Favourite saddle for stickability?

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Impu1sion

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Looking for recommendations for the best saddle to keep me in the plate ?, my core ain't what it used to be! Mulling over which I should put on my list to try.
 
I am quite puzzled by the idea that a saddle will hold one on a horse. My main lesson horse and subsequent share had a Podhajsky saddle which is very open.
The idea is that the rider balances on the horse. And you can shift your seat and weight where you want it to be. When it was being re flocked, I was asked to hack in a Jessica dressage saddle and hated it.
 
Skib said:
I am quite puzzled by the idea that a saddle will hold one on a horse. My main lesson horse and subsequent share had a Podhajsky saddle which is very open.
The idea is that the rider balances on the horse. And you can shift your seat and weight where you want it to be. When it was being re flocked, I was asked to hack in a Jessica dressage saddle and hated it.
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I dont understand how one could not see a saddle can help with stickability. Liking and not liking the feel is a whole different question but i know that when my big warmbloods throw some shapes as youngsters the right saddle means the difference between me staying in board or displaying an elegant (ok not so elegant) premature dismount.
 
My saddle does not hold me on a horse, but it is a damn site easier to sit to shapes if your saddle helps keep you in the correct balance and you are not already fighting something, that tips you back/forwards, forces your lower leg into an unstable position.

Also slippery shiny leather is not helpful, if your saddle is slippery put some leather balm on it!

My new saddle makes a huge difference in my stability, but it does not hold me in place.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Assuming that your existing saddle fits you and the horse, try a Heather Moffett seat saver. Riding with one meant that I only used to part company with the late chestnut git once a year, despite his best efforts to up his strike rate.
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Second this, or a hip saver if you're a bit broken like me! Also recommend the Acavallo seat savers. I only don't use mine because it's the pony size and my horse has a 17.5" saddle.
 
I specialise in rider fit for saddle fitting. Please trust me that this is highly individual, even down to having the right seat shape and support under upper inner thighs to stabilise your pelvis. Find a good saddle fitter and don't go off what works for others.

Very grippy leather can help but if you shift around in the saddle because you're being popped up out of it, if you stick in the wrong place as you come down into it then it works against you.
 
I find the most stickiest saddle tend to be older ones that are supple and almost moulded to a rider shape, its hard to explain!
I like a narrow twist which really allows you to wrap your legs around the horse, as I'm very much a boy shape.
 
Skib said:
I am quite puzzled by the idea that a saddle will hold one on a horse. My main lesson horse and subsequent share had a Podhajsky saddle which is very open.
The idea is that the rider balances on the horse. And you can shift your seat and weight where you want it to be. When it was being re flocked, I was asked to hack in a Jessica dressage saddle and hated it.
Click to expand...
I think a saddle can make a massive difference.
I’ve ridden in saddles I just feel “safe” on and saddles that I’ve felt the slightest spook would be hard to sit!
I was far more confident riding in my old Ideal Impala than I am in my new K2 (unfortunately!)
 
poiuytrewq said:
I think a saddle can make a massive difference.
I’ve ridden in saddles I just feel “safe” on and saddles that I’ve felt the slightest spook would be hard to sit!
I was far more confident riding in my old Ideal Impala than I am in my new K2 (unfortunately!)
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Yup! I've sat a horse face planting in a stock saddle but done an inelegant summersault when babycob had a stumble in the summer and my GP saddle gave me no support at all

Sat an impressive rodeo in a WOW saddle when the same horse had ejected me into space in her saddle company one

Same saddle can give a different feeling on different horses too. A saddle I find pushes me completely off centre on one cob feels much more secure on another.
 
I have to say gel sticky bum tights/ breeches are amazing. I used to use the faux suede seat ones which were good but these are even better and less restrictive. If I ride in anything else these days I feel much less secure for those sudden changes in direction when a giant horse-eating leaf appears.
 
Sticky bum plus sticky seat is not a good recipe for fluent horses and riders, and sticky bums can even damage leather. Find pelvic support and you don't need half as much grip. Calfskin, or gel out seat saver, alone, OR sticky bums. And I fully understand you'll say that it works for you, but it's not without compromise. Better saddle fit for the rider has to be the standard we strive for.

If I get a rider into the right seat I can shove them from the side, front, back and they'll move WAY less, able to access their core, and less likely to be de-stabilised by their horse. This also means they can help with the stability of the horse underneath them, instead of following the horse's dysfunction (mainly ribcage rotation). It's genuinely a game changer.
 
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Another fan of ideal impala monoflap. While it's a jump saddle, I also find it lovely to school in. Its saved me a number of times.
I would.look at monoflap jump saddles preferably in calfskin and prepare to hate other saddles after.
I hare Riding horses in.saddles with nonknee rolls now.
 
I loved my Amerigo DJ cc - it is listed as a deep seat but it wasn't as I could still move around and get 'out' of the saddle without any problems when jumping but also felt secure if horse did anything silly. I now have (I think...) a CWD SE02 cc which is perfect - it is the middle option where it is not pancake flat where you feel very vulnerable and not so deep that you can't move or get 'out' if jumping. I tried the flatter and deeper CWDs and didn't like them for those reasons.
 
Thinking back to two of the comfiest saddles I have ridden in were a Jefferies falcon Adler VSD and an Albion Legend K2. Both older models so really supple and supportive.
 
Western saddles are rock solid. Any shenanigans, you grab the knob, and sit tight. That said, I bought a Deuber & Partner saddle (the El Campo). Trying it out, it was the comfiest saddle I've ever laid my buttocks upon. It has knee rolls that are not restricting, and a free but soft and balanced seat. It's a working equitation saddle, so very versatile. I intend to do dressage, western, and (moderate heights) jumping in it. I'm impatiently waiting for it to be delivered.

My instructor's KM saddle also felt very, very safe. I can ride in anything, and everything. However, the Deuber, and KM felt really really comfy.
 
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