Disastrous decision to jump in my dressage saddle!

NikKnock

NikKnock

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I did something stupid today, and I guess I'm looking for reassurance and (fair enough) a rap on the knuckles. I was schooling my boy in his dressage saddle and also trying out three bits, so he worked hard running a novice test at least 4 times. I decided which bit he seemed to go best in (sprenger kk ultra if anyone's interested) and thought to myself- I wonder how he is jumping in this bit?, I set up maybe a 75cm jump with ground poles either side and had a go (admittedly at first completely forgetting I was using the dressage saddle). Omg! What a mess. Lurching over the jump/ getting under the jump/taking off miles from the jump, to knocking it down repeatedly to finally refusing to jump. What a cock up!! This comes at a time where I feel he will confidently jump any sj up to 85 with fillers etc and generally pretty confident 70-80 xc. I'm really worried I've set him back miles by doing something so stupid. Also, note to self- "don't jump alone, you're always nervous, it communicates". I went home, set up a little 65cm skinny, popped his GP back on with his scarf centre line jump girth and thank god he was as happy as Larry popping over it a few times in the field.
Has anyone else tried jumping in their dressage saddle with disastrous results?
It makes me wonder if anyway the saddle isn't that comfortable and he just puts up with it all the while it's flatwork.
Would be so interested to hear anyone's views.
 
I've jumped in my dressage saddle previously. At the time it was a slightly better fit than my jumping saddle so the saddle fitter had recommended only using the jumping saddle for actual jumping. I was on a hack and there was a tiny, end of the field, round straw bale sitting temptingly in the stubble field. I'm afraid I couldn't resist and we had a quick pop over it. No issues for us, but saddle definitely not made for jumping from the riders point of view!
I'm not sure if your dressage saddle is less comfy for your horse than your GP saddle, but if it makes it harder for you to jump in it, that will definitely impact on your horse as well.
 
I haven't jumped in a dressage saddle since I was a kid and it was an old one so more like a show saddle than dressage saddles today. I wouldn't try it now, I think I'd fall off but I can happily jump in a show saddle. A few years ago I lengthened the stirrups on my jump saddle to do a bit of schooling and felt like I was going to fall off!
 
Titchy Pony said:
I've jumped in my dressage saddle previously. At the time it was a slightly better fit than my jumping saddle so the saddle fitter had recommended only using the jumping saddle for actual jumping. I was on a hack and there was a tiny, end of the field, round straw bale sitting temptingly in the stubble field. I'm afraid I couldn't resist and we had a quick pop over it. No issues for us, but saddle definitely not made for jumping from the riders point of view!
I'm not sure if your dressage saddle is less comfy for your horse than your GP saddle, but if it makes it harder for you to jump in it, that will definitely impact on your horse as well.
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Thanks. I reckon he was tired, and i reckon my hesitation as to whether the whole thing was a good idea communicated through to him. He seemed well up for it once back home in the field in his usual GP so I guess, tiredness, me holding back, possibly he felt uncomfortable as I wasn't able to get off his back - stirrups were long too!
Have a jump clinic sat so I'll tell the instructor so she can be mindful and ease us back in. 🤞🏻
 
marmalade76 said:
I haven't jumped in a dressage saddle since I was a kid and it was an old one so more like a show saddle than dressage saddles today. I wouldn't try it now, I think I'd fall off but I can happily jump in a show saddle. A few years ago I lengthened the stirrups on my jump saddle to do a bit of schooling and felt like I was going to fall off!
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Yeah I was well unstable, he probably was tired AND confused. Poor boy. Never again!
 
I used to jump all the time in a dressage saddle (and, when I was a kid, it was jump in whatever there was, which was never a nice jumping saddle!). It shouldn't have such a dramatic effect, really - unless you were riding very differently. I would be concerned about the fit of the dressage saddle if he's that unwilling to jump in it.
 
