Saddle help!

[Batgirl]

I have a 6 yo Clydesdale, he's actually narrower than people would think, he's not 'show condition'. He measures around a MW currently. My dream is for us to do at least Prix St George dressage and to have epic hacks.

I'm looking at a stride free saddle, I'm really bought into the tree concept. I wanted a dressage but interestingly the fitter recommended an endurance saddle, which I really liked. With my last horse I had an All Saddle Solutions/AVA dressage saddle and I always felt out of balance (but thought it was just me) and when I tried the SF dressage I had the same feeling, which in think is due to my over muscled thighs/bum so my bum pushes me forward and the thigh blocks push me back and I end up feeling perched.

Does that make any sense or have I just not found the right dressage saddle (I tried so many last time I looked but never feel right).

Is the endurance saddle such a bad idea? It has changeable blocks, not quite such a deep seat.

All that said I'm hoping to trial one but just would value a ,'sounds like bull shit' or 'makes sense to me'. I can see no benefit of her misleading me, both are in stock.
Thanks if you did get this far!

 

[TheMule]

Their dressage saddle has a horrible big block- I can’t get on with those kind of saddle at all for similar reasons. The endurance looks like a nice shape, but it's a huge amount of money that might be a bit of a compromise
I really like the Devoucoux Makila and I've got a nice little Zaldi with hardly any block. Also look at the Macel saddles, they are super close contact and you have them with no block or hardly any block- that's what I would buy if I were going to spend a good amount on a new saddle now.

 

[Batgirl]

Their dressage saddle has a horrible big block- I can’t get on with those kind of saddle at all for similar reasons. The endurance looks like a nice shape, but it's a huge amount of money that might be a bit of a compromise
I really like the Devoucoux Makila and I've got a nice little Zaldi with hardly any block. Also look at the Macel saddles, they are super close contact and you have them with no block or hardly any block- that's what I would buy if I were going to spend a good amount on a new saddle now.

Thank you, very useful!

Yeah I kinda had the realisation that if I was going to spend that amount of money I really need to make sure it's what I want!

 

[sbloom]

I think they have their place, a colleague of mine fits them, but they, and their trees, are far from the universal solution that they are sometimes presented as, no different to any type of saddle I guess. They are marketing very cleverly and a lot of money!

There are way too many factors to consider in working out why a saddle may not have suited you, I am getting more and more into fitting the rider and you wouldn't believe what factors contribute to making it hard to ride in a certain saddle.

You should be able to find a dressage saddle to suit if that's what you'd really like, it sounds like that was too deep and the blocks too large and fundamentally a poor fit for you. If you are a little "fluffy", there are several factors, muscular thighs and or buttocks (I have fitted for powerlifters) similarly - with a bit more covering you will have your seatbones higher off the seat so the block is in the wrong place because your legs don't drape down as far.

I'm a big fan of a shallower seat and smaller blocks, a larger seat size isn't always the solution even if the horse can take it. I would not personally direct you towards close contact French brands, you'll find discussions on that, a big one about a month or two ago included! There are other options that can give a more open seat and smaller blocks, dressage saddles included.

 

[Batgirl]

Thanks Sbloom, very helpful

Anyone else?

 

[Jellymoon]

I think it’s important that you feel balanced and comfortable if you are going to train your horse for dressage and take him on epic hacks! For his benefit as well as yours.
It sounds like you’ve tried loads of dressage saddles are they are not for you. Maybe that could change in the future as you go up the levels.
I don’t see any issue at all with an endurance saddle if it suits both you and the horse. It won’t hinder his dressage training, and perfect for the adventure hacks.
what might hinder his training is you feeling out of balance. If you like it and you believe in the concept, go for it.

 

[sbloom]

It sounds like you’ve tried loads of dressage saddles are they are not for you. Maybe that could change in the future as you go up the levels.

Possible but very rare indeed. There may be a limitation on seat size, and potentially the fit for the horse, ie a shallower, roomier seat may not be possible on a horse with a high wither, but otherwise there are just way too many saddles out there with whackingly great deep seats and huge blocks which make it much harder to get a great fit if you're not a "standard" shape, whatever that may be.

This is why I'm pressing on with further training for fitting riders, in much more detail than any of the regular saddle fitting qualifications offer, because for some riders it's much harder than for others to get comfortable. If you KNOW how their pelvis is shaped, and their hips "hung", and you know what corrections to make once they're on the horse/in their saddle, then it's not a guessing game usually involving a lot of compromise. You can even tweak the fit to the legs and how they drape around the ribcage, virtually never addressed.

 

[CMcC]

I have a Stride Free Endurance. It is extremely comfortable but I think It would be difficult to be effective for dressage/schooling using it, it doesn’t have the structured seat, blocks that help you maintain a position. Hope that makes sense, it is hard to explain!

 

[Batgirl]

I think it’s important that you feel balanced and comfortable if you are going to train your horse for dressage and take him on epic hacks! For his benefit as well as yours.
It sounds like you’ve tried loads of dressage saddles are they are not for you. Maybe that could change in the future as you go up the levels.
I don’t see any issue at all with an endurance saddle if it suits both you and the horse. It won’t hinder his dressage training, and perfect for the adventure hacks.
what might hinder his training is you feeling out of balance. If you like it and you believe in the concept, go for it.

You know what, THAT makes sense. Thank you ?

 

[canteron]

No idea about the saddle, but I love your ambition to do Prix St George with your Clydesdale, they are such versatile horses!