Is it normal to have to adjust to a new saddle?

[Ellietotz]

Sorry! Decided to post this as a new thread to follow from the last!

I bought a secondhand saddle fitted by a saddle fitter and rode in it today for the fourth time and now I'm worrying it's not right for me!

Is it normal to need to get used to a different saddle?

I've tried out quite a few lately and I was comfortable straight away but they didn't fit the horse. Same when I've ridden other peoples horses, I've been instantly fine in their saddles which were K&M GP, GFS Monarch, Saddle Company GP, Thorowgood etc. Others I was instantly comfortable in were Wintec 500 GP and Symonds.

However, this one which is an Exselle GP, when I sat in it for the first time with my usual length stirrups, I was comfortable but they were too long in trot somehow so I've put them up a hole which I haven't had to do with any others and they feel short in walk and I have to push my legs back to get them in a comfortable knee roll place which is putting me in the correct position but still feels unusual to how I'd normally ride and I'm still having to alter my regular position for this particular saddle which I didn't have to do before. The seat size is fine.

When I am rising in trot in the saddle it is very secure and comfortable and in gallop when I'm standing it is secure at the knee and thigh but at times it feels like I'm on my tiptoes when I'm leaning back to pull up and feel like my lower leg is all over the place. I can't shorten my stirrups more as my knees and ankles wouldn't cope!

Is it normal to have to adapt to it?

I've searched for a saddle for two years and nothing I've been happy in has been found and those mentioned above don't fit her!

It does look fairly new albeit secondhand still but not sure if this would make any difference to the knee roll situation as it feels like I have to squeeze fairly hard to feel like my knees are in place properly too.

 

[Lois Lame]

My feeling is that I would like to feel comfortable in a saddle as soon as I sat in it. I'd have my doubts if i didn't.

 

[Ellietotz]

My feeling is that I would like to feel comfortable in a saddle as soon as I sat in it. I'd have my doubts if i didn't.

That's the thing, I did feel comfortable when I first sat in it with my original stirrup length but I couldn't ride with them that long in this saddle for some reason as they are too long to rise, I have no idea why and even with them now shortened, it is slightly uncomfortable in walk from being shorter and almost too long again in trot and canter/gallop!

 

[ycbm]

The stirrup bars are possibly in a different place than you need or are used to, and you might always be fighting them. Unless your last saddle was wrong for you, I would expect to feel right pretty quickly in a new one.
.

 

[Roxylola]

Could be the bars, could be the twist of the saddle as well if it suits the horse it might be that it's a bit wide for comfort for you.
Or it could be that the blocks and flaps aren't quite right for your legs/hips etc.
What a pain for you though

 

[sbloom]

There are many factors as to whether a saddle is suited to you, enough for you to ride well in it. It sounds like it's not the one. It is the case that sometimes the body doesn't like being correctly aligned and it takes some getting used to, but this doesn't sound like that. Can you move blocks out of the way, they can sometimes make enough difference if they're in a better place (especially calf blocks in GPJ type and jump saddles).

 

[Scotsbadboy]

Yes I had to adjust to a new saddle when i got my Balance Equinox. For a start i realised I either need hip replacement or to get fitter and stretch more so my body could cope with the wideness of the saddle. Secondly because its fitted with the horse as priority, the rider in second place it shows up unbalanced riding so unlike a traditional saddle it wont hold you into place so i had to work on my balance and posture whilst realising what a wonky, unbalanced rider i actually was!

Cant help with your predicament but yes, yes its an ever changing, evolving thing in my opinion. I've just removed the 1/4 pad from my boy as he's now filling the saddle correctly and I've noticed immediately that my hips arent as sore so even with a minor tweak i'm feeling the difference and he is definitely feeling the difference with the most amazing free action which means i have to up my game even more to keep up with his big movement

Good luck, saddles are a PITA and other than 'what rug', they are the only thing that keep me awake at night when it comes to horses, lol!

 

[Ellietotz]

There are many factors as to whether a saddle is suited to you, enough for you to ride well in it. It sounds like it's not the one. It is the case that sometimes the body doesn't like being correctly aligned and it takes some getting used to, but this doesn't sound like that. Can you move blocks out of the way, they can sometimes make enough difference if they're in a better place (especially calf blocks in GPJ type and jump saddles).