I once had to ride an eventers challenge in a dressage saddle as I had picked up the wrong one ( it had a cover on it). I was riding for a RC team so had no option!! It was also a 100cm track however the saddle is not deep nor has it got knee blocks so it was doable and we had a clear round!!
 
JFTDWS said:
I used to jump all the time in a dressage saddle (and, when I was a kid, it was jump in whatever there was, which was never a nice jumping saddle!). It shouldn't have such a dramatic effect, really - unless you were riding very differently. I would be concerned about the fit of the dressage saddle if he's that unwilling to jump in it.
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I wouldn't jump to that necessarily, it would depend on the horse and how he was ridden, he might be green and not terribly well balanced. There are big differences between jump and dressage saddles, now more than ever before and for good reason.
 
I would not choose to jump in a dressage saddle, but have done, including on a horse who didn't have any saddle other than a dressage, but jumped little courses to 70cm no issues. I too would be concerned if the horse was getting uncharacteristic stride issues, especially as you'd not initially thought about the saddle. If a horse was uncharacteristically getting strides wrong, then I too would lose balance, then confidence, and may then blame myself.

I would want to eliminate the thought that the saddle was pinching and the horse was therefore saving himself rather than the other way round.

I think I would try some dressage in the jump saddle, but with longer stirrups. I used to event and dressage in a jump saddle as I couldn't afford two saddles, and was jumping Novice and above eventing, to a max of 1.25 fence SJ, and would rather dressage in a jump than jump in a dressage. The most important thing was that the saddle fitted, and the horse could do either. So, I would do some fact finding with a jump saddle for dressage.
 
I don't like jumping in my dressage saddle. It's quite a deep seat and I find the pommel gets in the way 😂 I found it easier in my old equipe dressage saddle. My horse doesn't care. I could be doing cartwheels up there and he'd still jump the jump 😂
 
marmalade76 said:
I wouldn't jump to that necessarily, it would depend on the horse and how he was ridden, he might be green and not terribly well balanced. There are big differences between jump and dressage saddles, now more than ever before and for good reason.
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It's the difference in the behaviour of the horse between the jump and dressage saddles that bothers me most. If a horse is sticky into a fence, and that isn't their normal state of being, I would suspect something was making the horse uncomfortable. In my experience, that is generally the case.

There are indeed big differences between jump and dressage saddles, but I do think that if a horse can move freely in either kind, they should be able to tackle a small fence comfortably.

I should say that, if the OP said the horse had tackled the fence confidently first time, but they had caught it in the mouth/become unbalanced / whatever because of the saddle, I would presume it was just the saddle being ill-suited to the job and the horse being displeased by the riding. That isn't the vibe I got from the OP.
 
JFTDWS said:
I used to jump all the time in a dressage saddle (and, when I was a kid, it was jump in whatever there was, which was never a nice jumping saddle!). It shouldn't have such a dramatic effect, really - unless you were riding very differently. I would be concerned about the fit of the dressage saddle if he's that unwilling to jump in it.
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Yes, I'm going to school in the GP from now on and get that dressage saddle checked
 
JFTDWS said:
It's the difference in the behaviour of the horse between the jump and dressage saddles that bothers me most. If a horse is sticky into a fence, and that isn't their normal state of being, I would suspect something was making the horse uncomfortable. In my experience, that is generally the case.

There are indeed big differences between jump and dressage saddles, but I do think that if a horse can move freely in either kind, they should be able to tackle a small fence comfortably.

I should say that, if the OP said the horse had tackled the fence confidently first time, but they had caught it in the mouth/become unbalanced / whatever because of the saddle, I would presume it was just the saddle being ill-suited to the job and the horse being displeased by the riding. That isn't the vibe I got from the OP.
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Thanks I'm concerned the dressage saddle just ain't right full stop. Maybe it's for the best- ie in doing this I've discovered he was only putting up with it.
 
