Best saddle bags for UK saddles please?

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Chuckieee

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Okay. I’m no long distance extraordinaire rider but I think this summer I’m going to do some fun rides and some distance pleasure riding, maybe two to three hours. That sort of thing.

I have a normal BAtes GP saddle which I don’t think has any d rings at the back. Annoyingly.

So my old Hunt lunchbox bag doesn’t fit.

What saddle bags on the market are good for carrying things like foods, maps, etc.........so fairly decent size.......that are not going to rub my pony or damage my saddle please?

All help much appreciated!
 
I wouldn't consider a three hour ride as necessitating much in the way of baggage.

I have two Maxpedition bottle holders, each with a one-litre wide-mouth Nalgene bottle in it; I can attach these to the D-rings at the front of the saddle. You might prefer a narrow-mouth bottle, or just put ordinary plastic bottles in them. For the horse, I pack a folding, cloth bucket. The plan is that if the weather is hot, we can stop at a cemetery; here in France a cemetery always has a water tap, for watering flowers and plants that people leave on the tombs, so we can always get a bucket of water from there. And I'm told that there are some horses who won't drink from a stone trough if it's got weed growing on the surface, or won't drink from a river... I suppose that it's unfamiliar to a lot of riding school horses.

Anna, who organises our half-day, full-day and three-day rides, has numnahs with pockets built into them, behind the saddle. You can pick these up on ebay or from shops selling trail riding gear from £20 or so.

For maps, I think that a proper map pouch is better; it keeps your map open to the right area, keeps it clean and dry, and you map lasts longer because you're not unfolding it and folding away again all the time.
 
Thanks for the great advice. I did have my eyes on the Shires version which might be best suited to happy hackers like me.

Keith beef, I think the idea of the cloth bucket is a good one as I can’t bank of there being troughs and taps are easier to locate. And the map case thing that you describe will be useful as my papers maps that I print off the web get very creased and wet, often becoming unreadable.

You sound like you do this properly as three hours to me would be a good ride and four to five hours would be quite some feat at the moment.

I guess that even for three hours, I like the idea of making a deal out of it for my own fun and taking a picnic.
 
Chuckieee said:
You sound like you do this properly as three hours to me would be a good ride and four to five hours would be quite some feat at the moment.

I guess that even for three hours, I like the idea of making a deal out of it for my own fun and taking a picnic.
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It's Anna's business, organising trips like these, and they're really good.

On a full day out, her husband drives a little van out to the midday meeting point, with their son and a load of kit and provisions. We unsaddle the horses and tie them to a high-line; we water and then feed them and while we're doing that her husband and son set up a folding picnic table and deck it with a properly civilised picnic: cold meats, nourishing salad (with potato, rice or pasta), bread, cheeses, quiche, wine, sparkling and still water.

We ride about three to four hours in the morning, the break at midday is about an hour and a half to two hours, so the horses get a good rest, too. Then the afternoon is about another three to four hours.

I like the idea of horse camping, carrying everything except for water, and staying out three or four days; it would take some more preparation, and I'd need to go with someone who really knows how to spot any problems with the horse.
 
From a map point of view, I always do take a paper one (map case attached to front D-ring) but mostly use the viewranger app on my mobile, much easier when on horse :D
 
Oh and the only issue with the shires one is you do need to be careful to keep your legs clear of it when mounting/dismounting as I did manage to half rip one of the panniers off :p.
 
I wonder if it would be easier to have throw-over bags that you can place on the horse's shoulders until you've mounted, then put it behind the saddle once you're up, and clip it or tie it down to a loose strap or band ...
 
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You couldn’t do that with the Shires ones as they fit under the saddle flaps so you’d have to be double jointed and rather flexible and athletic......not me......to attach it if you’re already on.

I have to say Keith Beef, those holidays sound ace......
 