Unfortunately they are fixed knee rolls, no calf blocks.

It is quite a flat seat but it doesn't look an unusual shape for a GP, I can't quite put my finger on what could be making it wrong for me but I know that I am trying hard to find a position in it to make it work.

 

[Ellietotz]

The stirrup bars are possibly in a different place than you need or are used to, and you might always be fighting them. Unless your last saddle was wrong for you, I would expect to feel right pretty quickly in a new one.
.

I was thinking that it could be the bars making me push my legs back which is uncomfortable for me but I could get use to it in time possibly but they still feel really long when I'm out of the saddle and other than my knees and ankles, if I shortened them again, I'd have no hope getting my knees in the knee rolls without my feet being so far back that it goes passed my upper body!

I've not had this issue with any of the other brands I've ridden in. The last saddle was a GFS Genesis, the seat was a weird shape for me but I didn't have an issue with my legs.

 

[Fransurrey]

I've recently had two saddles on trial and one of those was definitely not right for me. I was fine in walk, but in trot I was a little 'lost' if I sat to it and lower legs all over the place when I rose. I couldn't shorten stirrups as it was a VSD and my knee was too far over the rolls. The stirrup bar was definitely further forward than the other saddle I had on trial. They both fit the horse really well (Ideal H&C and Black Country), but only the BC fitted me and I felt comfortable straight away once I got stirrup length right.

 

[Ellietotz]

I've recently had two saddles on trial and one of those was definitely not right for me. I was fine in walk, but in trot I was a little 'lost' if I sat to it and lower legs all over the place when I rose. I couldn't shorten stirrups as it was a VSD and my knee was too far over the rolls. The stirrup bar was definitely further forward than the other saddle I had on trial. They both fit the horse really well (Ideal H&C and Black Country), but only the BC fitted me and I felt comfortable straight away once I got stirrup length right.

Interesting you should say this. With the other Ideal VSD I had the option of, I still had to shorten my stirrups a hole in this one and felt all over the place in the lower leg too, the stirrup bar felt a lot further forwards but I wasn't sure if it was in my head!

 

[sbloom]

I was thinking that it could be the bars making me push my legs back which is uncomfortable for me but I could get use to it in time possibly but they still feel really long when I'm out of the saddle and other than my knees and ankles, if I shortened them again, I'd have no hope getting my knees in the knee rolls without my feet being so far back that it goes passed my upper body!

I've been doing training on rider anatomy and saddle fitting, seat size arguably relates to pelvis size (not so much about bottom size in saddles that are designed around pelvic shape), and you don't know that unless you have it assessed. It's a sit-on imprint but you need someone who knows how to do it and then interpret it.

Seat width, shape of the seat, twist width, whether double flap or single flap, where you might need padding to help with alignment...all these factors influence whether you fit a saddle or not. And much less bum size. Leg length, and foot size, relate to bar placement and block size and placement. It's really complex and it's unlikely you'll come up with exactly why it's wrong.

Then add in any possibility that it might be fractionally out of balance, this can have a huge effect (worth checking back with the fitter on this, and to see if they have any other ideas about it)...

 

[Ellietotz]

I've been doing training on rider anatomy and saddle fitting, seat size arguably relates to pelvis size (not so much about bottom size in saddles that are designed around pelvic shape), and you don't know that unless you have it assessed. It's a sit-on imprint but you need someone who knows how to do it and then interpret it.

Seat width, shape of the seat, twist width, whether double flap or single flap, where you might need padding to help with alignment...all these factors influence whether you fit a saddle or not. And much less bum size. Leg length, and foot size, relate to bar placement and block size and placement. It's really complex and it's unlikely you'll come up with exactly why it's wrong.

Then add in any possibility that it might be fractionally out of balance, this can have a huge effect (worth checking back with the fitter on this, and to see if they have any other ideas about it)...

Thank you, that's very interesting to know. Is there anything similar about Wintec, K&M, GFS, Saddle Company etc as to why these fit me so well that you know of?

I don't know anything about Exselle but I have contacted them to find out what model it is.