Red-1 said:
I would not choose to jump in a dressage saddle, but have done, including on a horse who didn't have any saddle other than a dressage, but jumped little courses to 70cm no issues. I too would be concerned if the horse was getting uncharacteristic stride issues, especially as you'd not initially thought about the saddle. If a horse was uncharacteristically getting strides wrong, then I too would lose balance, then confidence, and may then blame myself.

I would want to eliminate the thought that the saddle was pinching and the horse was therefore saving himself rather than the other way round.

I think I would try some dressage in the jump saddle, but with longer stirrups. I used to event and dressage in a jump saddle as I couldn't afford two saddles, and was jumping Novice and above eventing, to a max of 1.25 fence SJ, and would rather dressage in a jump than jump in a dressage. The most important thing was that the saddle fitted, and the horse could do either. So, I would do some fact finding with a jump saddle for dressage.
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Yep, totally get what you're saying. He must have been really really uncomfortable. The dressage saddle is going to be sold. It was only ever a second hand purchase and never properly fitted. He was SO happy in his GP when I got home and popped a tiny jump, it's now bleeding obvious I use that GP for everything especially for the levels I play at.
 
marmalade76 said:
I wouldn't jump to that necessarily, it would depend on the horse and how he was ridden, he might be green and not terribly well balanced. There are big differences between jump and dressage saddles, now more than ever before and for good reason.
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He's normally very balanced and free and gets his stride correct these days, so I'm going to day it's my dressage saddle, and the bloody thing is going to be sold. Awful to think I might have hurt him and knocked his confidence. Stupid thing to do, but at least I've learnt something from it.
 
JFTDWS said:
I used to jump all the time in a dressage saddle (and, when I was a kid, it was jump in whatever there was, which was never a nice jumping saddle!). It shouldn't have such a dramatic effect, really - unless you were riding very differently. I would be concerned about the fit of the dressage saddle if he's that unwilling to jump in it.
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Absolutely sure now it's the fit. Thanks 😊
 
NikKnock said:
He's normally very balanced and free and gets his stride correct these days, so I'm going to day it's my dressage saddle, and the bloody thing is going to be sold. Awful to think I might have hurt him and knocked his confidence. Stupid thing to do, but at least I've learnt something from it.
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Give yourself a break! The first time you encountered an issue in the dr saddle, you questioned it, changed back to another saddle, finished on a better note, and came away to consider it further.

That's a heck of a lot more than a lot of people would've done. Plenty of people bash away for ages, blaming the horse, and not considering there could be an issue somewhere else. So - you've not been stupid - you made a mistake and you're working to rectify it promptly. Good for you :)
 
JFTDWS said:
Give yourself a break! The first time you encountered an issue in the dr saddle, you questioned it, changed back to another saddle, finished on a better note, and came away to consider it further.

That's a heck of a lot more than a lot of people would've done. Plenty of people bash away for ages, blaming the horse, and not considering there could be an issue somewhere else. So - you've not been stupid - you made a mistake and you're working to rectify it promptly. Good for you :)
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Thanks 😊
 
I knew someone whose horse hated a jump saddle. for whatever reason. He evented what is now CCI** totally in a dressage saddle. I only know as I too had a horse who didn't like jump saddles and we were discussing saddles and solutions. Mine was bought as a rearer, and his saddle looked to fit but... he preferred a backward facing tree point. I realised when I got him a dressage saddle and his way of going was so much better, even when popping fences. I called the saddler (Barrie Swain himself) who measured for s similar jump saddle. The horse hated it! On Barrie's suggestrion, I had a jump saddle made bespoke on a dressage tree. I hated it as the balance always seemed wrong, although it did look like a cross between a GP and jump saddle rather than a pure jump one. However, the horse loved it! Rearing was extinguished.

I really missed that horse when he was eventually PTS, but was rather glad to find that I could now use a proper jump saddle, with a jump tree, to jump in with my new horse!

I agree that you are beating yourself up too much. I just suggested doing dressage in the GP to see if the horse went better generally with the saddle he was comfortable to jump in. It is quite possible that your dressage saddle could be adjusted to suit.

