to it than length & width - then it may well hamper your position rather than improve it, not to mention having a negative effect on your horse's way of going. I only mentioned the possibility of tweaking the fit on your Stubben because you said the reason you were looking for a dressage saddle was to benefit both of you & it might be that this could be done more cheaply by adjusting what you already have.

Unfortunately this saddle I have tends to push my leg quite far forward, which causes some issues for us! My instructor thought the best option would be to look into a dressage saddle to sort that out and to help us with competition in the future. But I agree, I definitely should get the Stubben checked as well

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

I actually ride better on the flat in my working hunter saddle than I ever rode in my dressage saddle. Could be worth getting in a fitter and going for just one saddle? I looked at buying my old lad a second hand saddle but even my £800 budget wouldn't stretch to much from the second hand stock my saddler had. My dressage saddle is synthetic and I loved it. No oiling, no cleaning, no worrying about it getting wet. Don't discount them, especially on a limited budget.

Ahh, I've never thought of a synthetic that way! My personal experience with them has been negative - I used to ride a lot in them but found them really uncomfortable and had several girth straps snap on me, so I've avoided them since, however I'm very much open to finding a good one. Are there any good brands of synthetic you would recommend?

 

[carthorse]

Thorowgood are a decent synthetic, and they do leather look & part leather too, but even with changeable gullets they aren't one size fits all - if the tree isn't the right shape then they won't fit. If you had girth straps break then they were badly made &/or badly maintained, they can wear over time but they should have been replaced long before they reached breaking point.

If your saddle is pulling your leg forward then I'd say it isn't right for you & I'd sell or part-exchange it towards another. Riding can be hard enough without fighting your tack!

 

[TwoDaysTooLate]

Thorowgood are a decent synthetic, and they do leather look & part leather too, but even with changeable gullets they aren't one size fits all - if the tree isn't the right shape then they won't fit. If you had girth straps break then they were badly made &/or badly maintained, they can wear over time but they should have been replaced long before they reached breaking point.

If your saddle is pulling your leg forward then I'd say it isn't right for you & I'd sell or part-exchange it towards another. Riding can be hard enough without fighting your tack!

I'll definitely look into the Thorowgood saddles! And yes, I was on a riding school before owning, so their saddles were well worn... And I have considered selling or part exchanging my current saddle but for jumping and hacking it's really good so am hesitant to let it go...

 

[Jessey]

I had a thorowgood, it was the suede look one and I loved it but it wasn't quiet right for my girl (dug in at the back, so adjustable gullets definitely don't fit everything) so it went in the end. I do think synthetics have come on a very long way in the last 10-15 years, they used to be appalling.