olderthanshelooks
Well-Known Member
Can someone please tell me the difference between an event, jump and GP saddle?
Different Saddles
- Thread starter olderthanshelooks
- Start date
sbloom
Well-Known Member
The easy ones are GP and jump - the jumping saddle is designed purely for jumping and has a forward cut flap for a shorter stirrup length, a flat or moderately flat seat to allow you to fold over fences, and usually a stirrup bar that is set forwards.
A GP saddle is what it says - general purpose. It has a moderately forwards flap, a medium deep seat (though on very flat horses you may need a very flat seat, most GPs I fit are for natives and cobs and are pretty flat) and the stirrup bar may be in the same place as a jump saddle or a little further back.
The Event saddle is the awkward one as different companies use the term for totally different saddles - one is a cross country saddle in reality - very flat seat, very forwards cut and more extreme than most jump saddles. Whereas other companies, like Ideal, use the term for a more straight cut GP saddle, a bit more like a VSD, so perfectly okay for jumping small fences but otherwise a saddle perhaps more suited to flat work but not as restrictive, or requiring such long stirrups, as a dressage saddle.
A GP saddle is what it says - general purpose. It has a moderately forwards flap, a medium deep seat (though on very flat horses you may need a very flat seat, most GPs I fit are for natives and cobs and are pretty flat) and the stirrup bar may be in the same place as a jump saddle or a little further back.
The Event saddle is the awkward one as different companies use the term for totally different saddles - one is a cross country saddle in reality - very flat seat, very forwards cut and more extreme than most jump saddles. Whereas other companies, like Ideal, use the term for a more straight cut GP saddle, a bit more like a VSD, so perfectly okay for jumping small fences but otherwise a saddle perhaps more suited to flat work but not as restrictive, or requiring such long stirrups, as a dressage saddle.