I've whipped my knee blocks off my jump saddle - am I doing the right thing?

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BeckyD

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I have a Fairfax jump saddle with moveable knee blocks (now known as the Kent & Masters pro range or something). I have a problem with jumping Bill that I never used to have on other horses, in that I'm now pivoting over my knee and my hands are fixed and my lower leg just isn't secure. We did lose our confidence in each other last year and it's only now returning and not yet all the time, and I got very defensive expecting a dirty stop.

I've been gripping with my knee in case of sudden disaster.

In a fit of annoyance with my knee blocks (I am never happy with where they are; I think I have a long thigh?!), I took them off. Admittedly I did fall off the next time he stopped suddenly, but now I feel a lot more secure in my lower leg, and I feel happier over a fence, not pivoting.

So, am I being a fool trying to jump without knee blocks? Don't all jumping saddles have knee blocks? Is there any point in me having a jumping saddle without knee blocks? Can I do SJ and XC without knee blocks?

Apologies for being a numpty!!
 
I don't think i could ride let alone jump without them (can't ride in a dressage saddle yet either, just can't get use to it). They keep me secure when the horse goes nuts and i feel safer.

But if you feel safe and it works for you without them then why not. I've got little legs so i guess thats why i need them :D
 
Of course you can remove them! Theres no rule about knee block on saddles :)

I have a long thigh too and find that knee blocks often don't fit me and actually affect my position rather than help it.

I'd give it a go without them and see how you get on! I'v found that after starting is saddles with big blocks each one I now buy has smaller and smaller blocks. My fave saddle has practically nothing and it's lovely and secure! :)

Maybe your saddle just doesnt fit you, blocks or no blocks?
 
I've been hunting in a showing saddle on a nutty TB who has a tendency to flick his back end over fences... you're definitely not mad :D
 
Much better idea to jump without knee blocks, fwiw a lot of eventers will put working pupils in barely there saddles to teach them to balance properly and not rely on the saddle.....!!
 
KatB said:
Much better idea to jump without knee blocks, fwiw a lot of eventers will put working pupils in barely there saddles to teach them to balance properly and not rely on the saddle.....!!
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The TB belonged to an eventer - maybe she was trying to tell something by shoving me in a show saddle?! I have to say though, if you ever want a crash course in not relying on your saddle, do what I did ;)
 
Its funny you should post this today. I have a pupil in the same saddle having the same issues. I have taken the knee blocks off of hers and she looks much more secure. I have sat and jumped in the saddle and found it difficult to be secure, it seems to pitch you onto your knee.
 
If you have proportionally long thighs, knee blocks will often been wrong for you. Al went from a saddle with big blocks at the front to one which is very straight and flat and her position just improved hugely. It wasn't that she was relying on the, but they were preventing her from finding her own 'place' if that makes sense?
 
charlie76 said:
Its funny you should post this today. I have a pupil in the same saddle having the same issues. I have taken the knee blocks off of hers and she looks much more secure. I have sat and jumped in the saddle and found it difficult to be secure, it seems to pitch you onto your knee.
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You can't imagine how relieved I am to hear you say that. I've been scratching my head for so long trying to figure out *what* I'm doing wrong as I've never ended up on my knees before. Maybe it is something about the saddle. I certainly wouldn't buy one again unless I had to. The only positive is that it is adjustable. And cheap.
 
Kal said:
I don't think i could ride let alone jump without them (can't ride in a dressage saddle yet either, just can't get use to it). They keep me secure when the horse goes nuts and i feel safer.

But if you feel safe and it works for you without them then why not. I've got little legs so i guess thats why i need them :D
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Well the thing is I love knee blocks on other jumping saddles, just not this one! I'm weird :rolleyes: And I know what you mean abotu feeling more secure - that's the reason I rode BIll in this one when he came bac into work. 0-30mph including a 180 degree turn was much easier to sit with knee blocks to grip onto. It just doesn't help my jumping - he's active behind so does tend to flick me a bit, and when I'm already prone to pivoting in this saddle, I guess the end result was not a pretty sight.

I'll see how I get on. Doing Carlton HT on Sunday so I guess if I get launched into the stratosphere when he stops, I will probably change my mind and reattach the blocks!
 
If the blocks are in the wrong place they aren't doing you any favours. I find this is even more true of knee rolls, but the principle is the same.

Traditional North American jumping saddles, Crosby's and the like, often had "pencil" rolls, which are basically decorative! Even modern hunter/jumper saddles tend to be very, very low profile.
 
When I went out to Virginia last year to ride and go hunting, my draw jopped at their saddles. Very flat seats and no knee rolls. We jumped a fair few coups out hunting, some about 3ft6 and after a while I really began to prefer them... If you don't keep your heels down and grip with your knees you fall off!
 
undertheweather said:
When I went out to Virginia last year to ride and go hunting, my draw jopped at their saddles. Very flat seats and no knee rolls. We jumped a fair few coups out hunting, some about 3ft6 and after a while I really began to prefer them... If you don't keep your heels down and grip with your knees you fall off!
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Although the American Jumping Style (which is an actual school of riding :) ) is not at all about gripping with the knee, but about letting the weight go down into the thigh and heel. If a knee roll is in the wrong place it can actually interfere with getting the leg in the right place under the body to allow this to happen. Blocks tend to work better for people with long thighs, especially, since there is nothing, if they're small enough and in the right place, interfering with the knee being soft and the leg staying under the body. A block can be a help if you're jumping xc or riding bouncing horses, as it stops the leg from coming too far up/forward in a dicey situation, and can even give something to brace against, but it's still up to the rider to keep it in the right place over all.
 
Oopsy, that was meant to read "If you let your heels come up and grip with your knees you fall off!" Or something to that effect. There I was trying not to use a double negative and instead changing the meaning of the sentence entirely!
I loved how you were expected to be off your horse's back in canter all the time out hunting. After being out for several hours like that my legs the next day weren't very obliging for anything!
 
If you're happiest without your knee blocks then why use them?

My very tall friend has tiny blocks that are sort of above her knees - I personally can't reach them (in comparison, I'm a midget! although I do have long legs for my height) but I feel more secure in her saddle with nothing holding me in than I do in 'my' saddle. That came with the world's hugest knee blocks that were constantly pushing my knees backwards, but also large thigh blocks (no idea which wierdo had been riding in it before me :o) that were pushing my calves forward. Replaced the blocks with the tiddly ones out of my pony saddle and instantly much better!
 
Thanks everyone. Relieved to see that I'm not being too silly by taking them off. I suppose only time will tell if it's a fix that works. I think I can buy smaller knee blocks, which might not get in the way quite so much, but might give me a bit more security. I think it's the size of these ones, how hard they are and the location, as I can never get them in a comfortable position, so they just always seem to be in the way. I'll pop some XC jumps tonight just to check all ok before the hunter trial on Sunday.
 
I've got a very similar saddle - Kent and Masters jump, and have replaced the front knee blocks with smaller, GP bates ones - so much more comfy!
 
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