The fitter did say it was slightly wide at the moment but it does match up with her summer weight so in a few weeks, it should be pretty much there. It is being used with a half pad and does sit level with that on.

 

[Sandstone1]

It may be of no help to you but you can get little leather things that fit on your stirrup bar which slightly alter how your leathers hang which can effect your leg position. They are like little keepers which just slide on to the stirrup bar. Sorry I dont know what the correct name for them is. You just slide them on to the bar before you put leathers on.

 

[sbloom]

Thank you, that's very interesting to know. Is there anything similar about Wintec, K&M, GFS, Saddle Company etc as to why these fit me so well that you know of?

I don't know anything about Exselle but I have contacted them to find out what model it is.

The fitter did say it was slightly wide at the moment but it does match up with her summer weight so in a few weeks, it should be pretty much there. It is being used with a half pad and does sit level with that on.

Those brands have many models, trees, stirrup bar positions, nothing to do with the brand, yo've just been lucky, or, alternatively, have a reasonably average easy to fit "geometry" but have now run into one of the rarer saddles that really causes you issues. If the latter it's likely this is either more jumping (more forward bar, possibly narrower twist, flatter/bigger seat), or perhaps, with your old saddle not fitting this horse, that the horse needs something much wider and shorter than you've ridden in before.

Impossible to say without doing a full assessment of you and understanding how this particular saddle is built. It is worth trying a stirrup bar loop - you can use a plaiting band as a trial on the stirrup bar to hold your stirrup leather back 1cm or so. You could also try pushing (flattened) some gamgee up into the skirts, right up to the welting, to see if you need wider through the twist.

Bear in mind exactly the same saddle can feel different on a different ribcage profile, even if the back is the same shape under the "fitting" part of the saddle.

 

[Ellietotz]

Those brands have many models, trees, stirrup bar positions, nothing to do with the brand, yo've just been lucky, or, alternatively, have a reasonably average easy to fit "geometry" but have now run into one of the rarer saddles that really causes you issues. If the latter it's likely this is either more jumping (more forward bar, possibly narrower twist, flatter/bigger seat), or perhaps, with your old saddle not fitting this horse, that the horse needs something much wider and shorter than you've ridden in before.

Impossible to say without doing a full assessment of you and understanding how this particular saddle is built. It is worth trying a stirrup bar loop - you can use a plaiting band as a trial on the stirrup bar to hold your stirrup leather back 1cm or so. You could also try pushing (flattened) some gamgee up into the skirts, right up to the welting, to see if you need wider through the twist.

Bear in mind exactly the same saddle can feel different on a different ribcage profile, even if the back is the same shape under the "fitting" part of the saddle.

This is the saddle, sorry for the small image!

Having looked at how the stirrups have hung on the other saddles I've used that were comfortable, the knee rolls have been a lot more forward that this one even though it doesn't look particularly straight cut.

Having to put my leg so far back to get into the knee rolls is uncomfortable, albeit okay when standing but then too long for my leg overall!

I hadn't heard of stirrup bar loops before though, I can have a look into them. She fits in a 17" which is fine for me and this saddle is that size too. It's just odd really!

 

[Flame_]

I struggle with saddles! I like a nice "my leg" shaped dent into the flap and knee roll. If that's wrong it freaks me out and I obsess about it - and it is on everything new, which obviously have no dent yet, and on most things old as the blocks and dent are often in the wrong place for my short legs and bent knees. Likewise the angle of the seat I'm on. I'm also fussy about the leather. Put that with a horse with back angles that seem to baffle saddle fitters into giving up pretty quickly and who doesn't like flexible saddles and you have a crap situation. I instantly hate nearly every saddle I sit on, because it feels different, but if I hadn't got used to one in four rides I'd have to change it.

If your leg doesn't just slot into position, I'd say keep looking, but if you can tolerate it, at least you can ride your horse.

 

[Ellietotz]

I struggle with saddles! I like a nice "my leg" shaped dent into the flap and knee roll. If that's wrong it freaks me out and I obsess about it - and it is on everything new, which obviously have no dent yet, and on most things old as the blocks and dent are often in the wrong place for my short legs and bent knees. Likewise the angle of the seat I'm on. I'm also fussy about the leather. Put that with a horse with back angles that seem to baffle saddle fitters into giving up pretty quickly and who doesn't like flexible saddles and you have a crap situation. I instantly hate nearly every saddle I sit on, because it feels different, but if I hadn't got used to one in four rides I'd have to change it.

