Does half an inch.....

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KatB

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Really make a difference in saddles?! Do you really notice the difference between say a 17" and a 17.5" saddle? Discuss
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I recently had experience of this problem. I usually have an 18 inch saddle, but all the second hand ones that I saw, were 17.5.

I spoke to my saddler friend and she said there is a difference because the overall saddle will be bigger and for someone like me with long legs, that half an inch will make a difference.

The other problem is that people don't always get the measurement right. My saddler advised that I really needed to sit on any saddle whether it was advertised as 17.5 or 18 because the sizes also vary between makes, ie some are more generous.

I finally bought an 18 inch KN, I would say it feels smaller than the 18 inch Kieffers I tried.
 
I would say yes. I rode my last horse in a 17" because he quite compact with a big shoulder so a 17.5 sat in the right place for his shoulder was too long in the back. I did ok in it, but wasn't very easy to sit back at a drop fence for example. Much more comfortable in the slightly bigger saddles I have now
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ISZ love the siggie. KatB, yes half inch can make a difference but does depend on what job the saddle is for. My current dressage saddle is 18", the jump saddle is a different story. Previously I have had 17.5 fairly flat close contact saddles to ride xc. As you know my current jumps saddle for the chestnut horse had to be 17" as he is so short, it is also deeper than I am used to. I cope on it fine as we are show jumping not doing xc, have to say though that if I wanted to event again I would need that extra half inch in the seat to allow me enough space to move and keep my balance.

Therefor my answer to your question is yes, half an inch does matter.
 
It does make a difference, my daughter has long legs & the half inch difference means the difference between knees behind the rolls or knees over them.
 
yes, totally.. when i got my new saddle (last winter) i had someone come out and fit me and the horse! and all the trouble i used to be having was because my saddle wasn't big enough for me.. i need an 18inch saddle for jumping/xc as i'm quite long from knee to hip, so in order to get my irons up shorter i needed the 18inch.. however, with the dressage saddle the 18inch was way too big and i was slipping around all over the place in it, so have a 17.5inch instead..
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I had a 17 inch for a couple of years and then rode in a 17.5. I could not ride in my 17 inch after that and have had to sell it. It makes a huge difference but think I really need 18 for jumping and 17.5 for dressage. With jumping its all about being able to move and yet not be sat on the back of the saddle which is what the 17 was doing to me.
 
I have just come back from the saddlers with saddle no. 4. I was sold an 18" one 2 weeks ago and I am only 5'4". The reasoning was that I ride so short and have a long thigh which therefore pushes me back in the saddle.

I was totally lost in that saddle. Did a hunter trial - had no security doing the drop hedge.

Have now come home with a 17" and feel much more secure. Test will be hunting on Sat!!

I measured a lot of saddles - went with measuring tape and some that were supposed to be 17.5" measured closer to 18.5". I think each saddle comes up differently to be honest.
 
Just out of interest where do you measure from? I have one to sell and can't remember what size it is supposed to be.
 
Makes a difference to me, my Prestige is a 17" and being close contact too, I love it, makes me feel secure and posiitve in my position, my Mum hates it though, she is used to an 18" Stubben which feels like an armchair to her. Round here a Large Saddlery Store, with a rubbish mail oder department! seem intent on everyone having 18" saddles and TBH the people who buy them seem to never be happy with them! I use a local saddler who has competed to a decent standard himself and he will give an honest opinion of which saddle suits horse and rider best, instead of trying to flog the most expensive/ overstocked variety. (Cynical Moi?
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Definitely - for both the horse and rider.

Sometimes you have to make do with a slightly smaller seat if the horse is short backed, then play around with the flaps to get enough length for longer legs. It depends on the style of saddle as well - the deeper the seat, the smaller the seat. so a 17" dressage will feel a lot smaller than a 17" jump. also square cantles usually give you an extra 1/4 inch of room over round cantles.
 
Han has an 18 inch Albion SLK Ultima and Grace has a 17.5 inch SLK... I have to say, I feel a lot more secure in the 17.5 but prefer the knee blocks in the 18. Han has quite a long back so could take the extra length, but I think the 17.5 suits me much better.
 
Yes I have always ridden in 17.5" where possible, but my saddler has advised he wouldnt put me in anything bigger than 17" for jumping but 17.5" in dr saddles....presumably because of the deep seat thing
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