That’s good to know about your friend I thought I’d get marked down if not using the ‘correct’ saddle.
I’m in two minds about whether riding in a GP would be more stable than riding short in a dressage saddle. I’ve always had an event saddle, but find I sit more ‘in’ a dressage seat. It kind of cradles the bum. He’s currently sharp, very sensitive and short backed so I need all the help I can get to keep me in the seat 😂
Riding short in a dressage saddle depends on the dressage saddle - if the knee blocks are high enough, or forward ehough, or removable, and the seat is flat or very long so you don't end up on the cantle (worse if it's a high cantle) then you're okay. However the trend for deep seats and big fixed blocks means that's rare.
Totally agree with you. I’m going for a changeable saddle and will be getting the fitting checked every 8 weeks until his growth starts to slow down. He changed massively in just 4 months of long reining him 3 times a week! He’s Spanish so has a lot of filling out to do.
Changeable - changing the width is only one of at least nine aspects, you may be better having a used wooden treed saddle, much more choice of tree and panel shape so statistically you may be more likely to get a better fit in the first place.
my boy is also 4yrs but not filling out too much yet. The saddler gave me a little Thorowgood GP just for his backing and that puts me in a horrible chair position too, hence one reason why I’m thinking of getting a dressage saddle. Something that makes me sit up nicely is deep in the seat and opens up his shoulders would be good. It’ll also save me the hassle of switching saddles later on when we’re ready to move up a level in dressage. But wondering whether that will give as much security as a GP whilst he’s still being a spooky excitable baby. Maybe a VSD is a good compromise for us 🤔
The right GP can align a rider really well, depends on the rider, and what's available for that shape of horse, the space available etc, and of course budget and availability. The flap cut - GP or VSD - is only a small part of what may make a saddle suitable for a combo. Even the seat shape affects how your leg hangs, as does the seat size, and the placement of the stirrup bar. So one rider in too narrow a twist might tip back and go into a chair seat, and think because her knees come over the flaps that she needs a more forward saddle, she doesn't, she first needs to have more width under her pubic arch and THEN see what flap/stirrup bar combo she needs. Even a saddle being out of balance can make you think it's a flap shape issue.
I mentioned that to my saddler the other day as I’ve heard it too. He said most of the new saddles have fairly wide channels now, it’s just the older ones that can be quite narrow. Do you think this is genuinely the case?
Yes and no, I still see some saddles being made that have barely 5cm channels towards the back, including one very popular big brand changeable headplate saddle I saw yesterday, less than a year old. I would say 6cm is a minimum, 7-9cm commonly needed. Much wider than that may be too wide depending on other factors.
Perhaps some other owners will know, though of course your fitter should ensure that the channel is wide enough and that it puts you in balance as a rider.