How much difference does a saddle make?

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BBP

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The photo below taken last summer is fairly typical of my riding issues. I tip forwards, i drop my hands and block with my wrists and elbows instead of having a soft but consistent contact, I look down, I push my lower leg forwards, the list goes on and on.
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I always knew i did all these things but never realise how ineffective it made me as a rider and how little I understood about really riding a horse.

This spring I have started lessons with a really good instructor, and for the first time I am starting to understand half halts and weight aids and all the things you get told in lessons but never really have the guts to admit you don't understand. I feel we are coming on leaps and bounds (no photos unfortunately), but I still keep reverting back to my bad riding position. How much do you think is just habit that needs re-learning and how much do you think a different saddle could help me? This one is a thorogood, and feels like i'm sitting 6 inches above the horse, with flaps where I can't really 'feel' my horse, I've also been told the stirrup bars aren't helping my leg position. I tried a couple of leather Ideal saddle last year and they felt so different in terms of the feel I have with him but I don't want to spend out blaming the saddle when actually I'm just crap and need more lessons.

I am trying so so hard to be a better rider for him as he is so special (I think!). Money is tight so I can't just buy a saddle frivolously if the only problem is me!

Sorry for waffling!
 
I think it can make a difference, I mean a good saddle isn't going to make a bad rider good, but a good saddle can help with good riding.

For example when I tried my pony he had a wintec saddle on, I had never ridden in one before but I felt I was being tipped forwards by it and afterwards talking to experienced friends they said that synthetic saddles often tip the rider forwards. In your picture the knee roles at the fron look in the total wrong place to me! My knees sit comfortably into mine kind of like its moulded to my shape, although I am lucky to have a nice leather saddle!

If you think about having a saddle fitter out they fit the saddle on the horse then they get you to ride in it, this is not just to see how the horse goes in the saddle but it is also to see if the saddle fits the rider, because if the saddle is too small/too big or uncomfortable for the rider it is no good, no matter how good it is for the horse!

I ride at a friends yard sometimes and the ponies there have saddles which fit them ok and lots of different riders ride in them so they are not right for a certain rider, I find them hard to ride in so have to ride not as well as I might usually do to compensate for the saddle putting me off.

Also leather saddles mould to the shape of your horse to a certain extent which is perhaps why they are more balanced and don't tip the rider forwards...

I would think you would be better in a leather saddle, perhaps see if your saddler has any second hand ones as if they have been kept in good condition you can often get a good saddle for about half the price of a new version. Or a different synthetic as the saddle in your picture doesn't look great for you in my opinion and the knee role just looks odd :P

Btw your horse looks good so you can't be that awful:D
 
I will be really interested to hear what people think as I am in a similar situation to you, and can't really justify a new saddle but then again I am spending a lot on lessons and if it would help us progress ....... :confused:

For what its worth I think the saddle does make a big difference, last week the saddler said my saddle does nothing for my position at all in fact the opposite, she let me ride in a very flash Albion dressage saddle she had on the van and I loved it, actually felt striaght and unrestricted in the my position.

But I don't have any savings sitting around waiting to be spent and my saddle fits my horse fine and is not giving him any issues so how can I justify a new one :o

Doesn't stop me watching Ebay though :rolleyes:
 
Clarew22 said:
I will be really interested to hear what people think as I am in a similar situation to you, and can't really justify a new saddle but then again I am spending a lot on lessons and if it would help us progress ....... :confused:

But I don't have any savings sitting around waiting to be spent and my saddle fits my horse fine and is not giving him any issues so how can I justify a new one :o

Doesn't stop me watching Ebay though :rolleyes:
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You and me both. I would like a dressage saddle for my older horse because I know that my Thorowgood does absolutely nothing for us at all and does tip me forward. However I may also have to replace the baby's Wintec saddle and swap it for something like an leather event saddle, so I daren't spend anything on either til I know!

But yes, I also watch Ebay like a hawk!
 
Makes a huge, huge difference. There is no way, from that pic, that your lower leg could be anywhere other than where it is now. You'll constantly be fighting the stirrup leathers and the place it puts your seat. It's easier to see in the flesh, but the right saddle for horse and rider can have a incredible impact.
 
As per SC can make a huge difference. I couldn't school in my old jump saddle at all as it tipped me forward amongst numerous other things. New jump saddle although leg forward to preferred dressage position due to stirrup bars is so much easier to school in and I can do a very respectable test in it!

The difference between an ok fit for horse and a good fit can also make a huge difference to the horse and it should be remembered the horse will effect the riders style as much as the rider effects the horse!!
 
Clarew22 said:
I will be really interested to hear what people think as I am in a similar situation to you, and can't really justify a new saddle but then again I am spending a lot on lessons and if it would help us progress ....... :confused:

But I don't have any savings sitting around waiting to be spent and my saddle fits my horse fine and is not giving him any issues so how can I justify a new one :o

Doesn't stop me watching Ebay though :rolleyes:
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That's exactly the problem I have!
This saddle is not too bad if I hoik my stirrups up for jumping, although it is a bit of a boat to sit on, but for flatwork you are right, the knee rolls are in entirely the wrong place.
The next question is - Due to a number of reasons, and entirely me to blame, the pony is now overweight. We are working on this but do I wait until he is trim again before I get a saddler out to fit a new saddle? (Once he is fit I don't intend on letting him get fat again)
 
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KatPT said:
That's exactly the problem I have!
This saddle is not too bad if I hoik my stirrups up for jumping, although it is a bit of a boat to sit on, but for flatwork you are right, the knee rolls are in entirely the wrong place.
The next question is - Due to a number of reasons, and entirely me to blame, the pony is now overweight. We are working on this but do I wait until he is trim again before I get a saddler out to fit a new saddle? (Once he is fit I don't intend on letting him get fat again)
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I would get the saddle fitted when he is as he should be and as you expect him to remain - a few extra cms on the waist can mean a different width of saddle is needed, and you don't want to splash out on a new saddle and then find it doesn't fit in a few months...!
 