I prefer them like this with the saddle bags as part of the saddle cloth. Mine is similar but not this make(had it years so can't find pic) and has waterproof pockets so your butties don't get sweaty.
https://www.redpostequestrian.co.uk...H3e4zO-Iy4nzs-nutaX7t9v5xaY9BOfEaAmjfEALw_wcB
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/trail-s..._NC13SnSzZpUTqgAQ7a-T3Nu6W5sc39MaAiIGEALw_wcB

I'm not keen on the Shires ones as it's easy to do yourself a mischief catching your leg on them getting on and off , from experience :D
 
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Lol I feel better that it is a problem others have. I didn't want a numnah one as mine is quite numnah fussy with regard to rubbing and I like his ecogold for summer heat ;).

I would have looked for more expensive options but for non-day rides I used a clip on water bottle on front and my leather hunting satchel on my D-rings behind. (TBH if I had a saddle without d-rings I think I'd have to get some added)
 
I used to have zilco saddle bags, but they attach on the rear, and didn't stand up to much work. I now use the shires waistband with zip pockets and a drink bottle holder in summer, as I felt the panniers were cumbersome and somewhat unnecessary - we usually aren't out for more than 4 hours, although our record is 8 (straight, in the snow - that was flippin' cold!).
 
Chuckieee said:
You couldn’t do that with the Shires ones as they fit under the saddle flaps so you’d have to be double jointed and rather flexible and athletic......not me......to attach it if you’re already on.

I have to say Keith Beef, those holidays sound ace......
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Through her company, Horse Holidays France, Anna also organises rides in Normandy, with a stretch along the beach. She goes out in the morning with horses in a van or trailer, and riders make their own way there for either a morning ride or afternoon ride.

I've not done that, yet, but I'm seriously considering it for when the weather gets a bit less unpredictable.

The half day and full day rides usually set off from one of the yards here in Maisons-Laffitte, which is a short train ride from Paris (strikes notwithstanding), so if you're holidaying in Paris, it can be a nice break from museums, galleries and the piling on of calories in the pastry shops and restaurants.

Getting off topic, here, and this is starting to sound like I'm giving Anna's business a plug, so I'll stop.
 
Keith_Beef said:
Through her company, Horse Holidays France, Anna also organises rides in Normandy, with a stretch along the beach. She goes out in the morning with horses in a van or trailer, and riders make their own way there for either a morning ride or afternoon ride.

I've not done that, yet, but I'm seriously considering it for when the weather gets a bit less unpredictable.

The half day and full day rides usually set off from one of the yards here in Maisons-Laffitte, which is a short train ride from Paris (strikes notwithstanding), so if you're holidaying in Paris, it can be a nice break from museums, galleries and the piling on of calories in the pastry shops and restaurants.

Getting off topic, here, and this is starting to sound like I'm giving Anna's business a plug, so I'll stop.
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Well you are plugging them... But do they sound lovely!
 
I use these
http://www.performance-equestrian.com/shop/horse/saddle-bags/stowaway-deluxe-pommel-saddle-pack/

They are pommel bags so no issues getting legs caught. Plenty of space for water bottle, lunch, apple for pony and basic first aid type stuff (holds all my trec kit). On my saddle they actually lift up off the shoulder when fitted so they don’t sit against the horse so no sweating or rubbing (although they would sit over the le mieux xc pads I use so wouldn’t rub anyway). But they don’t bounce around. Plus everything is up front and easy to reach. I know a lot of trec people who use them.
 
BBP said:
I use these
http://www.performance-equestrian.com/shop/horse/saddle-bags/stowaway-deluxe-pommel-saddle-pack/

They are pommel bags so no issues getting legs caught. Plenty of space for water bottle, lunch, apple for pony and basic first aid type stuff (holds all my trec kit). On my saddle they actually lift up off the shoulder when fitted so they don’t sit against the horse so no sweating or rubbing (although they would sit over the le mieux xc pads I use so wouldn’t rub anyway). But they don’t bounce around. Plus everything is up front and easy to reach. I know a lot of trec people who use them.
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Highly recommend these - plenty of space for everything and with the D-ring attachments they stay clear of the withers/neck
 
I just use a hiking bum bag if I need to carry more than I can fit in my pockets (not often) I have a couple, I think one is Lowe Alpine. The bigger one has bottle pockets.

I have a proper waterproof map case for hiking too but I normally make the husband carry the map.
 
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