If your leg doesn't just slot into position, I'd say keep looking, but if you can tolerate it, at least you can ride your horse.

I am so glad it isn't just me being fussy on this!

I can't tolerate it, it's uncomfortable for me to have to force myself into position to fit the saddle and I don't feel secure when I'm out of the saddle trying to pull up when she gets bouncy.

 

[Ellietotz]

I tried it on again tonight but with a prolite half pad without any shims in and it did feel a bit better as the stirrups were falling at a different angle where the front was up a bit more but then I don't know if it's making it lean back and I did have to put my stirrups up yet another hole. It didn't feel uncomfortable just sitting in it though. Ergh, I don't know!

 

[Flame_]

Interesting you should say this. With the other Ideal VSD I had the option of, I still had to shorten my stirrups a hole in this one and felt all over the place in the lower leg too, the stirrup bar felt a lot further forwards but I wasn't sure if it was in my head!

The Ideal VSDs seem to have very little structure to them for rider security, the GPs are miles better IMO, and there are quite a variety of Ideal trees. Don't write them off them because of the VSDs.

 

[Ellietotz]

The Ideal VSDs seem to have very little structure to them for rider security, the GPs are miles better IMO, and there are quite a variety of Ideal trees. Don't write them off them because of the VSDs.

I tried the Event too and the tree point blocked my leg from getting it into the knee roll! I'm not having much luck!

 

[sbloom]

I tried it on again tonight but with a prolite half pad without any shims in and it did feel a bit better as the stirrups were falling at a different angle where the front was up a bit more but then I don't know if it's making it lean back and I did have to put my stirrups up yet another hole. It didn't feel uncomfortable just sitting in it though. Ergh, I don't know!

No, that compromises the fit for the horse, more pressure at the back. If the saddle is straighter cut than usual then that's likely the main issue. Do you have a long upper leg? Can you get someone to photograph or video you in the saddle?

 

[Ellietotz]

I am starting to get increasingly frustrated now!

So I tried again last night with a slightly thicker half pad, the knee rolls felt better with the front raised up slightly but I felt wonky and unbalanced still and the back was meeting me very slightly when I was rising.

I had a good look at it when I got home, I assumed that as the saddle fitter was selling it on behalf of a client that the flocking would be decent but apparently one panel is actually fuller than the other and there is practically no flocking in the front. Overall, it's pretty lumpy and gappy too.

For £475, I don't particularly want to spend another £80 having it reflocked too.

I am at my wits end.

ETA: They want me to decide by this weekend but how can I decide if I'm happy in something that doesn't fit me or the horse currently? I can't use it how it is at risk of causing her issues and if it's sitting too low at the front, it doesn't give me a true feeling of how it is meant to be when sat in it.

 

[Flame_]

Send it back, be patient, you can do better.

 

[Red-1]

I would always bank on having to adjust a secondhand saddle. That said, if you aren't comfortable and have the opportunity to send it back, then I would do that.

I am fussy over saddles. A nice saddle makes a horse feel a stack better.

 

[Ellietotz]

I would always bank on having to adjust a secondhand saddle. That said, if you aren't comfortable and have the opportunity to send it back, then I would do that.

I am fussy over saddles. A nice saddle makes a horse feel a stack better.

He has now confirmed that he will reflock it and let me try it again once it is right and sitting level so I suppose that is something.

I'm just a bit annoyed that we have wasted all this time when I wish he'd fitted it properly in the first place.

 

[sbloom]

Surprising!

 

[Ellietotz]

Surprising!

Which part? Lol!

 

[sbloom]

That the flocking wasn't checked and the saddle fitted to the horse. Lighter flocking at front or back is fine, IF it fits the horse and is enough to protect the horse from the tree.

 

[Ellietotz]

That the flocking wasn't checked and the saddle fitted to the horse. Lighter flocking at front or back is fine, IF it fits the horse and is enough to protect the horse from the tree.

I've just been told it has be reflocked apparently!