I think the fit of the saddle on the horse is more important then the type of saddle (eg, jump dressage).
I'm no saddler but I know that different brands have different trees and suit different horses. You should not feel perched on top in your saddle no matter what style you should feel like you are sitting round the horse.
A saddle that's too narrow will tip you back, your legs will come forwards and you won't be in the centre of balance. This in turn will affect your riding (because of your position) and your horse will be uncomfortable as the saddle will be restricting their movement and pinching not too mention having to carry you in the wrong place.
A saddle that's too wide will tip you forward and your legs will slip back.

I've been having saddle problems recently. Mine used to fit fine but as my horse has grown it has become to narrow, my horse is slightly (not badly) crooked and as his left shoulder has filled out it has pushed my saddle right. This in turn has affected my riding as I felt I was being shoved around into the wrong place. It's given me back ache as I've unconsciously been trying to fight the saddle going over. Where the saddle has been blocking my horses right shoulder he has not been able to lift on the right side. The muscle has wasted and exacerbated the problem. He's been having to move crooked in his slightly too narrow saddle for a while and it had started to affect the symmetry in his feet and forelimbs as they were loading unevenly! The saddle being a Jump saddle didn't help as it is forward cut an sits over the shoulder anyway.

So, my osteo has come out and straightened my poor horse out and released a lot of tension in his left shoulder (he was really sore!). He's going to have to come out again soon.
I'm getting a wider saddle and a slightly straighter cut one, because of his confo (big shoulders) this will suit him better. My horse is a different horse in a wider saddle! It sits straight and he moves totally different, I can also sit straight which helps my riding.

So in response to your question the saddle can make a massive massive difference not just to your riding but to the biomechanics of your horse :)
 
I'm having saddle dramas with a horse I curently have on loan (planning on buying him after the summer if he continues to improve)
His own saddle doesn't fit at all. Local saddlers have nothing 2nd hand that will suit and I'm not about to buy a brand new saddle for a horse that isn't mine. Currently borrowing a saddle that does fit but it's far from ideal. Sigh.......
 
Hi there

I think saddles do make alot of difference, yes it must first and foremost fit the horse but it must also be suitable for you.

imho the saddle you are riding in the photo looks like it will make you tip forwards, it looks like you are sitting right on the back of it, and the forward cut looks like for it to be right for you, you need to be about 2 holes shorter. you should be able to draw a line between heel, hip and shoulder.

Are you also sitting on a seat saver?

its nice to see you ride with your hands open but it would be better if you could carry them a little higher.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning.
 
See Albion’s do vile things to my position, both their K2 and their dressage saddles, I do currently have an event saddle for my horse so still forward cut but it doesn’t put me in a chair seat.
 
I've noticed a huge difference between my two saddles. my dressage saddle puts my legs in the "correct" position and the difference in the way my horse worked was amazing.
Im so tempted to stop using my gp :p
 
ArcticFox said:
Hi there

I think saddles do make alot of difference, yes it must first and foremost fit the horse but it must also be suitable for you.

imho the saddle you are riding in the photo looks like it will make you tip forwards, it looks like you are sitting right on the back of it, and the forward cut looks like for it to be right for you, you need to be about 2 holes shorter. you should be able to draw a line between heel, hip and shoulder.

Are you also sitting on a seat saver?

its nice to see you ride with your hands open but it would be better if you could carry them a little higher.

Hope you don't mind me mentioning.
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I don't mind at all, dropping my hands is something I am trying so hard to correct, but its a hard habit to break! I do have a seat saver on, which means I sit even higher, but I get bursitis in my seatbones, so it's the only way I can even sit into a saddle, otherwise my perching and tipping gets worse and worse.

The saddle isn't as bad when I jump as I can hoik my stirrups up a fair bit.

Think I will work on burning the little ponys belly off and then get the saddler out when he is nice and trim.
 
It can make a HUGE difference.

Although it fitted my horse, my old saddle was too wide across, too deep in the seat, and the rise of the pommel too high and the knee rolls weren't right. I round my shoulders anyway, so the shape of the saddle made me hunch even more (mostly with back and crotch pain lol) and my lower leg came back as an effort to balance myself and I found I was using my hands too much.

New saddle is perrrrrrrfect for me (did have to be tweaked a lot for Bruce though). My position is a million times better, and yes, I still have a long way to go...old habits die hard and all that - but it's easier to correct myself in the first place.

The difference in the way you ride and the affect on your horse is vast..... since the change in saddle.... Bruce is more up (I'm not forced into leaning forward), more responsive to the leg (because it's on the girth and not behind it) and more open in the shoulder (because I'm not hunched over his shoulder blades).

If you can get a new saddle, or even a decent second hand of which there are plenty about, it is well worth the effort.

ETA - reading one of the comments above, my original saddle was an Albion SLK. HORRIBLE and PAINFUL. And yes, wait until your horse has lost weight (Bruce used to be enormous and has dropped several headplate sizes - the tinkering of the saddle would have been pointless if he had still been huge)
 
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