Dressage saddle for larger riders

[kissoffire]

Greetings from the Garden Route, South Africa. I'm hoping this is the right place to post this query.

My hubby is a larger rider (120kg's), and is battling to find a suitable dressage saddle, as we live in an area that caters more for jumpers so our access is very limited and saddle fitting is a nightmare. No 18" or larger saddles are to be found so far, so now we are down to the option of trying to source saddles in Cape Town, and are looking for advice on which saddles have a more generous seat size. We have eliminated Sommer already.

I will also be looking for a saddle shortly, I am about 78kg's, but have short, chubby legs, with a long back, a GP tends to put me into a chair seat, so can anyone recommend a dressage saddle that assists in putting that type of figure into a better position (also a generous seat)?

 

[sbloom]

Almost all saddle makes do actually come in 18", often as standard from stock, larger may be rarer. It's really a matter of what suits horse and rider and without more than just his weight it's really hard to say. Obviously if you have the budget for a new saddle you can specify what you would like from a bench made saddle maker (most leather Walsall brands for example) to make sure it fits horse and rider.

Gp saddles put all shapes and sizes of rider into a chair seat, almost any dressage saddle may be an improvement! Go for the most generous seat size to suit you, that will fit onto but not beyond the last rib, and consider a shallower seat to give you more room. You may want a velcro knee block that you can move back to your knee, otherwise most dressage saddles come with set back stirrup bars, and it is just a matter of trying some, especially anything that has "noise" on the web about it being good for more petite riders - I know this: http://www.trilogysaddles.com/saddles_debbie.html, or at least the special version mentioned, is one saddle that has the headline of being good for petite riders, as Debbie is petite, but I have no personal experience of fitting them.

With the range I fit in the UK I find that going down a seat size normally does the job as long as the rider isn't too confined

 

[kissoffire]

Thanks sbloom, wish I was in the UK to take advantage of the lovely variety you have there! He he, I am also very far from petite, why I was handed out this horse craziness I cannot understand, my two sisters who have the perfect figure for horse riding are not interested!

I bit the bullet, and purchased a Tekna 18" sight unseen in an online half price sale, it arrived overnight. Firstly, I have to hide it from hubby, as it was taken from the household budget, and I hope he does not notice that he is having bread and soup every night for the next month, and secondly, I have to get it to look like my old Wintec so he doesn't notice a new saddle in the house. He is very unobservant so I might get away with it. It is actually for him, although he is riding in a trail saddle that he is happy with, it's no good for schooling, and he is used to German brand name tack, and is a bit of a snob as far as synthetic is concerned. The ex wife went off with all the luxuries, so I have to get him used to downgrading.

Horsie had a session in it with the girl who is helping us with him, and I don't know if it was sheer coincidence but it went so well for a change - no bolting for the stables, or trippling when he is supposed to be slowing down in trot, nose was not so poked out. She enjoyed the Tekna tremendously, said it was more comfortable than a lot of dressage saddles she has ridden in, and enables her to stay very quiet in the saddle. We have had saddle fitting problems, one shoulder is very much more developed than the other, but the sweat pattern was better, even though we did not use his padded gel numnah.

I wonder if these saddles can be reflocked by a saddle fitter?

We will probably resume the hunt for another saddle shortly - have a youngster who will be backed next month......







Almost all saddle makes do actually come in 18", often as standard from stock, larger may be rarer. It's really a matter of what suits horse and rider and without more than just his weight it's really hard to say. Obviously if you have the budget for a new saddle you can specify what you would like from a bench made saddle maker (most leather Walsall brands for example) to make sure it fits horse and rider.

Gp saddles put all shapes and sizes of rider into a chair seat, almost any dressage saddle may be an improvement! Go for the most generous seat size to suit you, that will fit onto but not beyond the last rib, and consider a shallower seat to give you more room. You may want a velcro knee block that you can move back to your knee, otherwise most dressage saddles come with set back stirrup bars, and it is just a matter of trying some, especially anything that has "noise" on the web about it being good for more petite riders - I know this: http://www.trilogysaddles.com/saddles_debbie.html, or at least the special version mentioned, is one saddle that has the headline of being good for petite riders, as Debbie is petite, but I have no personal experience of fitting them.

With the range I fit in the UK I find that going down a seat size normally does the job as long as the rider isn't too confined