15 inch saddle question...

[Spyda]

What max height and weight rider do you think fits comfortably into a 15" show saddle?

I'm 5'1" and 7s 13lbs, and normally proportioned. I have a 15" saddle fitted to my so far unbacked 4 year old and wondered if I was pushing my luck using a pony saddle?

 

[FfionWinnie]

Does your butt fit? It's not just as simple as height and weight. If you have really long thighs for instance you need a bigger seat regardless of your height and weight.

Are you sitting in the middle of the saddle? I'd be surprised if you were as my 6yr old daughter is in a 14", she is tall for her age and very slim, but not anywhere near as tall as 5ft1.

 

[Spyda]

That's the thing; I'm not sat in it as my boy isn't backed yet. I can perch the saddle over the back of the sofa and sit in it and my bum is fine - room behind and in front (I wear size 6 knickers and have a non existent Booty.) My legs are short. But of course, thevover-the-sofa 'trial' doesn't include stirrups, so I really can't tell properly.

Does your butt fit? It's not just as simple as height and weight. If you have really long thighs for instance you need a bigger seat regardless of your height and weight.

Are you sitting in the middle of the saddle? I'd be surprised if you were as my 6yr old daughter is in a 14", she is tall for her age and very slim, but not anywhere near as tall as 5ft1.

 

[Clodagh]

I can ride on a 16", with long stirrups and I am 5'7", so unless you have immensly long legs and no torso I am sure you will be fine. At your weight I doubt you have a huge bum.

 

[peaceandquiet1]

I am sure you will be absolutely fine.

 

[applecart14]

Its not whether your butt fits but its to do with the length of your leg from thigh to knee. This is what dictates what saddle you go for. And also the length of your horse/pony's back.

You should not put a pony saddle on a horse for example. This is because no matter how light the rider, the weight is not distributed correctly over the horses back. The horse should have a saddle measured for it. Uneven pressure or lots of pressure in a small surface area will create a sore back over time. This will in time lead to sore muscles in and around the back and this soreness will go down the horses back into the girth area.

 

[Spyda]

Well yes of course. The saddle is fitted to a short backed pony. I'm just asking if it's likely I'll fit the saddle. Anything longer in the seat will lie dangerously close to the pony's loins. I've tried a 16" for size and it's too long.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Of course it's whether your butt fits that's probably the most important thing Applecart! I also mentioned thigh to knee ratio in my post. My daughter rides our 13.1 in a 14" saddle, and I ride her in a 17" saddle so I don't agree with your comment that it matters not what size and weight the rider is, of course it does. A tiny rider in a tiny seat size but well fitting saddle on a big horse isn't going to cause any issue, why would it. Anyway the op has a small horse and small butt so her small saddle may be completely perfect!

Different seat between saddles of the same supposed seat size and your own conformation will be the things that decide I suppose op. You will just have to try it and see.

 

[be positive]

I think you will be fine in a show saddle with relatively long stirrups as it will not matter so much where your knee is, it can go over the front without causing too much of an issue for you or the pony, it will be different if you want to jump as having the stirrups up shorter will push your seat to the back of a 15in saddle and make fitting one to suit you both more of an issue.
We had a pony in with a short 16in which was fine for flatwork but totally unsuitable for jumping, although the rider was much taller than you.

 

[sbloom]

It is bum size that is the biggest factor, if the rider has long legs it is better to go to a more forward flap than to go for a seat size that drowns the rider (going up 1/2" can be fine but in a dressage saddle it may be enough to make it too tough for the rider). I don't agree that horses "need" a bigger saddle that the rider wants, but we all have our own saddle fitting "paradigms". I'm usually working with short backed ponies and cobs and trying to fit larger riders onto them, but I do see the odd petite rider who's been told she has to have a 17.5" on her big horse and it makes me cross, she'll be unbalanced which is no good either!

If a rider is heavy or tall for a saddle the cantle can often end up lower than the pommel so OP I'd suggest you have a small rear riser pad to hand as you may need it to keep the saddle level, I often provide them to adults schooling their children's ponies. And yes, stirrup leather length makes a big difference, I have had children outgrown their saddles and ponies for jumping but can keep riding flatwork because of it.

 

[ester]

I'd agree, no reason a horse needs a longer saddle just because it is a horse! A small lightweight person is not going to generate any more pressure on a horse than they would on a pony and much better for them to be able to ride in a balanced and effective way!

 

[happyclappy]

At 5,1" and between 7 and 8 stone i found a 15" saddle very comfy. I would say you will be ok.

 

[Spyda]

Okay, brilliant (as always!) and some really good advice too. It's reassuring to know I can at least back my youngester in this saddle (with maybe the addition of a rear riser if needs be), since I obviously wont be doing any jumping for a while. Many thanks. xx

 

[Tnavas]

What max height and weight rider do you think fits comfortably into a 15" show saddle?

I'm 5'1" and 7s 13lbs, and normally proportioned. I have a 15" saddle fitted to my so far unbacked 4 year old and wondered if I was pushing my luck using a pony saddle?

What is your youngsters estimated mature height.

I would expect a saddle of that size on a pony up to about 13.2hh, a 16" on a 14.2hh and as the horse gets bigger so does the saddle.

To fit the rider, sitting in the centre and lowest part of the saddle you should be able to fit a full handspan behind you. To small and you will be landing in the wrong part of the saddle, increasing the risk of making your horses back sore.

TBH I would not even be thinking of buying a saddle for an unbacked youngster until just before its due to be backed, they change in shape so dramatically to the point where what fitted nicely last month doesn't fit at all.

 

[sbloom]

Tnavas the whole hands width behind you really isn't as relevant today - in some deep seated dressage models for example the cantle is steep (and in fact steeper where the is a good flat spot at the deepest part of the seat) and it just won't give you that much space, in that way. If the saddle can be balanced correctly and the stirrups set long enough, then a larger rider won't be sitting in the wrong part of the saddle, they may just be placing too much pressure overall on the horse's back if they really are too heavy for a certain sized seat. I don't think this instance is too bad.

Horse's backs lengths vary so much, I have a 15hh cob to fit at the moment that can only take the footprint of a 15-16" saddle, I've seen a Icelandic that was wearing a 6' rug also only be able to take a 15" saddle. And of course footprints vary so much - the former cob will be fitted with a 16.5" saddle with upswept panel that gives a super short footprint. If I compare our deep seated GP to our deep seated dressage the former is probably 1/2" longer than the latter in the same seat size.

A reasonably flat saddle that is a fraction wide isn't a bad start for a pony, if someone is used to shimming to balance a saddle it can be a reasonable way to go, though sure, young horses can change shape really quickly. We dont' know if she's bought a new saddle, or if a fitter has "okayed" a saddle she already owns or a cheap second hand one. I occasionally fit unbacked horses and ponies with brand new saddles as it's not always possible to find something that won't damage a young pony's soft unmuscled back, some of them carry on working long term (with adjustments), some don't.