I have a Christ Lambfelle bareback pad in my tack room. I rarely ride in it but, if I have a suspicion that a horse is uncomfortable with their saddle, I dust it off and have a ride. I conclude that, if the horse goes better in the bareback pad than their saddle, then the saddle situation needs changing in some way. If they go the same, with an issue, in bareback pad and saddle, then they need the vet.

If yours goes well in one saddle but not the other, then I would have a saddler check the fit. It might not be so bad if you think that the horse was going well on the flat, so an adjustment may fix the issue.

I do prefer dressage-ing in a dressage saddle. It was just lack of funds that made me do everything in a jump saddle. A saddle check would be around £60 for a call out near me, or £40 if you travel.
 
NikKnock said:
Yep, totally get what you're saying. He must have been really really uncomfortable. The dressage saddle is going to be sold. It was only ever a second hand purchase and never properly fitted. He was SO happy in his GP when I got home and popped a tiny jump, it's now bleeding obvious I use that GP for everything especially for the levels I play at.
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I had a friend who rode Badminton and other top international events in a GP.
.
 
ycbm said:
I had a friend who rode Badminton and other top international events in a GP.
.
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Well that's fantastic to hear. I got the dressage saddle and have occasionally competed in it because it looks the part, but now I’ll school and compete in GP with longer stirrups. Thanks 😊
 
Woody only has a dressage saddle. As I hack and school in it. It’s an Albion slk. He has weekend jump lessons in the dressage saddle. Just have to shorten the stirrup leathers 😀.
 
I think you may be overthinking this a bit. If the horse has only had an issue on one occasion while jumping in the dressage saddle and was moving well enough while working on the flat for you to be able to assess which bit he liked best, I think it's a bit of a leap to assume it was saddle fit that caused the jumping issue and to never use the saddle again, even on the flat. It could have been him feeling off balance, recognising that you weren't 100% balanced or committed to it or just not feeling the jumping yesterday.

I'd try him on the flat again in the saddle and depending on how that goes, get it checked but I wouldn't automatically discard it as an option.
 
NikKnock said:
I did something stupid today, and I guess I'm looking for reassurance and (fair enough) a rap on the knuckles. I was schooling my boy in his dressage saddle and also trying out three bits, so he worked hard running a novice test at least 4 times. I decided which bit he seemed to go best in (sprenger kk ultra if anyone's interested) and thought to myself- I wonder how he is jumping in this bit?, I set up maybe a 75cm jump with ground poles either side and had a go (admittedly at first completely forgetting I was using the dressage saddle). Omg! What a mess. Lurching over the jump/ getting under the jump/taking off miles from the jump, to knocking it down repeatedly to finally refusing to jump. What a cock up!! This comes at a time where I feel he will confidently jump any sj up to 85 with fillers etc and generally pretty confident 70-80 xc. I'm really worried I've set him back miles by doing something so stupid. Also, note to self- "don't jump alone, you're always nervous, it communicates". I went home, set up a little 65cm skinny, popped his GP back on with his scarf centre line jump girth and thank god he was as happy as Larry popping over it a few times in the field.
Has anyone else tried jumping in their dressage saddle with disastrous results?
It makes me wonder if anyway the saddle isn't that comfortable and he just puts up with it all the while it's flatwork.
Would be so interested to hear anyone's views.
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Or... maybe it was the bit?
 
I used to jump regularly in a dressage saddle. If the saddle fits, it shouldn't cause that level of carnage esp over small fences. The bit or .. possibly the dressage saddle isn't as good or as a stable a fit as you thought, which can sometimes be revealed via different movement.
 
Yes definitely. I'd know if it were the bit as he reacts strongly when he doesn't like one, however I'm sure it's the saddle. Looking back even hacking over to the school he kept catching a front toe, which suggests to me it inhibits his shoulder. The saddle is already sold on!
 
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