saddles???

H

holsteiner

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28 October 2012
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Hi. I have a nice dressage saddle for my horse. I am jumping a little with him too (he has jumped a lot in the past, bred for jumping). I am now wondering should I buy a jumping saddle or a general purpose saddle for jumping and riding in the countryside?? Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.
 
I suppose it all depends on how big you are planning on jumping, the length of your leg and the size of saddle your horse can take!

They normally say you don't really need a jump saddle until you are jumping 1.20m, however, people with longer legs tend to find they can't get their stirrups short enough in an AP and therefore would opt for a jump saddle!

I am very short so the AP is fine for me. However, my partner who is 6'1" can't even ride in it with long stirrups. He just doesn't fit! However, my horse wouldn't be able to take a bigger saddle so the only alternative is to use a jump saddle. Due to the extra room for his knees and the flatter seat he fits perfectly in it! (Only I still went for a AP as that is an excuse for him not to ride my pony!)

I suppose it is all down to personal preference at the end of day. You could always go for hybrid in that you can get a GP with a flatter cantel and slightly more forward cut?

The other thing I hear a lot of people say is that jump saddles are much less secure. Now, I always find the opposite as I was brought up riding in jump saddles, however, maybe also something else to take into consideration!!

Happy saddle hunting!!
 
For jumping moderate heights I'd say either BUT for hacking a GP may be better mainly because they tend to have bigger panels and more comfort for the horse. I have some customers who LOVE jumping in our fairly straight cut M&M GP (shallow seat though, that may help a lot, others may prefer a deep seat but for most it interferes) and others, often with long femurs, who want a more forward flap, and they go to our jump saddles.

GPs vary a lot, the best thing you can do is work with atrusted fitter and try some of both. I had an Albion K2 which I hated, much more saddle than the Prestige Paris D I ended up with - though I do like a shallow seated dressage saddle so I guess I like a fairly soft minimal jump saddle as well.
 
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